Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans
Position: Power Forward
Age: 27
Slash Line: .447/.376/.855
Season Averages: 32.4 MPG, 18.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.4 ORPG, 1.2 APG, 2.1 3PM
In July of 2015, Jordan Schultz of The Huffington Post reported the Phoenix Suns were interested in acquiring Ryan Anderson.
Also hearing Suns may be pursuing Ryan Anderson, among other 4s. Anderson is a premier stretch 4 and still just 27 years old. Good passer 2.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 6, 2015
The date of the tweet suggests that the report is irrelevant to the present day, but recent developments suggest it isn’t.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports, the New Orleans Pelicans made Anderson available in preliminary trade talks with the Suns. The Pelicans’ target was Markieff Morris, who has received a string of healthy scratches.
Per the Yahoo! Sports report, Anderson is available to the very team that was pursuing him roughly five months ago.
"The Pelicans’ willingness to part with forward Ryan Anderson could make conversations worth exploring between the two teams, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The Pelicans are willing to consider moving Anderson as a part of a potential deal for Morris, especially if Anderson doesn’t show an interest in signing a new contract with New Orleans, sources said."
Deductive reasoning states that Anderson, in the midst of a productive season, has at least one team’s interest: Phoenix.
This may seem like a bit of a reach, but Anderson is a 27-year-old stretch 4 with high-grade production and an expiring contract. Phoenix’s interest makes sense, as Morris has fallen out of favor with head coach Jeff Hornacek, and Anderson fits their style of offense.
Odds are, Phoenix is one of many teams interested in trading for Anderson.
Next: Valuable Versatility