Suns Eye Dejounte Murray Trade, and Jalen Green Could Be the Cost

It's barely November and the trade machine is already humming in Phoenix. The Suns don't technically need to move anyone, but the roster screams for a true point guard, and the name attached to that itch is Dejounte Murray — the former San Antonio defensive anchor now stuck on a going-nowhere New Orleans team coming off injury. His value has never been lower, which is exactly why Phoenix might pounce.

The cleanest path floated is a one-for-one: Jalen Green to the Pelicans, Murray to the Suns. Green earns slightly more than Murray, so the swap trims roughly $6M off next year's books, and with both guards carrying $30M player options, Phoenix would be forced into a cleaner extension conversation regardless. Murray gives Booker a secondary creator who defends; Green gives New Orleans the on-ball scorer it lacks.

The logic leans on fit. Devin Booker can run point, but he plays his best hunting shots off a second initiator — think the Chris Paul era, or the LaMelo Ball-Anthony Edwards pairing that had Minnesota flying early before Edwards went down. Booker needs a co-pilot, not another scorer forced into a role he hates.

Why Green Fits New Orleans

Green has been the alpha everywhere he's played — high school, draft, Houston. The idea of molding him into a facilitator under Steve Nash was always a square-peg project. Shipping him to a young, talentless-at-the-top Pelicans roster lets him just be the dominant scorer he is, while opening guard minutes for Jeremiah Fears to develop. Phoenix already tried the make-a-scorer-into-a-playmaker experiment with Bradley Beal, and that cratered — Beal managed just 11.7 fantasy pts/game across six games last season (2025-26) before the Clippers inherited the mess.

Murray isn't arriving to be Phoenix's second star or chase a bag. He profiles as a complementary playmaker for a title push, which is precisely the archetype this front office needs next to Booker. The six-year age gap might make you flinch at giving up on Green this early, but his looming extension — one he'll want maxed — is the exact contract headache Phoenix could offload now.

The Fantasy Fallout

For managers, the player to monitor is Jalen Green. On the Suns he's capped — too many mouths, too little usage, and a coaching staff trying to reshape his game. Land him in New Orleans as the undisputed No. 1 option and his usage, shots and fantasy ceiling all spike. That's a buy-low window worth watching if the deal gains traction.

Murray is the murkier fantasy case. He's unranked in our model after an injury-marred run in New Orleans, and a move to Phoenix would make him a complementary piece rather than a volume monster — fine for real basketball, less exciting for your box score. Temper expectations on his counting stats if this happens.

Keep an eye on Collin Gillespie, too. He's our #95 overall (#43 at the position) and is averaging 21 fantasy pts/game across three games this season (2026-27) — serviceable if Phoenix bridges a trade by starting him and shifting Green to the bench. That's a short-term streaming play, not a long-term hold.

If you prefer the guards Phoenix reportedly also likes, Darius Garland is the rosterable one: our #53 overall (#24 at the position) with 24 points and 7 assists per game over three games this season (2026-27), though his last five sit 3.1 fantasy points below his season average. Anthony Edwards, meanwhile, remains the untouchable in this conversation — our #9 overall, #3 at the position, posting 49.2 fantasy pts/game across four games this season (2026-27).

Bottom line: nothing's done, and Phoenix could just as easily chase bigger names before the deadline. But if you want to get ahead of the market, Green is the stash. A fresh start as a go-to scorer is worth a bench spot in deeper leagues now, before the rest of your league notices.