Hoops Habit
Fansided

Phoenix Suns: 5 Takeaways From Exit Interviews

By Gerald Bourguet

Sep 26, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough speaks to the media during media day at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough speaks to the media during media day at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Phoenix Suns
Dec 19, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (11) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 115-108. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Brandon Knight’s Future In Phoenix Is Murky

Nobody within the Suns organization will be disappointed if Eric Bledsoe is still the team’s starting point guard in 2017-18, but there is one Phoenix guard whose future with the team is murky at best.

Saying Brandon Knight’s tenure with the Suns has been disappointing would be an understatement, and it’s no secret that the two parties have been uncomfortable with how the situation has played out. If Twitter group-think had any power of its own, Knight would’ve been shipped off to NBA Siberia already.

But with Knight’s trade value at an all-time low and the unhappy guard not suiting up since the All-Star break, McDonough will have a hellish time trying to move the remaining three years and $43.8 million on his contract.

"“I think our first priority is figuring out how to put him in a position to be more effective,” McDonough said. “How we do that remains to be seen. These last couple of years it hasn’t gone as we’d hoped for him or for us, just being frank. So we’ll look at his situation to figure out what we can do to make him be more effective.”"

This past season, Knight posted career-lows in scoring, assists, field goal percentage and three-point percentage, averaging 11.0 points and 2.2 assists per game on appalling .398/.324/.857 shooting splits.

Suffice it to say he did not adjust well to coming off the bench behind Devin Booker. When Bledsoe was shut down with 15 games left in the season and the Suns turned to Knight as the team’s starting point guard, he told them he had back spasms.

The fall from his career year with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014-15 to being completely out of the rotation for a 24-win team is striking, and it’ll make it hard for the Suns to find a willing trade partner.

"“I think a lot of people forget how young he is at just 25 years old,” McDonough said. “He was a borderline All-Star just two years ago. All that talent didn’t just go away, it didn’t disappear. But we need to figure out a way to bring it out of him and to get it back. “Brandon works extremely hard, he’s in great shape, he works on his game, works his body year-round, so we just need to figure out a way to put him in position to put him in a role to be effective and be successful and that’ll be one of the key points of focus for us this offseason.”"

That might as well have been a public sales pitch to conjure up some interest around the league in a player with diminished trade value.

So will Knight be on the roster next season?

"“We always assume, especially with guys under contract for multiple years, that they will be here,” McDonough said. “Now, what opportunities will potentially present themselves — usually trade talk heats up around the draft and into summer and free agency in July — we don’t know.”"

Essentially, it’s the same scenario we saw around the trade deadline: The Suns will most likely be active in trying to move Knight to a better situation this summer, but struggle to find any takers without some sort of sweetener attached.

Home/Phoenix Suns