7 Biggest Trades in Phoenix Suns History, Ranked

The Phoenix Suns have been a tough out in the playoffs for many years over the past few decades, boasting short championship basketball odds in those years.

Some of the trades they made helped them go on several deep playoff runs and improve their NBA championship odds.

With that said, what are the seven biggest trades in Suns history? Let’s find out. 

7 Biggest Phoenix Suns Trades in Team History

1. Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perr, and Andrew Lang for Charles Barkley

After eight years in Philadelphia, the 76ers sent Charles Barkley to the desert in 1992.

Barkley had an immediate impact, winning the 1993 NBA MVP and helping the Suns get to the NBA Finals before falling to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games, averaging 27.3 points on 47.6% shooting, 13 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in the series. 

2. Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, and Four First-Round Picks for Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren

Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets after the Big 3 featuring him, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden fell apart in 2022. He specifically wanted to go to Phoenix, feeling he could be the missing piece of a team that got to the 2021 NBA Finals when the Suns fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

Durant’s wish was granted in February 2023, but the team has underwhelmed considerably despite having KD and Devin Booker in the fold.

3. Stephon Marbury, Anfernee Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanski for Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Maciej Lampe, Milos Vujanic (draft rights), Two First-Round Picks, and Cash

The Stephon Marbury experiment wasn’t working out in Phoenix, so the Suns decided to send the Brooklyn native to the New York Knicks in 2004, effectively clearing cap space to sign Steve Nash in the offseason.

Nash made the most of his second stint with the Suns, winning back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006 while helping make them arguably the league’s most dynamic offence.

4. Larry Nance, Mike Sanders, and First-Round Pick for Kevin Johnson, Mark West, Tyrone Corbin, First-Round Pick, and Two Second-Round Picks

The Suns traded star Larry Nance to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1988, but they landed future All-Stars Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle in this deal. Majerle was the No. 14 overall pick in 1988, which was Cleveland’s first-round pick.

Johnson was the starting point guard for the Suns’ Finals team in 1993 and received MVP votes in five of his seasons in Phoenix.

5. Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and 2022 First-Round Pick for Chris Paul and Abdel Nader

Chris Paul helped the Suns get to the NBA Finals in his first season with the team after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020.

CP3 was the driving force on both ends of the floor, elevating the play of Booker, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and Deandre Ayton while remaining an effective scorer.

6. Steve Nash for Pat Garrity, Bubba Wells, Martin Muursep, and First-Round Pick

Though some Suns fans may have wished they kept Nash, trading him to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998 may have worked out in their favour.

They used that pick to draft Shawn Marion ninth overall in 1999, as the two-way forward became one of Nash’s primary targets in Phoenix’s high-powered “Seven Seconds or Less” offence in Nash’s second stint in Phoenix.

7. Michael Finley, Sam Cassell, and A.C. Green for Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer

The Suns were 11 games under .500 when they traded for Jason Kidd, but he helped them finish with a 40-42 record after coming from the Mavs in an in-season trade, good for the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Kidd and his otherworldly playmaking skills helped guide the Suns to the playoffs in each of his five seasons in Phoenix.