Phoenix Suns: 5 Potential Trades As Buyers Before 2017 NBA Trade Deadline

Honorable Mention: Nerlens Noel

Jahlil Okafor‘s name has come up multiple times in NBA trade rumors over the last few weeks, so it seems like the Philadelphia 76ers would prefer to alleviate their center logjam that way rather than deal Nerlens Noel.

But if Noel is still somehow available, the Suns should at least pick up the phone and inquire about a player with more upside and defensive capability than the enigma that is Alex Len.

One deal that would work — and potentially interest the Sixers, even with Robert Covington playing so well on the wing lately — would be Noel for T.J. Warren straight up:

In this deal, the Sixers get a promising 23-year-old scorer at the 3 who has improved on the defensive end and was the Suns’ best player early in the season until a mysterious head injury sidelined him for 13 games.

Warren has struggled to find his consistency since then, but he’s still averaging a career-high 12.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on 45.6 percent shooting.

Losing Warren and his potential as a go-to source of buckets would hurt, but they’d be bypassing Len’s tricky restricted free agency and investing on the restricted free agency of the younger Noel, whose league-wide value might not be so high at the moment because of his injury history and dwindling production this season (8.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.9 BPG, 19.4 MPG).

Depending on where the Suns wind up in the draft/whether they move one of Eric Bledsoe or Brandon Knight, they could either select a franchise point guard or a talented wing to replace Warren at the 3.

If the Sixers aren’t interested in Warren, another alternative might be Eric Bledsoe for Noel and a future first round pick:

Trading Bledsoe seems cruel in the best season of his career, but Philly is on the rise and could be looking to accelerate their ascent up the Eastern Conference ladder with a two-way player like Bledsoe.

Ben Simmons will assume the point forward role when he’s healthy, but Bledsoe has never been an exceptional playmaker anyway and he’d be an upgrade over T.J. McConnell, as fun as his unexpected success has been.

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The Suns would not only net a 22-year-old with Defensive Player of the Year potential, but they’d also enjoy a first round pick. Perhaps a 2019 first-rounder owed to Philadelphia from the Sacramento Kings would do the trick?

The Suns would have to stomach two months of Brandon Knight running the point, but it could be an opportunity to boost his trade value back up from ground zero, Tyler Ulis would get plenty of minutes off the bench and Phoenix could find its franchise point guard with a likely top-three pick in this year’s draft. McDonough could then either let Alex Len walk this summer or locate another trade for him.

However, with McConnell playing so well and Simmons expected to own his point forward role, it might be unlikely for Philadelphia to even be interested in Bledsoe. Okafor’s name dominating all 76ers trade rumors could also mean Noel is there to stay.

As for Phoenix, its legendary training staff could probably do wonders for the injury-prone Noel, but that’s not guaranteed. The Suns may still think Bledsoe is on the same timeline as Devin Booker and the teenage rookies, and they may let Len’s value continue to depreciate so they can re-sign him on a cheaper contract this summer.