All season long, the Phoenix Suns depth has been their biggest weakness, and with the trade deadline approaching, that looks to be an area that they are looking to address. That has led them to the Brooklyn Nets, where a pair of solid two-way forwards appear to have caught their attention.
The 2023-24 season has not gone according to plan for the Nets, which is likely going to result in them acting as sellers at the deadline. Unsurprisingly, their rotation pieces are drawing a lot of interest, and it sounds like the Suns are one of several teams pursuing Royce O'Neale, with a trade package involving Nassir Little and several second-round picks potentially being on the table.
“The Suns have also remained in the mix to land O’Neale. Nassir Little and multiple second-round picks have been dangled in trade talks for O’Neale, league sources told HoopsHype.” – Michael Scotto, HoopsHype
Suns also targeting Dorian Finney-Smith
O'Neale is a solid three-and-d player (7.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 38.8 FG%, 36.6 3P%), but his minutes have dropped significantly this season, and it could result in the Nets moving on from him. Another wing player Brooklyn could move on from is Dorian Finney-Smith, and while the Suns are interested in him too, the higher price tag attached to his name could dissuade them from truly pursuing him.
“For the Nets to part with Finney-Smith, it would take a future first-round pick starting in 2025 or beyond that has a chance to be a potential Top 20 pick along with a rotation player, league sources told HoopsHype…Finney-Smith has drawn significant interest on the trade market, including several playoff-caliber teams such as the Lakers, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Bucks, Thunder, Suns and Kings.” – Michael Scotto, HoopsHype
Finney-Smith has basically been a better version of O'Neale this season (9.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 41.2 FG%, 38.3 3P%), and it seems likely that one of these guys will be on the move by the end of Thursday. Whether or not their new destination ends up being the Suns remains to be seen, but it looks like Phoenix has locked in on Brooklyn as a team that can help them address their season-long depth issues.