Frank Vogel 'will be really happy' with Suns roster if no changes are made at NBA trade deadline

Phoenix Suns team owner Mat Ishbia and General Manager James Jones are keeping their head coach, Frank Vogel, “in the loop” going into Thursday’s 1 p.m. trade deadline.

“Everybody in the league is having conversations about their roster and what players are available leaguewide and if anything makes sense for your team,” said Vogel, after Wednesday’s practice before facing the Utah Jazz (26-26) Thursday at Footprint Center.

“I’m very in the loop with all of those conversations, but as I said (Tuesday) night, we love where we’re at as a team. If we don’t do anything, I’ll be really happy with the group we have, but obviously, you always look at ways to improve your team.”

The Suns were unable to land Miles Bridges in a trade as ESPN is reporting Hornets forward is looking to stay in Charlotte as he has a no-trade clause. They've been looking to move Nassir Little packaged with second-round picks.

"I think they'll be some on-the-fringe wing player that they'll pick up that they can maybe play in the rotation," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said on a recent "The Woj Pod" podcast about the Suns. "Maybe they can count on in the playoffs to come in and play a role, but it's going to be fringe."

HoopsHype is reporting the Suns have offered Little and multiple second round picks to the Nets for Royce O'Neale and to the Rockets for Jae'Sean Tate. The Suns could also package some of their veteran minimum players in a deal.

"They're motivated, this is their window to win," Wojnarowski continued. "But even a team like Phoenix, in talking to teams like them who don't have the assets to make trades, they're also saying to themselves, even if we did, who would we really want to spend on?"

Bridges has an expiring one-year contract for $7.9 million. Bridges and Ishbia both played at Michigan State, but Bridges has a pending court date this month for allegedly violating a protection order involving his former girlfriend. That order stemmed from a 2022 case in which Bridges pled guilty to charges from a domestic violence incident, which resulted in a three-year probation term.

More: Trading for Miles Bridges should be easy decision for Phoenix Suns. Here's why it's not

Bridges would've been viewed as a rental for the Suns this season because they can't afford to re-sign him to the long-term deal he's seeking. Phoenix is $21.5 million over the salary cap, have an estimated $50.6 million luxury tax bill and expected to remain over the second tax apron next season.

After sitting out all of last season, the 6-7, 225-pound Bridges is averaging a career-high 21.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in his sixth NBA season. The NBA suspended him 30 games to start this season, but deemed 20 games had already been served after not playing last season.

Bridges, 25, told the Charlotte Observer he wants to stay with the Hornets. Charlotte is also no longer looking to move big Nick Richards, sources said.

The Suns (30-21) are 7-3 in their last 10 games, sixth in the West and are finally healthy outside of Damion Lee (knee), who hasn’t played all season. Bradley Beal is listed as questionable for Thursday's game with a right ankle sprain, but has been playing through a broken nose for the last seven games.

However, Ishbia has been aggressive in his time as team owner that reached a year this week.

It was at this time last season when the Suns acquired Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and multiple first-round picks to the Nets. The Suns don’t have the assets to pull off a major deal like that now, but they’re still looking for ways to improve their roster.

“I couldn’t imagine being in that seat, $4 billion man,” said Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker as Ishbia bought the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for a record $4 billion. “It is crazy, though. A quick change and welcome to the ownership group.”

The Suns do have $6.5-million and $5-million trade exceptions, in which they can send out cash in a deal and salaries that are aggregated, but this is the last time they can utilize it. Phoenix must have a roster spot open to execute the trade exception, but it has a full 15-man standard roster right now.

The Suns are exploring, as are other NBA teams, but that doesn’t make this time of year any less stressful.

“The trade deadline gets a little rocky for teams, players,” Beal said after Tuesday's win. “It’s always the elephant in the room, the hanging cloud of uncertainty over everybody’s head.”

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vogel 'will be really happy' with Suns roster if no changes are made