Few teams have failed to live up to expectations more than the Phoenix Suns, who are currently 11th in the Western Conference and trending in the wrong direction fast. That has led to rumors of them pursuing several trades to try and boost their sagging record, with the Suns reportedly trying to acquire Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
Although the Suns have been linked to Butler in recent days, the Suns made another deal before then. They landed former Charlotte Hornets backup center Nick Richards, giving them a new starting center.
Phoenix was in desperate need of a starting center after they benched Yusuf Nurkic following his poor play, and Richards, despite being a backup, will be an upgrade over Nurkic. Acquiring Richards wouldn't necessarily preclude them from landing Butler and would be key to a midseason renovation for the struggling Suns.
That is definitely possible, but it would take some impressive maneuverability by Phoenix to be able to pull off not one but two key trades while over the second tax apron.
The Phoenix Suns can't afford to miss out on Jimmy Butler after landing Nick Richards.
As of now, the Suns have just two tradeable picks and may have to move all of them to make the deal happen. As far as potential trade packages, they could offer the Heat Bradley Beal, Ryan Dunn, Denver's 2025 second, and the Suns' 2031 first. If the Suns were able to pull off that deal, they would manage to upgrade their roster around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
In fact, they would boast a much-improved starting lineup of Tyus Jones, Booker, Butler, Durant, and Richards. That would potentially give the Suns enough offensive firepower and defensive potential to move up the Western Conference standings. Of course, if those trades don't work out, then the Suns would be even worse off than they are now, but they don't have any other options given their situation.
All in all, the Suns have been linked to the Heat's Jimmy Butler after landing Richards. While they have limited assets, they should have just enough to potentially land him to potentially reset their roster in hopes of contending this season.