The Suns have pulled the trigger on a number of significant trades in the last year, and guard Leandro Barbosa has tried to take the persistent rumors in stride.

"We are always going to deal with that," Barbosa said Monday night before facing the Celtics. "Trade is always a word that is going to be heard around the team. We never know when it's going to happen and who is going to go, but we always go to be prepared for something to happen."

Not long ago, Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, two fixtures in Phoenix, were traded to Charlotte for shooting guard Jason Richardson.

"We are always going to miss him [Diaw], he wasn't just a basketball player for us but also a member of our family. Everybody knows that this is a business, and that's why he had to go over there," Barbosa said. "We are happy for him and what he's been doing for himself and his new team. I'm happy for him."

Not surprisingly, Barbosa has kept in touch with his former teammates.

"I keep in touch, you know, with Boris and Raja too. We are really good friends so it was a tough situation for everybody when they left, but that is part of our job and this is a business and we understand. Every chance we get, we keep in touch."