On September 27th, the Phoenix Suns were part of the biggest trade of the off-season. The headliner of that deal was long time Portland Trailblazer Damian Lillard being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. A player the caliber of Lillard isn’t changing teams without a lot of players and assets also being moved.
Portland wasn’t going to move Lillard without getting a lot in return. So there was a need for a third team to be involved to make this trade work.