The Phoenix Suns have had a bit of a rocky start to the 2022-23 season. The Suns have had to deal with the off-court drama involving team owner Robert Sarver and his pending sale of the team, and even though the Deandre Ayton situation resolved itself, the team now has to deal with an unhappy Jae Crowder and his trade request.
Even with all the organizational drama the Suns have been subjected to, they have raced out to an 11-6 record, and look like the team most likely to take control of a wide open Western Conference. The Suns are currently first in the conference, and considering how the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings are the teams sitting right behind him, Phoenix appears to be in a good position to run away with the top spot in the West.
If they want to accomplish that, though, they are going to need to bring in some reinforcements to their roster, especially with Crowder heading out the door sooner rather than later. With that in mind, let's sift through the rumors and pick out the Suns most realistic trade target through the first month of the season and see why this player's addition could be key in helping Phoenix's title aspirations.
Suns realistic trade target: Bogdan Bogdanovic
With Crowder not playing and Cameron Johnson now out for the next month or so, the Suns have been short on wing depth for the time being. That's why it would make a lot of sense to use Crowder in a package to go out and land Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Atlanta Hawks, and it may just be their most likely trade option through the first month of the season.
For starters, the Hawks reportedly have interest in Crowder, as they need to beef up their wing rotation as well. Bogdanovic hasn't played at all this season, as he continues to recover from a knee surgery he underwent this past offseason, although he is beginning to practice with the Hawks.
The problem for Bogdanovic is that his role from last season doesn't really exist now that Dejounte Murray is in town, which makes him a very likely trade candidate for Atlanta. Bogdanovic is a solid scorer who can start or come off the bench, while also being able to handle the ball and play strong defense.
The Suns depth has been tested in the early going, and while they have held up well so far, that likely won't persist throughout the season. Chris Paul has had to miss some time recently in addition to Johnson, and while Cameron Payne has filled in for the time being, the bench is becoming thinner and thinner for the Suns.
Using Crowder to get Bogdanovic feels like a win-win for both sides. For the Suns in particular, though, Bogdanovic's versatility could be a perfect fit for them on both sides of the ball. He primarily plays at shooting guard, but he could probably be used at small forward while Johnson works on finding his way back to the court.
Even then, the Suns are relying on Landry Shamet to fill in off the bench at shooting guard, which is a less than ideal scenario. Shamet has some offensive potential, but he can't defend, and it's clear Phoenix could use an upgrade at that spot off the bench, even when they are fully healthy.
For the short-term, though, Bogdanovic would be a crucial addition to the Suns. They could shift Mikal Bridgers to power forward and push Torrey Craig back to the bench in order to create a spot for Bogdanovic in the starting lineup. Craig is a solid three-and-d guy, but it's clear Bogdanovic's upside in Phoenix's starting lineup would be much greater than Craig's.
The Suns have a deep team when they are fully healthy, but their bench could definitely use some upgrades, and getting Shamet out of the rotation is going to be huge. Bogdanovic is a versatile piece who can do a lot of different things on the court, and that would help the Suns greatly in their quest to make it back to the Finals this season.
Phoenix has a solid piece in Crowder to use in an effort to bring some talent back this season, and it feels like Bogdanovic is probably their best, and most realistic, trade target through one month of the season. The Hawks likely wouldn't be too upset to move on from him, especially if Crowder was heading their way, and it wouldn't be surprising to see some sort of deal revolving around these two go down.
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