Brandon Knight Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Should Trade For Him

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Dec 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) wins the battle of the loose ball against Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) during the second half of the game against at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns won 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Orlando Magic

Should the Orlando Magic be thinking about Elfrid Payton to continue their stubborn pursuit of a bottom-run playoff spot? Probably not. But the question we’re really dealing with is “Will they?” and after watching them ship away Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo for peanuts, the answer is probably yes.

It seems like backward logic for the Suns to trade away Knight to free up minutes for Tyler Ulis only to bring in another young point guard, but Phoenix also should be thinking about capitalizing on Eric Bledsoe’s trade value right now. If they could find a way to move Bledsoe as well, the Suns could roll with Payton, Devin Booker and Ulis in the backcourt for the foreseeable future.

That would make Phoenix a lot worse in the here and now, but with rebuilding being the focus, what’s the harm in giving substantial minutes to two pass-first point guards? After all the Suns, rank dead last in assists per game, assist percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio with Bledsoe and Knight running the show.

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Payton needs to develop a reliable jumper to become an effective NBA player, but he’s a defensive terror, a solid passer and does a little bit of everything. He’s still only 22, his development timeline aligns with the Suns’ rebuilding timeline, and in his 20 games off the bench, he’s averaged 12.0 points, 6.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 48.3 percent shooting.

Sure, they’d have to take on Jeff Green, but his $15 million contract expires at the end of this year and they wouldn’t have to play him anyway, since Warren, Bender and Dudley could hold down the minutes at the 3.

For the Magic, they’d be getting a more established scorer — something they’ve reportedly been targeting in the trade market — who could help them with their desperate playoff push.

Tucker would be an improvement on the wing as a gritty defender that Frank Vogel would love, especially if he can shoot closer to the 38.7 percent he shot from three-point range in 2013-14 — the last time he played for a team that had a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

The potential roadblocks here would be the Suns finding a trade for Bledsoe to clear the backcourt logjam with Payton’s arrival. Orlando may also be okay with Payton continuing his role as sixth man, especially if the front office isn’t high on Knight being the solution to their scoring problem.