The idea of Paolo Banchero landing in Phoenix makes for a fun thought exercise, but it’s the kind of trade chatter that collapses the second you look at the actual pieces the Suns have to offer.
Bleacher Report recently ranked Banchero No. 2 on its list of 10 players other teams should target, and named the Suns as a possible destination. That’s where the conversation starts - and, in this case, where it should probably end.
Banchero is still just 23, and even with his flaws, he has already shown in a playoff series that he can take over a game by himself. He was the first overall pick, came into the league with that LeBron James-like, tank-like frame, and has enough talent to make any front office dream a little too hard.
But Orlando would have to be convinced to move him, and Phoenix simply does not have the kind of package that would get the Magic to listen. Not even Devin Booker changes that. The Suns are light on the draft-pick side, and the players they could put on the table don’t move the needle enough for a deal of this size.
Jalen Green and Miles Bridges have seen their value sink, while Dillon Brooks is the sort of player rivals would love to pry away from Phoenix. Even so, he looks more like a culture piece or a finishing touch than the centerpiece of a Banchero deal. Orlando would not be looking at Brooks as the main return.
The younger names don’t solve the problem either. A group built around Khaman Maluach, Koa Peat and Oso Ighodaro likely wouldn’t even be enough to get Jalen Suggs. Ryan Dunn is the kind of player who could fit with the Magic, and his recent mini-renaissance would be a nice bonus, but it still wouldn’t come close to changing the equation.
That’s the real takeaway here: the Banchero idea is exciting because it would instantly make Phoenix’s starting five look cleaner, and he would be a huge upgrade over Bridges. But it also underlines how badly the Suns still need help on the front line, even after adding Bridges. Grayson Allen is a miss who is thriving in Charlotte, and his absence should not be felt this much.
If Phoenix is going to chase a more realistic big-name target, Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings makes more sense right now. Even then, he would not solve the defense issues that still hang over this roster.
So yes, it’s easy to picture Booker and Banchero in the same lineup. It just isn’t happening.
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Charlotte, meanwhile, arrives with a longer list of injury concerns, which only adds to the sense that this one could hinge as much on who is available as on who is playing well. There is also a little extra edge in the building, with Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale set to face their former team for the first time this season, a small subplot that gives an otherwise ordinary regular-season meeting a little more bite. [Read more 🡒]