The NBA regular season has not started off on a great foot for the Phoenix Suns and with reports of locker room tension already making the rounds, the trade chatter is bound to come.
One particularly trade idea floated may actually be the perfect move for a Suns team in desperate need of a change.
The latest from Bleacher Report proposes a trade between the Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans, and via the outline it would look something like this:
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Jalen Green, 2027 second-round pick (less favorable of Boston and Orlando), $3.5 million cash
Phoenix Suns Receive: Dejounte Murray
BR goes on to address the financial implications of the deal: “Murray is on the books for $32.8 million, but his $2.4 million in unlikely incentives count against the Suns’ apron calculations. That brings his inbound value to $35.2 million, which is still lower than Green’s $36.2 million salary. Both Murray ($30.8 million) and Green ($36 million) also hold player options for 2027-28.”
The Pelicans could be motivated to make the move as In The N.O.’s Shamit Dua commented that “many around the league believe the Pelicans and Murray would like to work together to find a better situation for the veteran guard.”
As for the Suns, it’s all about roster balance as Chris Haynes of NBA TV reported that “there’s some growing frustration” in the Suns’ locker room because the “roster does not have a point guard that could organize” the offense, something I reported on earlier today.
Clearly adding Murray would directly address that need and the Suns may be wise to part with Green while his value is as high as it is to eliminate any roster redundancy that may be holding this team back.
Proposed Suns-Pelican Trade May Be Exactly What Phoenix Needs