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To retool around Devin Booker this offseason, the Phoenix Suns got younger. Every player the team got back in return for Kevin Durant was under 30 and two were just drafted. Additionally, the Valley acquired 23-year-old Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets.
Phoenix has just two players over 30 on the roster: Royce O’Neale and Nigel Hayes-Davis; last season, they had seven. If the team is going to continue getting younger, here are the three most likely Suns to get dealt this year:
Turning 30 later this season, the Duke Alum is one of the league’s best shooters, leading the league in three-point percentage two seasons ago. With Jalen Green starting at the shooting guard spot, Allen will be the team’s backup shooting guard and projects to be their most prominent bench scorer.
At 32 years old, O’Neale is the oldest player on the roster. Missing the playoffs for the first time in his 8-year career, his talents have mostly been suited for teams that project to be more competitive than this year’s Suns. Going into the second year of a 4-year, $44 million contract he signed with the Suns last offseason, O’Neale’s contract is less than Allen’s, but he also will be older than him when it’s done.
Known for his ability to space the floor and guard multiple positions, the Baylor product was apart of multiple multi-round playoff runs the Utah Jazz had in the late 2010s and 2020s. Last year, he shot a career-high from three on the most attempts per game he’s ever had. If a team is trying to beef up their wing rotation before a postseason run, the veteran could be an option for them.
With Richards, it’s less about his age and more his projected role. Phoenix’s primary starting center the second half of the 2024-2025 season, with both Khaman Maluach and Mark Williams in town, Richards looks to be battling for the team’s third string 5 spot alongside Oso Ighodaro. Richards enters his sixth season as a pro after averaging career highs in points and rebounds last year in 57 combined games with the Suns and Hornets.
Entering the final year of a three-year contract he signed with Charlotte two years ago, Richards’ $5 million salary for the season would make it easy for the team to trade him if there’s interest in him.
Who do you think is the most likely Sun to be dealt? Let us know below.