Ten games into the 2026-27 NBA season, the Phoenix Suns are already back in the trade rumor business.
The noise has been loud around a point guard fix, with plenty of fans pushing for Darius Garland despite his injury history. But the latest round of chatter has widened the board, and Bleacher Report has linked the Suns to four names: Garland, Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, and Paolo Banchero.
That’s where the real debate starts, because Phoenix’s issues go deeper than one position. After a string of forced moves, from Deandre Ayton to Kevin Durant, plus the financial burden of the Bradley Beal dead money, the Suns are left with a starting group that feels both crowded and incomplete.
The fit is awkward. The size is shaky.
The consistency comes and goes. And the team is still trying to figure out how to let its biggest salaries matter without smothering everyone else.
Last season’s playoff series against the Thunder made that problem plain. Brooks and Green soaked up shots while Devin Booker was left to spray the ball out of double teams, and when Jalen Green or Dillon Brooks got rolling, the ball could stick and leave Book watching the play instead of creating the next one.
This year, Booker has started to find his rhythm again. Against the Spurs, he caught fire in a vintage scoring burst, but the rest of the roster didn’t follow.
Only the Suns rookie Malauch finished with more than 10 points. Miles Bridges said in the press conference that Booker got hot, which echoed the same kind of explanation Booker gave during the Thunder series after Jalen and Dillon piled up shot attempts in a loss.
The early-season warning signs are already there.
As for the rumored targets, Anthony Davis offers the biggest upside and the biggest risk. He is, as the source puts it, a day away from street clothes every day.
The appeal is obvious, but Phoenix’s recent Finals run was built on availability, and the team’s injury luck eventually ran out when Dario Saric went down. If there’s one move that could make the Suns a real title threat, Davis is in that conversation.
But the downside is just as obvious.
Garland is a tougher sell for a different reason. The Suns have leaned into defense, even moving two of their better shooters to chase that identity.
So even if Garland were creating clean looks, the question becomes who exactly he’d be kicking to. Booker, Brooks, and Bridges would be the main outlets instead of Grayson or Royce, and that kind of shooting night might work once in a while.
It won’t hold up over four or five games in a seven-game series.
That leaves Sabonis and Banchero.
Sabonis is the name that has gained traction. The idea was mocked in the offseason, but the Suns’ rebounding problems, lack of size, and youth at center have made the fit look a lot more reasonable now.
He’s described here as a starting center-sized version of Oso Ighodaro: a strong screener, a facilitator, and a better scorer with elite rebounding ability. Even with his defensive questions, the argument is that his veteran presence could help stabilize a defense that has been giving up too many open shots because of communication breakdowns.
The original trade idea of Jalen Green and Mark Williams still gets mentioned as a possible path, though the timing may push it to the deadline. Sabonis would help with size, experience, and flexibility, and he could play alongside the Suns’ young centers. But even that doesn’t solve the biggest issue on its own: Phoenix still needs a second star next to Booker.
That’s where Banchero comes in. The case for him is less about point guard play and more about another true shot creator.
The source argues that the Suns need a second advantage creator when teams take Booker away, and Banchero fits that bill better than most. Though he has slipped out of favor in some NBA circles, he’s presented as the most realistic way, outside of Davis, to land a bona fide All-Star next to Booker.
Banchero’s size, handle, and ability to score in the paint would fit well with Booker drawing attention. The Magic, meanwhile, haven’t been able to add enough shooting to open up Banchero’s downhill game. A new environment could revive the momentum he once had.
The boldest idea is to combine both Sabonis and Banchero. The Suns would have to wait until some recently acquired players become eligible to move, but once February 11 arrives, the proposed move is clear.
Projected Suns’ starting lineup: Collin Gillespie / Devin Booker / Ryan Dunn / Paolo Banchero / Domantas Sabonis.
That group is built around more facilitation, more rebounding, more inside scoring, and better spacing. Collin Gillespie and Ryan Dunn would get starting opportunities, Banchero would operate with more room beside Booker, and Sabonis would finally get a real chance at playoff success after the Kings’ seven-game first-round loss to the Warriors.
The finish line in this scenario: 54 wins and the 5th seed.
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