Chris Haynes said on NBA on Prime on Saturday that Jalen Green is available. “I’m told that he is available over there with the Phoenix Suns,” Haynes said. “They’ve been in the market for a point guard. They’ve been looking for a point guard.”
Phoenix is 5-6 and 11th in the Western Conference. Its starting point guard, according to ESPN’s depth chart, is Devin Booker. That is the real problem, and Green is the biggest salary the Suns have available to fix it.
The Numbers Are Ugly
Green is 24 and shooting .419 from the field, .270 from three and .667 from the line. He is averaging 11.8 points in 27.1 minutes across 11 games. He averaged 22.1 points for Houston in 2022-23 and has not been that player since.
He is also making $36,251,166 this season, with a $36 million player option for 2027-28 attached to the three-year, $106 million extension he signed with the Rockets in October 2024. Phoenix did not negotiate that deal. Phoenix inherited it when it sent Kevin Durant to Houston in the seven-team trade that closed in July 2025.
On Nov. 12, Green sat the entire fourth quarter of a win over Charlotte. “My number wasn’t called in the fourth,” he said afterward. “Whatever it takes to win.”
Nobody on the Roster Is a Point Guard
Booker leads Phoenix in assists at 5.0 per game. He is a 25.5-point scorer being asked to organize an offense he should be finishing. Behind him, Collin Gillespie is playing 24.5 minutes a night off the bench while shooting 34.1 percent, and Jordan Goodwin has appeared in seven games. No listed point guard has started a game for the Suns this season.
Haynes flagged the structural issue back on Oct. 29, telling NBA TV that “that roster does not have a point guard that can organize that offense” and that there is “some growing frustration in that locker room.” No Suns player or staff member has said anything like that on the record, and John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 has publicly disputed the idea of dissension in the room.
The Dejounte Murray Connection
Dejounte Murray requested a trade from New Orleans on Friday and the Pelicans confirmed they would explore options. Haynes reported the Suns have registered interest. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Murray’s camp has strong interest in Phoenix and hopes he could be dealt for Green.
On paper the fit makes sense. Murray is averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 assists on a 4-8 team and is owed $32.8 million this season. He is a career 33.8 percent three-point shooter, so he does not solve Phoenix’s spacing, but he can actually run an offense.
Gambadoro poured cold water on the timeline: “The Phoenix Suns have had no conversations with the New Orleans Pelicans regarding Dejounte Murray at this time.” He added that any Green trade is more likely “down the road.”
What Happens Next
Amick’s reporting also included a team source insisting the Suns will stay patient and may not engage in talks until later in the season. The deadline is Feb. 11. Booker is signed through 2029-30 on a deal that climbs past $69 million in its final year, and Dillon Brooks signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $73 million extension in August. Neither is going anywhere.
That leaves Green. Making a player available is not the same as trading him, and a 24-year-old shooting 27 percent from three on a $36 million salary is a hard sell. But Phoenix has told the league it is open for business, and this is how these things start.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
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