The Phoenix Suns enter the 2026-27 season trying to be as competitive as possible, but if they fail to make the playoffs and finally attempt to trade Devin Booker, they will have put themselves in the perfect position to go back to square one.
Suns can have fire sale of all veterans to generate assets
We've reached the "do-or-die" moment in Booker's career in Phoenix, and despite many believing he has one of the worst contracts in the league alongside Joel Embiid, the Suns would still find a suitor for the guard's services if they made him available.
They likely would not get the return they would like, but moving Booker is the easy part. It is what comes next that is more difficult, but the Suns have signed all of their key veteran players in such a way that they can also be moved relatively easily.
It starts with the next most valuable player in The Valley, Dillon Brooks. The three-year, $73 million extension he signed this offseason came at the perfect time for him, but also for the franchise. That would be incredibly easy to move if needed, and it would afford Brooks the possibility of having some say in his next destination. Ideally for him, that would be a contender.
Believe it or not, the same is also true of Mark Williams, despite a shoulder injury that could see him miss most of the campaign. Starting-caliber centers are getting harder to come by, and the three-year, $38 million extension he signed represents great value.
Rival franchises will always talk themselves into taking a flyer on a massive frame that can't stay healthy, and he is still only 24-years-old. A first-round pick in return? We're dreaming big here.
Next up is Miles Bridges, who has not yet gotten his own extension but soon will, and you can bet the Suns will make it movable next year if needed. Bridges was an expensive get at the cost of an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, but the best-case scenario this season could see the Suns recoup some of what they lost to acquire him.
Suns can ditch Jalen Green to complete starting five sweep
The approach with Green would be different, as he will be viewed as an expiring deal 12 months from now. That's assuming he picks up a player option of $36 million, a figure he will never see in one season again, so it is fair to assume he will be doing that. As such, the asking price for his services will be lower, but getting rid of him still won't be a problem.
Trading away all five of their starters for what would amount to a haul of picks and a couple of young players/veterans in return to add to their own youngsters would then give the Suns the blank slate needed to start again.
When you see it written out like this, it doesn't even look so bad, either. Is it wrong to be a little excited by this idea? Potentially.
