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Phoenix Suns: Pros And Cons Of Trading For DeMarcus Cousins

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 18, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Nov 30, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (right) celebrates with teammate Eric Bledsoe in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Hawks 109-107. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Pro: The Return To The Playoffs

At this point, there’s probably too much ground to make up in the Western Conference playoff picture if the Suns traded for Boogie. They’re 6.5 games behind the eighth seed right now, so unless they traded for him, like, this week, it’s probably not happening.

Assuming the 2017 NBA Playoffs are out, the pressure would be on for the Suns to make the cut in 2018. With a potential core of Bledsoe, Booker and Cousins, it feels like they’d be a safe bet to return to the postseason with a full season together — especially since it only took a .500 record to make the top eight last year, and will probably be the same story this season.

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Booker is an emerging talent, Bledsoe is playing the best basketball of his career, and Cousins is singlehandedly carrying a sorry team to the playoff hunt as it is. The Suns would have to sacrifice depth and youth to get a deal done, but most likely, they’d still have enough for a 2018 playoff push.

Even in the worst-case scenario where Phoenix sends Warren, Len, one of Bender/Chriss and two first round picks, that’d still leave them with Bledsoe, Booker, P.J. Tucker, Boogie, Tyson Chandler, the other one of Bender/Chriss, Ulis, Knight and Jared Dudley.

There are clear flaws on that roster, including perimeter shooting and defense, but McDonough would be able to trade more pieces to address those needs. For the NBA’s fourth-winningest franchise all-time, ending a seven-year playoff drought would be a welcome sight for the fans. From there, the future would finally be looking up.

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