Suns Insider Provides Honest Input on Darius Garland Trade Rumors

Rumors will run abound for the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns until the regular season takes shape. 

Part of the rumors rest in the belief that Phoenix needs to continue pushing to bridge the path towards contention, with the Los Angeles Clippers' impending penalties serving as an opportunity to seize on this goal. 

Clippers point guard Darius Garland might be expendable due to the franchise losing five first-round draft picks, making the Suns an ideal trade partner, despite the organization not owning many draft assets themselves. 

Phoenix-based insider John Gambadoro gave his two cents on the rumors on Wednesday - essentially instructing fans of the franchise to not raise their hopes in this avenue.

The report largely adds up when dissecting what is known about second-year Sun Jalen Green.

Right off the bat, Phoenix would not have chosen the Houston Rockets as the trade partner to complete the Kevin Durant deal if they didn't hold Green in a high regard. The sixth-year guard still owns lottery-pick pedigree, as evidenced by being the highest scoring player from the 2021 draft class. 

The Suns have higher hopes for Green as well, or so it seems. There's a non-zero chance that the 6'4" guard serves as Phoenix's de-facto point guard to begin the season, which would immediately take away the need for Garland's services. The Suns' front office has simply invested too much into Green's development to give up now, and making the 2026-27 season the inflection point makes much sense. 

Beyond Green, it would likely cost the Suns either center Khaman Maluach or forward Rahseer Fleming alongside the lottery pick to supplement the lack of draft selections the franchise owns. 

Would it be too costly for the Suns to part with the last controllable lottery pick they took under their discretion since Jalen Smith in 2020? The opportunity cost dilemma is very real, as Garland projects to be (in theory) an elite fit alongside shooting guard Devin Booker, but it also puts pressure on the organization to once again commit to parting with the under-25 talent in order to build a possible contender. 

The conversation around acquiring Garland is one that is worth having, but too many logistics issues and the necessity of parting with the controllable young players on the Suns' roster ultimately murks the conversation up. 

Until then, must trust will be placed in Green to show true growth as a primary playmaker.