Ranking The Phoenix Suns’ Best Trade Assets In 2016-17

The Phoenix Suns have several veteran players who might be more useful as trade assets than members of a rebuilding team. Here are their best trade assets.

At 8-17, the Phoenix Suns are still technically in the Western Conference playoff picture. They’re only four games back from the eighth seed, and it was reasonable to expect so many new and young players to adjust to their different roles under head coach Earl Watson.

That being said, expecting Phoenix to snap its ongoing six-year playoff drought feels like a fool’s errand, especially as the franchise looks to make the transition to a full-on rebuilding effort.

The question then becomes, what should the Suns do with some of their current talent and older veterans?

There’s no question that without the team’s star players and locker room leaders, the young stars of tomorrow like Devin Booker, T.J. Warren and Marquese Chriss would be lost out there. Having those players helps set an example of what it means to be a professional that lasts in this league.

That being said, the Suns really ought to consider being sellers at the 2017 NBA trade deadline, especially if their current misery continues. There’s little point in scrapping for wins in a lost season while playing veterans 30+ minutes every night, be all it’s doing is delaying the youth movement that’s already in progress.

The Suns have a few players who are superfluous on this roster, and trading them now, while they still have value, should be on general manager Ryan McDonough’s to-do list. Not all of these players can or will be dealt, but here’s a look at four players Phoenix could — and probably should — trade, ranked in terms of their value to other teams and what they might be able to get the Suns in return.