The Phoenix Suns have been making major moves ever since the start of 2023. It turns out Matt Ishbia’s ownership has been a good change within the franchise especially as they seek to win a title soon. Ishbia came into the scene after the Suns’ former owner Robert Sarver was booked under several harassment allegations. Even though it’s been a tough ride since their title run in 2021, things are starting to look better now.
Ever since the start of the off-season, the Valley has acquired prolific scored Bradley Beal to fill the vacant guard spot on the roster after they traded Chris Paul. CP3 was shipped in the same trade that brought Beal to the roster, and he eventually signed with the Golden State Warriors.
Paul was undoubtedly a great presence in the locker room but his contributions weren’t effective. He averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists last season and has been declining since joining the team.
Kevin Durant was a great acquisition to enhance the roster offensively. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns after a falling out with the Brooklyn Nets earlier during the season. Durant averaged 26 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists shooting 57% from the field in 8 games. During the playoffs, star guard Devin Booker and KD led the Suns at a historic pace before being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in round two.
The Phoenix Suns target TJ McConnell in a potential trade with the Indiana Pacers
It was apparent that the Phoenix Suns lacked firepower on the bench. Despite having great rotational players, they weren’t good enough for a team that was running for the title. Recently, they traded Cameron Payne, a ninth-year point guard, to the San Antonio Spurs. They sent him along with a second-round pick to the Spurs for a future first-round pick. Payne shot 41.5% from the field and 36.8% from three while playing exceptional defense as well.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
Spurs have made a trade!
The Spurs are acquiring PG Cam Payne, a future 2nd round pick, and cash from the Phoenix Suns.In exchange the Spurs have sent a future 2nd round pick to PHX.
Per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/mqLNgNMTPC
— Spurs Lead (@SpursLead) July 16, 2023
In addition to this, the Suns also signed Bol Bol to a one-year deal. The South Sudanese native signed a $4.4 million two-year with the Orlando Magic last year but was eventually waived. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Suns are receiving three future second-round picks in exchange for first-round pick swaps.
BREAKING: Bol Bol is signing with the Phoenix Suns. pic.twitter.com/4LXBKkLBIW
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 16, 2023
The Suns haven’t ended their off-season upgrades just yet as trade talks between them and the Indiana Pacers have been going on. It is said that the Suns are eyeing 31-year-old point guard TJ McConnell. Phoenix is trying its best to fill up the guard positions as backups for Booker and Beal. They mean serious business and it would only be interesting to see how good they are during the upcoming season.