The Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline is just hours away, which means the time is running out for organizations to find the missing pieces for their puzzles. Contenders such as the Phoenix Suns could be very active until the deadline at 3 p.m. ET. The action in Arizona already started in the middle of the night when the team made a blockbuster trade to bring Kevin Durant to the Suns.
Phoenix sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected future first-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for former Sun T.J. Warren and the 2014 MVP.
With the move, the Suns should be one of the favorites to win the NBA title in 2023. As of now, they are 30-26 and are the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. For comparison, they had the best record in the NBA last season at 64-18. With Durant, the team could get back on track like it did in recent years.
While bringing Durant is a game-changing trade, Phoenix could still be working behind the scenes for more. Since Bridges and Johnson are going to Brooklyn, the Suns might need to get some more rotational pieces.
With that being said, here is one last-minute trade the Phoenix Suns must make before the 2023 NBA trade deadline after acquiring Kevin Durant.
1 last-minute trade Phoenix Suns must make before 2023 deadline
Phoenix receives: Robert Covington
Los Angeles receives: Dario Saric, Josh Okogie and a second-round pick
Although the Suns are bringing in an MVP-level player in Durant, they ended up giving up two very important pieces for their recent success.
Johnson missed more than two months due to an injury. When healthy, he scored 13.9 points on efficient shooting splits of 47-46-82.
Bridges was the best defender on the roster. In 2021-22, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. This season, he was putting up 17.2 points on 46-39-90.
On the offensive side of the ball, Durant could certainly replicate and even surpass what the duo was doing. The problem comes on the defensive side. While Durant is a solid defender, Bridges' impact will be missed by the Suns.
Because of that, Phoenix should go after a defensive-minded player. A player who has been in trade rumors is Robert Covington of the Los Angeles Clippers. The 2017-18 All-Defensive First Team member is playing only 15.9 minutes a night and, with the return of Kawhi Leonard, is seeing his role diminish.
Due to the Durant trade, the Suns do not have much to work with. To make salaries match, Phoenix could send Dario Saric and Josh Okogie to the Clippers. Covington is making $12 million this season while the duo combines for about $11.1 million.
Covington would bring the perimeter defense that Bridges had. Additionally, he could play as a small, power forward, and even center. Other than starter Deandre Ayton, the Suns only have Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale for the position.
As for the Clippers, they would clear their cap space for next season since both Saric and Okogie are on expiring deals. Los Angeles is already in a tough situation with Leonard and Paul George's contract, so this would give them a little bit more flexibility.
Phoenix would also have Covington under contract for next year. Since the team is adding Durant's contract to a payroll with Ayton, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul, Covington allows the team to have depth without the need to search for free agents.
At the end of the day, this trade is mostly to address the Suns' loss on defense with Bridges' departure. Although it should not seem much, it could come in handy in the playoffs.
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