Now that we have confirmation on the draft pick terms, the Miles Bridges trade to the Phoenix Suns surpasses Trae Young’s extension as the worst move of the offseason, and shows that the Suns have learned nothing from their previous mistakes.
For starters, obviously, the team that bellowed “character above all” a year ago just traded for Bridges. But even if his off-court record were pristine, this is brutal work.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia once again let a first-round pick burn a hole in his pocket, trading his 2033 first (unprotected, according to ESPN) within seconds of the pick being eligible to trade. I’m sure it will shock all of you to learn that Bridges went to Ishbia’s alma mater, Michigan State.
It’s an impulsive, win-now move from a team that is in no position to win anything important right now.
You don’t give up unprotected firsts so you can finish eighth instead of ninth, especially for a team with a future already mortgaged to the hilt. As a bonus, the Suns got shafted by Charlotte in a trade for the 43rd consecutive time (pour one out for the Nick Richards era) and somehow still will keep making deals with the Hornets.
The picks Phoenix got back are window dressing to make the trade look less terrible, but let’s be clear: The Suns got back pennies on the dollar. It’s a 2029 first-rounder that is the least valuable of four teams’ selections (Charlotte, Utah, Cleveland and Minnesota), all of whom project to be pretty good in a few years. Realistically, it will land in the mid-20s. The 2027 second-round pick they got will be the least valuable of four teams’ picks, including Boston, and likely a near-worthless pick in the mid-50s.
All this for what in the end looks like a pretty mild upgrade.
While it does even out the roster some positionally, the value difference between Grayson Allen (who had arguably the best year of his career last season) and Bridges is smaller than you might think. Allen had a BORD$ value of $18 million last year, and Bridges was at $22 million, putting both right at their 2026-27 salaries. The primary win for Phoenix was getting off Royce O’Neale’s salary.
But I’m sure there’s one other exciting result here for Ishbia and the Suns: As a result of this move, they can now trade the 2028 first-round pick that they have already swapped twice and that is the least valuable of Brooklyn’s, Philadelphia’s or Washington’s. That pick and three second-rounders (including the one they just got from the Hornets) are the only remaining picks they can trade through 2033.