Why The Phoenix Suns Do The Deal
This is not an obvious deal for the Suns. After all, Crowder is allegedly displeased to be losing his starting spot to Cameron Johnson. Their wing rotation is getting – pun intended – crowded.
That’s a valid concern. Moreover, if there’s a better 3-and-D wing in the NBA than Anunoby, it’s Mikal Bridges. He’ll surely retain the starting small forward spot. On the other hand, none of those concerns outweigh the benefits of landing Anunoby.
In other words, he’s worth making an exception for. In all likelihood, the Suns would bump him up a spot to the 4, giving them a spaced-out, wing-heavy lineup. Johnson can play either forward position from the bench, giving the Suns the best rotation of 3-and-D wings in the NBA.
Meanwhile, as the Raptors will miss Anunoby, the Suns will miss Ayton. Still, they’ll have pieces to work with at the 5. Bismack Biyombo has served them well in recent years, and the newly acquired Chris Boucher will give them some five-out spacing lineups to work with.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns & Toronto Raptors Updates
If Dario Saric can return to form, the Suns will have a solid platoon at the position. Hopefully, there will be enough minutes to go around to keep everyone happy.
