Fatal flaw Suns must fix at 2025 NBA trade deadline
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The Phoenix Suns are currently in their second year of experimenting with the big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. By now, the team has realized that the team-up hasn’t been a great fit. In fact, Mike Budenholzer has already made Beal come off the bench.
Although the Suns have a formidable big with no shortage of star power, the team faces a problem regarding their depth in the frontcourt, which is a fatal flaw that needs to be addressed. Jusuf Nurkic has underperformed and the team lacks a reliable rim protector to prevent opponents from punishing them in the interior. With the trade deadline ahead, the Suns have their work cut out to find a solid replacement.
However, let’s not forget, while the trade deadline gives teams a chance to tweak their respective rosters, the Suns don’t have a lot of assets to move around. Although the Suns are strong candidates to land a disgruntled Jimmy Butler, realistically, only Grayson Allen and Nurkic are movable.
Throwing in Beal is a long shot, especially with his no-trade clause that could only be waived by the All-Star guard himself. With a Butler trade seeming like a pipe dream, Phoenix must utilize the trade deadline to focus on beefing up their depth at the center position.
Jusuf Nurkic’s disappointing season
While it’s clear that the trio of Durant, Booker, and Beal isn’t working out, it also doesn’t help that their supposed starting center isn’t playing up to par. Nurkic hasn’t played like a starting center, averaging only 8.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. His scoring production is the lowest since his sophomore season. Furthermore, Nurkic is just shooting an inefficient 45.5% from the field overall and 69.6% from the free throw line.
The Bosnian Beast usually makes his presence felt with his size and ability to get rebounds. However, that just isn’t the story for the Suns this year. In fact, he has failed to perform as a role player tasked to contain opposing elite big men and to protect the rim. Without a reliable anchor, it’s easy to see why opposing teams have taken advantage. The Suns actually give up 48.1 points in the paint, which is ranked 16th in the NBA.
The Suns don’t exactly have a lot of trade assets, since bringing together their big three. But with Nurkic slumping this season, this makes him a trade asset that the team can exploit. It’s not exactly a bright situation in Phoenix, but the franchise needs to do whatever it can if they hope to salvage this super team.
Not enough impact from backup big men
Given that Nurkic hasn’t been the same this year, it’s easy to see why Budenholzer has looked on to his bench for possible replacements. Unfortunately, none of the big men have stepped up big time. Mason Plumlee was a reasonable first choice to take up the starting spot of Nurkic, given that he has plenty of experience under his belt. However, even the 12-year NBA veteran could only muster six points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks.
On the other hand, it’s been roughly the same story for Bol Bol, who couldn’t seem to get playing time even for a team that’s needing a boost in its frontcourt. The South Sudan big man has only appeared in eight games this year, putting up 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.
The only bright spot in the Suns front court has been rookie Oso Ighodaro. In limited minutes, the 6-foot-10 power forward is averaging 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. While he is showing signs of promise, asking him to solve the Suns’ interior issues is too much to ask from a 22-year old rookie that’s still finding his footing in the league.
Potential trade with Detroit Pistons to boost frontcourt
Suns receive: Isaiah Stewart ($15 million)
Pistons receive: Jusuf Nurkic ($18.1 million)
In order to address the Suns’ need for a center, the team can engage in a deal with the Detroit Pistons to acquire the former NBA All-Rookie Second Team player, Isaiah Stewart. Despite only standing at 6-foot-8, Stewart has shown that he’s capable of banging bodies against the best big men in the world. In fact, he’s versatile enough to switch from the four to the five positions. In the ongoing 2024-25 season, Stewart is producing 5.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game on 52.4% shooting from the field overall.
With Stewart’s skillset, the Suns can have a defensive oriented big man who can disrupt lob passes and block some shots. This allows the team to address their rim protection issues. Offensively, he’s also not shy about playing the perimeter, as his versatility could come in handy. And as a bonus, Stewart is only 23-years-old, making him a valuable roster piece for continuity purposes. In fact, pairing him with Ighodaro should give Suns fans something to be excited about once the franchise eventually decides to press the reset button.
On the other hand, the Pistons are a young up-and-coming team. They decided to bench Stewart in favor of Jalen Duren, reducing the former’s playing time. As a result, Stewart’s benching could be the primary reason of his career-low in numbers. With the Pistons’ youth, trading Stewart for a seasoned enforcer like Nurkic should elevate Detroit’s ceiling further.
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