The Phoenix Suns may have a rare opening to solve one of their biggest roster problems, and it comes with the kind of trade package the LA Clippers might actually have to consider after their recent punishment tied to the Kawhi Leonard situation.
The Clippers are in a tough spot. They do not have a first-round pick coming until 2034, which leaves them without an easy path to add young, cheap talent with upside. That lack of draft flexibility makes any deal involving a proven player and a return built around youth especially interesting.
Phoenix, meanwhile, has a pair of young players in Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming that could give Los Angeles something to work with. The Suns also do not appear eager to keep piling up future picks, and while they do have a second-rounder in 2028, the idea here is to lean on players instead of draft capital. In this framework, Jalen Green would also be sent out, while Darius Garland would come in as the centerpiece.
It is a steep price for a 26-year-old who has dealt with injury issues over the last 18 months. But that is also the calculation Phoenix has to make if Devin Booker is truly the franchise centerpiece and the goal is to chase a championship right now.
Garland would immediately raise the Suns’ ceiling. He would give Booker a real point guard to work with and help clean up some of the spacing issues created by playing alongside Bridges and Dillon Brooks. The appeal is simple: Phoenix gets closer to having an All-Star-caliber floor general, while also moving on from Green in the process.
For the Clippers, the appeal is different. They would be left with the former second overall pick, but they would also land a sophomore center in Maluach, who showed flashes of the potential that made him the 10th selection a few months back at Summer League. Fleming would be the extra sweetener, with the chance to develop into a legitimate two-way wing.
Even if neither player becomes a long-term keeper, the deal would at least give LA two young pieces it could build around for now and possibly flip later for another player or draft compensation. And with the Clippers’ current predicament, that kind of flexibility matters.
The Suns may not love the cost, especially with centers becoming more valuable, and there is real risk in moving on from Maluach this early. But the opportunity is hard to ignore. Phoenix has not yet gotten deeply attached to either young player, and if the organization is committed to keeping Booker in The Valley for the rest of his career, then it needs to keep putting help around him.
Garland is the kind of upgrade the Suns have to explore.
In Other News...
Dillon Brooks Added An Unexpected Twist To His Suns Offseason Work
Dillon Brooks offseason routine took an unexpected turn before he even got back into NBA work, with the Suns sharing that he spent part of the summer training in Kung Fu. The setting alone stood out, and so did the fit: the Wudang Mountains in China are tied to a style built around discipline and body control, two traits that can only add another layer to a player whose game has long been defined by edge, strength and relentless physicality.
Brooks is coming off a career-best NBA season, which already gave Phoenix reason to believe it had added a veteran wing with plenty left in the tank. Now hes folding martial arts into the mix as part of his offseason routine, an unusual wrinkle that makes sense for a player looking to sharpen his body control while keeping the competitive fire that makes him who he is. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Suddenly Have A New Center Question Fans Will Love
The Suns center room looks a lot more stable after bringing Mark Williams back into the fold, and that alone changes the conversation around the roster. Williams gives Phoenix a true interior presence with rim protection, rebounding and easy finishing around the basket, the kind of profile that can quietly reshape how a team defends and how it plays around its guards.
But the intrigue does not stop with one familiar name. Phoenix also has Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro in the mix, which gives the frontcourt a different kind of depth than most teams carry, and Maluach in particular has already flashed the sort of athletic upside that makes the Suns long-term picture harder to pin down. The real question now is less about whether Phoenix has enough size and more about how the rotation sorts itself out once the competition at center starts for real. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Face A Jalen Green Decision That Could Change Everything
With training camp set to open on Sept. 29, the Suns are already staring at one of the more intriguing lineup questions on their roster: how to make the backcourt work. Jalen Green is at the center of it, and the discussion around him has quickly turned from pure talent to fit, with Phoenix weighing whether his energy and scoring could help more in a reserve role than alongside Devin Booker from the opening tip.
The reasoning is straightforward enough. A different role for Green could give the Suns more balance and cleaner defensive matchups, while also helping establish a sturdier backcourt around Booker. It is the kind of decision that can reshape not just the rotation but the way Phoenix looks on both ends of the floor, and it leaves the Suns with a bigger question than just where Green stands on the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]