Phoenix Suns came out ahead in the 2017-09-22 trade with Memphis, which received 2018 second-round pick (protected top 55) (not exercised) for Troy Daniels; 2018 second-round pick (second least favorable of Grizzlies, Heat, Hornets picks) (#41-Jarred Vanderbilt).
Phoenix acquired Troy Daniels and a 2018 second-round pick from Memphis on September 22, 2017 for a conditional Suns second-rounder. The outgoing Phoenix pick ultimately did not convey, so the realized cost was minimal. Daniels arrived as a proven shooter after hitting 38.9 percent from three for Memphis the previous season, and the additional second-round asset gave Phoenix another piece it could move before the draft.
Daniels played 79 games for Phoenix in 2017-18, starting 15 and averaging 8.9 points while shooting 40.0 percent from three. He returned for 51 games in 2018-19 and remained a 38.1 percent three-point shooter. Across the two seasons he gave the Suns 130 regular-season games and 16 starts, which is meaningful rotation production for a trade that required no ultimately conveyed draft pick from Phoenix.
Phoenix did not simply hold the incoming 2018 second until draft night. At the 2018 trade deadline, the Suns sent that asset to Orlando for Elfrid Payton. The pick later became No. 41 and was used in the Jarred Vanderbilt draft chain, but Phoenix's attributable value was Payton, not Vanderbilt's later NBA career. Payton started all 19 games he played for the Suns, averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds before leaving after the season.
Memphis moved a useful shooter plus a second-round asset and received a heavily protected Phoenix second that never conveyed. Daniels was not a cornerstone and Payton was only a short-term Suns rental, so the deal should not be inflated into a franchise-changing win. Still, Phoenix extracted two seasons of shooting and then converted the incoming pick into a starting point guard audition. The canonical A- for Phoenix and C for Memphis reflects that clear imbalance in realized value.
Suns Win — Phoenix A-, Memphis C. Troy Daniels gave Phoenix 130 games across two seasons, including a 40.0 percent three-point season in 2017-18, while the second-round pick acquired with him became the asset used to trade for Elfrid Payton. Payton then started 19 games for the Suns and averaged 11.8 points and 6.2 assists. Memphis received a conditional Phoenix second-round pick that did not convey. Phoenix therefore collected useful player production and a reusable draft asset without surrendering realized draft value.