The Suns are curiously expected to keep Jalen Green after Kevin Durant trade
After months of speculation, the Phoenix Suns finally agreed on a deal to trade Kevin Durant. They even got a decent package back for him in return.
The draft capital that Phoenix received is fairly interesting as they now have the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They also received five additional second-round picks as part of the deal as well.
But the most notable acquisition is Jalen Green, who has shown some flashes of greatness during his professional career. That includes two nods as Western Conference Player of the Week last season and one the season prior to that.
Green was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and is still just 23 years old, born on the exact same day as Nique Clifford, who is a projected top-20 pick in the upcoming class.
Even though Green has already signed his second NBA contract, which will officially begin next season, he is still younger than every player who was rostered by the Suns last season except for just rookie forward Ryan Dunn.
However, per Basketball-Reference, he has played 78 percent of his minutes at shooting guard in the NBA. That is the same position as Devin Booker (68 percent) and Bradley Beal (78 percent) who are both unlikely to leave their team any time soon.
That suggests Green would have made sense as a potential trade candidate for the Suns. However, per John Gambadoro, the organization is expected to keep him in Phoenix.
It seems that the plan is to have Green and Booker share a backcourt with Beal presumably coming off the bench and leading the second unit.
While neither Green nor Booker are natural point guards and floor generals, as of right now, that's what the new Phoenix front office is apparently planning.
They could potentially use the No. 10 overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft to find a good complement to that core. But as of now, expect the Suns to re-tool around Booker and Green as their backcourt of the future.
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