The Phoenix Suns will be looking to defend their Western Conference title during the 2021-22 season. They fell just short of becoming NBA Champions, as they lost in the finals to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
This season, they know they will be receiving the opponent’s best shots on a nightly basis. There will be plenty of teams gunning for them, as the Western Conference looks to be deep once again. But, the number of true contenders in the conference has dropped.
The LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets are both dealing with serious injuries, as Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray are likely to miss large chunks, if not the entire season. There is a window of opportunity there for the Suns to take advantage of, as the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers look like they will be their stiffest competition.
But, the Suns aren’t without some shortcomings of their own. They lost versatile big man Dario Saric to an injury in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Saric ended up being diagnosed with a torn ACL and is likely to miss the entire 2021-22 season as well.
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Phoenix re-signed Frank Kaminsky and brought in JaVale McGee to help fill the void upfront. Second-year player Jalen Smith could also be relied upon for a bigger role. Phoenix could also look to go outside of the organization for some help.
Jonathan Isaac would be an excellent target to help replace Saric’s production. What could trade between the Orlando Magic and Suns be? Let’s take a look at this hypothetical deal that lands Isaac in the desert.