The Phoenix Suns have made pretty significant changes to the roster over the past couple of years.
First, they traded Mikal Bridges to the Brooklyn Nets in Feb. 2023 as part of the package for Kevin Durant. To kick off the summer, they then moved Chris Paul to the Washington Wizards to land Bradley Beal. Then they sent Deandre Ayton packing in Sep. 2023, acquiring Jusuf Nurkic from the Portland Trail Blazers.
In a vacuum, of those transactions made sense as a basketball move. Durant is superior to Bridges. Beal is a more potent scorer than Paul. Nurkic is more versatile than Ayton.
However, the Suns used to have a homey atmosphere. Many players spent several years with Phoenix, allowing fans to feel a familial connection with them. Dan Majerle, Steve Nash, Alvan Adams, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Kevin Johnson are just a few who played in Phoenix for at least eight seasons. This current iteration of the Suns only has one player displaying that type of loyalty: Devin Booker.
With that being said, if Bridges had his way, he’d still be in Phoenix too.
NBA Star Mikal Bridges Thought He’d Never Leave Suns
“I would’ve thought I was the last person to be traded all the time,” Bridges tells RG.org’s Spencer Davies. “It kinda started when I was in Phoenix. I thought I probably never was gonna leave Phoenix.
Being the type of player I am, I feel like I’m kinda in a glue role… Once you get traded once, now it’s like it’s gonna be continuous. But hopefully, things go great [in New York] and I don’t gotta keep moving teams.”
Winning Is More Important Than Loyalty
As Bridges now knows, he was naive to think that he’d be with the Suns for his entire career.
It’s been proven, time after time, that loyalty is less important in sports business than winning. This is why players like Beal and Damian Lillard left the only franchises they had ever known. It’s why the Toronto Raptors traded DeMar DeRozan and why the Miami Heat are considering moving Jimmy Butler.
At the end of the day, championships are the most important measure of success.
The phrase ‘ring culture’ gets thrown around pejoratively, as if NBA titles are only important on a superficial level. Yet, Bill Russell leading the Boston Celtics to 11 championships is a major piece of NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar winning six championships while with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers helps him be in GOAT conversations. Michael Jordan going 6-0 in the NBA Finals is part of his mythos.
So, when Phoenix had a chance to trade Bridges for a two-time title-winner who is arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history, there was little doubt that they would make that move. In fact, the question when the trade went down wasn’t why would the Suns trade Bridges. It was why would the Nets accept Bridges as the principal asset in a return for Durant.
As it turns out, Brooklyn was wrong to think that Bridges could fill Durant’s shoes. Though he initially played spectacularly, it became clear that the offensive burden was affecting his efficiency and defense. By the end of 2023-24, the Nets still saw him as a cornerstone, but not as their centerpiece. Before he got too cozy in Brooklyn, they sent him to Manhattan.
The Last Word On The Last Laugh
Because the Nets received several first-round picks for Bridges, it’s hard to say they shouldn’t have traded for him. Replacing a player of Durant’s caliber isn’t easy, but they now have the type of assets they need to acquire an All-Star. Frankly, they may even be the franchise that comes out on top in the end.
The Suns, who still have Durant on the roster, have obviously been satisfied with his performance. However, they’ve yet to make it past the second round of the playoffs since he’s been there. Their postseason woes, salary cap situation, clunky fit among their stars, Durant’s age, and his contract status lead to the possibility that he isn’t in town much longer.
Meanwhile, the Knicks raised their offensive and defensive ceiling with Bridges. They’re now considered a Conference Finals, if not a NBA Finals, contender. They also added a player who has pre-established chemistry with three key players. Yet, they’re now unsure of how Julius Randle —who many would consider to be a better player than Bridges —fits into the equation.
