Hoops Habit
Fansided

2016 NBA Trade Deadline: 10 Players Teams Should Absolutely Avoid

By Gerald Bourguet

Nov 1, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the second half against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the second half against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 12
Next
NBA Trade Deadline
Jan 2, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) walks to the sideline during the fourth quarter of the NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 142-119. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Brandon Knight

If you looked only at the rawest of raw numbers, you’d think Brandon Knight was having a tremendous season. He’s averaging a career high 19.7 points per game along with 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds and he’s shooting an efficient (for him) 42.4 percent from the field.

But for the masochistic few who have tortured themselves by tuning in to Phoenix Suns games all season, Knight’s glaring flaws are all too apparent. He’s a turnover machine, committing 3.7 per game since taking over the lead guard spot for the injured Eric Bledsoe). He’s a woeful defender both on and off the ball, more likely to end up on SportsCenter’s Not Top 10 than get a stop.

His shot selection is horrendous (long step-back twos, anyone?), his three-point shooting has slumped to 33.3 percent this season after his hot start in November, and he’s missed a significant amount of games in his short Suns tenure due to ankle and groin injuries.

The Suns have remained stubbornly loyal to their dual point guard system, but if there’s any team out there desperate for a 24-year-old franchise point guard signed on through the 2019-20 season, Phoenix should look to cash him in now — while they still can.

Next: No. 6