3. David Roddy
David Roddy has had a curious time since joining the Suns at the trade deadline, so much so that it’s possible the organization went for him with the sole purpose of flipping him again later. Roddy is only 22 years old and is therefore one of the only young players under contract for several seasons that the Suns have.
After this season, Roddy’s final two contracts are team options. It seems unlikely that he would have swapped ties with him so quickly, meaning he will most likely be back for next season. Given that this has only appeared seven times so far and averages less than five minutes per game, it’s unclear how exactly it fits into the long-term picture here.
If the Suns started around Booker again, they could use a young forward with upside like Roddy for the trip. Instead, the franchise added buyout Thaddeus Young and also brought back Ish Wainright recently for his second stint with the team this season. Two players who have been in direct competition with Roddy for minutes, and who are both veterans.
The smart bet then is for the Suns to attach Roddy to a future deal – like the one involving Nurkic – in order to raise more money to gain access to players with more money. The new CBA has made this more difficult than before – but with Ishbia already talking about making anti-ABC deals next season – he’ll surely find a way to add Roddy in a meaningful trade down the road.
