Pressure is mounting on the Phoenix Suns to make a meaningful roster upgrade. 

The team is 5-6 heading into a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. While the season is on the upswing, there's a clear need for an injection of talent to Jordan Ott's team at-large.

The conversation here features the performance (or underperformance) of starting guard Jalen Green. The sixth-year guard sat out of the fourth quarter in Thursday's win over the Charlotte Hornets, which raises questions about his long-term viability moving forward. 

Recent trade rumors play directly into these questions, even with several months remaining prior to the trade deadline.

Friday's development of New Orleans Pelicans G Dejounte Murray asking for a trade creates numerous different scenarios that can come out of the next three months. 

The Suns make a great deal of sense as a trade partner at the surface. Murray's agent - Klutch Sports' Rich Paul - shares a strong working relationship with Mat Ishbia. The Suns have a definitive need for a table-setting point guard, even if the need isn't as dire as rebounding help.

Green's contract creates a simple runway to get a deal done as well. There's not a consensus on what Murray's trade value is at the moment, but he likely wouldn't require blue-chip draft capital that Phoenix lacks. 

While this doesn't seem to be something that is imminent, it's certainly an evolving situation that is worth paying attention to.

The Suns continue to place a great deal of resources and faith in Green finally breaking out. 

While there are flashes that Green is growing as an all-around player, his overall struggles as a scorer this season point to larger issues with the roster makeup. 

The 2021 draft pick has shown moments of brilliance as a playmaker, but asking the 24-year-old to be the primary playmaker might be straining the starting unit offense. All signs point to backcourt mate Devin Booker fitting more seamlessly alongside Collin Gillespie, which doesn't reflect well on Green. 

The opportunity cost has to be under consideration on every front. Does Murray move the needle enough to fully divest on Green? Should the Suns wait things out longer? What is the best for the future of the franchise, as well as for what Ott's visions of the roster are?