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Phoenix Suns: 10 Potential Trades As Sellers Before 2017 NBA Trade Deadline

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) and center Tyson Chandler (4) run up the court in the first half of the NBA game against the Miami Heat at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns won 99-90. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) and center Tyson Chandler (4) run up the court in the first half of the NBA game against the Miami Heat at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns won 99-90. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 19, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) dribbles the ball and looks to pass Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) plays defense in the first at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Saving The Timberwolves From Themselves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had Ricky Rubio on and off the trade block for years now, and though they view Kris Dunn as his eventual replacement, the simple truth is that he’s nowhere near being ready.

Rather than making the rumored shortsighted Derrick Rose trade to reunite the former MVP with his old coach Tom Thibodeau, how about a guy like Bledsoe, who would actually bridge the gap between now and the time Dunn will be ready?

A more stable option at the point and a veteran leader could really help the team’s Big Three grow up a little quicker, and unlike Rose, the Wolves wouldn’t have to worry about Bledsoe bolting in free agency this summer — or even worse, overpaying to keep a mediocre point guard.

Going from Bledsoe to Minnesota’s current point guard is clearly a downgrade for Phoenix, and we can’t ignore that Rubio is also on the books through the 2018-19 season. But he’s on a perfectly manageable contract, and if the Timberwolves threw in a future first round pick, it’d be hard to turn that kind of offer down.

Though he’s only averaging 8.9 points and 8.4 assists per game on ugly .386/.281/.872 shooting splits, Rubio is the defense-first, pass-first kind of point guard the Suns need with so many young players. If the front office wanted to give more time to Ulis and a top point guard in this year’s draft, they could always flip Rubio to another team that needed his services.

Unfortunately, the Timberwolves might prefer to hold onto Rubio if it means keeping all of their future first-rounders. They already owe a lottery-protected first-rounder to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018, and if it’s not conveyed next year, it’s lottery-protected again in 2019. That means the soonest the Suns could net a first-rounder here would be 2020.

The Suns also might not want to take on Rubio when he’d be on the books for the same amount of time as Bledsoe. Unless getting another first-rounder in the distant future was a high priority for McDonough, it’d make more sense to just keep the superior player between the two.

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