With the NBA’s 2025-26 preseason roughly a month away, the Phoenix Suns may be in need of some changes before they take the court against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 3. The offseason departures of Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant leave them with less star power, and without a clear starting point guard and help driving towards the rim.
Given these clear roster needs, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley drew up four trades for the Suns to help with their open spots. Some center around the addition of Devin Booker‘s new sidekick. Others suggest a full rebuild for the team.
Ranking Bleacher Report’s Hot Take Suns Trades
4. Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets receive: Jalen Green
Phoenix Suns receive: Michael Porter Jr., a 2027 first-round pick (via New York Knicks) and a 2032 first-round pick (via Denver Nuggets)
This trade involves two players that have already relocated once this offseason.
Since getting traded to the Nets, Porter has made his voice heard about breaking ties with the Denver Nuggets, his former team. After spending his entire career playing behind Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, he’s currently projected to be Brooklyn’s top scoring option.
If traded to the Suns, it’s highly unlikely that he would be the team’s No. 1 option. Nevertheless, playing alongside Booker would help with some of the defensive pressure he’s likely to replace. In return, Porter addresses Phoenix’s desire for a star-caliber forward and increased tenacity around the rim.
To accommodate Porter’s inclusion, Suns first-year head coach Jordan Ott could move Dillon Brooks to shooting guard. Though he’s nominally a small forward, he has experience playing the two-guard at the professional level, with 27 percent of his career minutes coming at that position. The last time that shooting guard was his primary position was 2019-20. That season, the Oregon product averaged 16.2 points and 2.1 assists per game with the Memphis Grizzlies.
In light of Phoenix’s questions at point guard, this move is highly questionable. Though Brooks can add tertiary playmaking, he doesn’t have the passing ability or mindset of primary or secondary facilitator. Furthermore, despite Buckley’s desire for the Suns to trade Green, Porter Jr. averaged 2.8 fewer points per game than the former Houston Rockets building block in 2024-25.
3. Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks receive: Royce O’Neale, Nick Richards and a 2027 first-round pick (via Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers or Minnesota Timberwolves)
Phoenix Suns receive: Onyeka Okongwu
The Suns need to add length and scoring to their frontcourt.
At 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, Okongwu is built more like a forward than center. However, the three-level scorer averaged a career-high 13.4 points per game in 2024-25 and could form a complementary pair 2025 No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach. Not only is Maluach raw offensively, he’s 7-foot-2 and 250 pounds.
After playing 74-plus games in two of the last three seasons, Okongwu could also provide stability at the spot. To that point, Mark Williams only played 44 games with the Charlotte Hornets last season. On top of that, the questions about his back that led to the Los Angeles Lakers vetoing their trade for him can’t be brushed aside.
However, depth is the one problem from this trade. Neither Richards nor O’Neale are household names but they’ve both played at least 22 minutes per game over the past three seasons. After being traded by the Hornets, Richards started in 34 of the 36 games he played for the Suns. As a result, one of their second-year pros —Ryan Dunn or Oso Ighodaro –could wind up in that role.
The trade would at least give Suns fans a chance to see the Green-Booker backcourt duo though. Though their pairing hasn’t led to much hype, it could be one of the most dynamic in the Western Conference.
2. Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors receive: Jalen Green
Phoenix Suns receive: RJ Barrett and Ochai Agbaji
Trading one team’s leading scorer is tough, but it feels great to get another.
Despite a postseason-less campaign north of the border, a steadily evolving Barrett led the Toronto Raptors with 21.1 points per game (0.1 points per game more than Green). At 6-foot-6, he’s about half a head shorter than Porter. However, he would still lend more length than Green and a level of brutish physicality that the acrobatic high-flyer doesn’t always play with.
The acquisition of Agbaji is what really makes this potential trade better than the Porter idea. Flying under-the-radar since his standout collegiate career, he averaged 10.4 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting from 3 last season. All the while, he continued to play stellar point-of-attack defense. Agbaji’s two-way impact and 3-and-D archetype makes him a plausible addition to the starting lineup.
1. Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets receive: Devin Booker
Phoenix Suns receive: Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Steven Adams and a 2027 first-round pick (via Houston Rockets)
The trade that would send shockwaves through Suns’ nation may be the one that propels them the most. Despite the loss of their franchise player, Green would become the new face of the team while surrounded by some familiar faces that helped him be successful in Houston. They’ll also receive a 2027 first-round pick; at present, the Suns won’t have another first-round pick until 2032. Keeping that in mind, Phoenix could use the 2027 first-rounder to either draft or trade Green’s tag team partner.
To focus on the active players though, Phoenix would get a revered floor general in VanVleet, the best point guard they’ll have had since Chris Paul. They even add point guard depth, a glaring hole since Mat Ishbia’s takeover, with Sheppard. The third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Sheppard was drawing comparisons to Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry last summer. In 2024-25, the neophyte and breakout guard Collin Gillespie could even split minutes in the second unit. This should take scoring pressure off of Gillespie, who averaged 5.9 points in 14.0 minutes per game last season.
In terms of the frontcourt acquisitions, Eason’s a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 12.0 points per game in 2024-25 while terrorizing opponents defensively. While only starting 16 games in 2024-25, there’s no reason that he won’t be a valuable rotation piece. Hypothetically, he could even emerge as the team’s sixth man. Sending Booker to Space City would even give Ott another starting-level center. However, unlike the players in their current center corps, Adams is considered a locker room leader.
Most importantly, this trade simply gives the rebuilding Suns their building blocks.
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