Suns stock up in three-team Damian Lillard deal

In another of their aggressive moves since new owner Mat Ishbia took over, the Suns swapped disgruntled center Deandre Ayton for a plethora of lower-priced depth pieces. Since February, the Suns have traded for All-Stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal and turned over more than two-thirds of their roster. Only guard Devin Booker remains from the team that went to the NBA Finals two years ago.

When the Suns traded for Durant and Beal, they had to give up nearly all of their depth. Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson headed to Brooklyn, Chris Paul and Landry Shamet went to Washington for Beal and Cameron Payne left in a money-saving deal to San Antonio. But now they've flipped Ayton for two clear rotation players, plus two young players with potential.

Nurkic is older than Ayton and gets hurt a lot, but he provides defense and rebounding for a team that really doesn't need their center to score. Grayson Allen shot almost 40 percent from three-point range and started 70 games for the Bucks last season, and his expiring contract gives the Suns financial flexibility. Little is only 23, shot nearly 37 percent from three, and is signed for three years for just $22M. Meanwhile, Keon Johnson is a former first-round pick on a cheap rookie deal.

All four should play for a team that's very talented, but also old and injury-prone. Phoenix absolutely needed younger and cheaper players, and this deal got them all of that, for a high-priced player (Ayton is owed $102M for the next three years) who didn't exactly fit their roster. If they need to duck the luxury tax, it's easier to deal a player making under $10M than one making over $30M. 

Ayton was simply unhappy in Phoenix as well. He signed an offer sheet with Indiana in the summer of 2022, only for the Suns to match. Ayton claimed he didn't speak to former coach Monty Williams for months after he was benched in the Suns' playoff loss. Even in his promotional videos, Ayton seemed disengaged and unenthusiastic.

The Suns were already loaded with stars. Now they've got the role players to look like a normal NBA team. Maybe even the title favorite.