Report: Darius Bazley Traded to Suns from Thunder for Šarić, Pick After Durant Deal

Ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns reportedly acquired forward Darius Bazley from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Thunder will receive forward Dario Šarić and a second-round draft pick in return.

The reported move comes several hours after the Suns agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets, landing Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four unprotected first-round picks.

The arrival of Durant gives the Suns a core of KD, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, and it undoubtedly reestablishes them as one of the top contenders in the Western Conference.

With the starting lineup essentially in place, the Suns went to work on filling out the supporting cast, and Bazley could be an ideal fit as a role player for a team with championship aspirations.

The 6'9" forward was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and he had a sizable role with the Thunder in his second and third NBA seasons before falling out of favor this season.

In 2020-21, Bazley started 55 games and set career highs with 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 three-pointers per game.

He wasn't as productive last season but still started 53 of 69 games, averaging 10.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 trifectas and 1.0 block per contest.

This season, Bazley has started just one of the 36 games he has played in, and he is averaging a career-low 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game.

Although the opportunities have been far fewer, Bazley has actually been more efficient with the playing time he has received this season, shooting a career-best 44.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Bazley is a long, rangy defender with some three-point shooting ability, and that could help make him a key member of the Suns bench and perhaps even a part-time starter.

He is also still just 22 years of age and is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, meaning he could be part of Phoenix's core for years to come.

The Thunder have some exciting pieces for the future and have perhaps been better than expected this season with a 26-28 record, but they likely wouldn't be much of a threat even if they were to find their way into the playoffs this season.

Šarić gives them an expiring contract that they can either flip elsewhere, buy out or keep for the remainder of the year as a veteran reinforcement.

The No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 draft, the 28-year-old has never come particularly close to living up to that status. The Croatia native missed all of last season with a torn ACL before playing a somewhat limited role with the Suns this season.

In 37 games, including 12 starts, the 6'10" big man is averaging 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Although Šarić isn't a bad player, Bazley gives the Suns more youth, juice and versatility, all of which should come in handy as part of a potential title push.