To Trade or Not to Trade, That is the Phoenix Suns’ Question
The Phoenix Suns have a decision to make — to trade or not to trade
A six-game winning streak instills confidence, but surprisingly, it also instills doubt. The Phoenix Suns are as confident on the court as they’ve been all season and after a hard-fought 116-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, they sit in the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, with a record of 18-14. The doubts refer to trade season — now that things are clicking, should the Suns go with what they have or pull the trigger on a major trade?
Before considering what the Suns should do, let’s take a look at their biggest needs:
- More rim protection
- Stronger defensive rebounding
- Consistent offense from the forward spots
With all due respect to P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Alex Len and Miles Plumlee, the frontcourt has been average at best and wholly inconsistent and ineffective at worst. Markieff doesn’t play like a big, but he’s leading the team with 6.0 rebounds per game (he is 6-foot-10). All 6-foot-5 of Tucker is just behind at 5.9 per game. Len and Plumlee have shown positive signs of progress and Marcus has emerged as a reliable 3-point shooter.
Now ask yourself a question — can an NBA team win a championship with that frontline? To quote the immortal Vince McMahon:
TO A FOOL, IT’S GOLD
It’s time to raise the expectations and with that, the Suns have to be honest with themselves. They get killed by the opponent’s big men and in the Western Conference, they’ve got a laundry list of them to go through, from LaMarcus Aldridge to Marc Gasol to Dwight Howard. As much as I like Len’s game and how he’s making a lot of progress, he’s not ready to deal with them in a series. Plumlee has been competing, but he’s got a lower ceiling than Len and is in the same boat as far as his readiness.
This six-game winning streak has been highlighted by just one truly impressive win — the 104-92 victory on the road (on a back-t0-back) over the Washington Wizards. You could argue the home win over the Mavs was equally impressive, but they’re still learning to use Rajon Rondo and were also on a back-to-back. That leaves victories over the Hornets (10-21), Knicks (5-28), the no-Boogie Kings (13-17) and the Lakers (9-22).
Not to be a negative nancy here, but I’m not crowning them championship material just yet. They’ve still got some serious warts that need to be dealt with.
THE NO-TRADE ROUTE
The best-case scenario for the Suns would be to sit back and continue to watch the team develop. They’ve built up a lot of chemistry in recent weeks and it finally appears that Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas are learning to play together. Markieff needs to continue to refine his mid-range game and can help on the glass. The obvious jackpot here is if Len turns into a guy that can be relied upon for 30 minutes per game.
Len has had some terrific stretches, as his 11.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.4 blocks per-36 minutes will attest. But, he can’t stay on the floor (6.0 fouls per-36) and ends up having to give way to Plumlee too often. Len’s season average is just 19.2 minutes per game and even in his seven starts, he’s still only at 22.7 minutes.
Gerald Green is another story. He vacillates from fire starter to brain farter in the span of a minute and while his energy and scoring punch can be a huge deal, so can the fact that he’s often lost defensively and has made a number of ill-advised decisions at key times in games. There’s a storm brewing here, as over his last nine games, Green is shooting just 36.5 percent from the field (34.4 from three) and is averaging 2.2 turnovers and 2.6 fouls in just 21.7 minutes. He’s turning back into the Green that found his way out of the NBA.
This could all happen and Green could rein it in a bit, but more than likely, I think going this route keeps the Suns right where they are — teetering on the playoff line, most likely finishing in the eight or nine spot again.
THE TRADE ROUTE
If the Suns decided to shake things up in an effort to become true contenders, there are a couple of different ways they can go. My favorite move would be to take advantage of the turmoil going on in Cleveland, going after Kevin Love.
I know that Love’s numbers this year leave a lot to be desired (17.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, .434/.338/.832 shooting), but he fills a lot of gaps for the Suns and in what we’ve seen so far, coach Jeff Hornacek does a great job getting production out of his guys. Cavs coach David Blatt hasn’t earned that distinction just yet.
I’m going to write about the specific trade later in the week, but essentially, the Suns run the kind of offense that would take full advantage of Love’s skills. They have enough perimeter defenders where they don’t need Love to stray too far from the paint, putting him in position to secure the defensive rebound. They have enough athletes and ball handlers that they can get out and run with a multitude of lineups and if the fast break fails, Love will keep the floor spread so the guards can do their thing.
No trade comes without sacrifice and risk, which is why the Suns might be hesitant to bring in a guy in Love that won’t commit to re-signing immediately. Then again, the Suns are dealing with that same issue with Dragic, who has promised to opt-out. Why not take the chance now, while the team is still young?
If the Suns make a mistake and ruin the chemistry, the window won’t close on them. They’ve still got a bevy of picks to go with cap space. They can afford to take a risk because they can afford to make a mistake.
Keep an eye on HoopsHabit.com later in the week as I break down the specific trade offer that would bring Love in.