Grading the Suns’ Miles Bridges trade

You never know when or where an NBA transaction is going to strike, especially this time of year. I took the gamble. I loaded my family and the dogs into the truck and headed for the coast this weekend. The destination was Huntington Beach, California. Surf City, USA. I figured nothing major would happen as I felt the team was a good place.

Sure, running it back wasn’t sexy. But it was responsible, especially considering the transgressions of the past and where the franchise currently stood. Knowing that both Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale would be on expiring contracts next offseason, along with Jalen Green, meant the organization had an entire season to evaluate whether its culture had truly taken hold, how the pieces fit together, and whether its path of alignment and development would ultimately lead to success.

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Then, as I was getting ready to head down to the beach, my phone buzzed. The Suns had traded both Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale for Miles Bridges.

“Hold on, honey. I’ve got some work to do.”

What are my initial thoughts on the acquisition of Miles Bridges, along with a 2029 first-round pick swap and a 2027 second-round pick swap, in exchange for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and an unprotected 2033 first-round pick? Let’s grade the trade.

Draft Capital Exchange Grade: D+

I’ll start here: why include a 2033 first-round pick? This is an organization allergic to retaining unprotected futures, aren’t they? Bridges is an expiring deal. You are giving them two players for that expiring. You are getting back the 2029 first-round pick you sent out for Mark Williams, which is a heavily swapped “worst-of-the-worst” draft pick. You’re getting a swapped second-round pick in 2027. Are those worth an unprotected 2033? I simply don’t get it.

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I can understand the “well, the kid is currently in sixth grade, so who cares?” point of view. But I don’t agree with it. Every kid was a sixth grader once. Devin Booker was. Imagine if the Suns traded his draft rights in 2008 for an expiring power forward. I understand the philosophy, but at some point, you are going to have to lean into lottery youth…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/grading-suns-miles-bridges-trade-230000114.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-28 23:00:00

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