Phoenix Suns point guard compendium: 15 potential trade targets

Spencer Dinwiddie

2018-19 stat line: 27.6 MPG, 16.0 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.6 RPG, .472/.379/.802 shooting splits

Pros:

• Adding a short-term stopgap at point guard who wouldn’t cost too much but still has upside
• Steady play at the 1 from a 25-year-old with room to grow
• The ability to try again on the trade market/free agency for a PG if he doesn’t work out
• Improved 3-point shooting and solid numbers as a starter
• Penchant for clutch shot-making

Cons:

• His status as a free agent this summer
• The Nets may prefer to keep him after Caris LeVert’s injury
• Not necessarily a proven 3-point shooter yet

A possible trade:

Breakdown:

In truth, the boat may have already sailed on a potential Spencer Dinwiddie trade, which Phoenix discussed internally before the start of the season. The time to strike would’ve been a few weeks ago when Caris LeVert was setting the world on fire, but with his injury and the Brooklyn Nets’ commitment to competing this year, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t be interested in dealing Dinwiddie away until the trade deadline.

As February approaches, it’ll become more clear what the front office intends to do with Dinwiddie before his unrestricted free agency, especially with D’Angelo Russell and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson being restricted free agents and the Nets possessing a ton of cap space to throw at the summer’s biggest stars. That’s the hope for Brooklyn, but for the time being, this team might prefer to wait and feel things out, even at the risk of losing Dinwiddie for nothing over the summer.

His meager $1.7 million contract also makes it difficult to construct a one-for-one deal without including some of Brooklyn’s larger expiring deals. The problem there is the Nets are trying to keep cap space free and wouldn’t want anything but expiring deals in return, so the most likely solution would be Dinwiddie for Elie Okobo or De’Anthony Melton straight up.

Giving up on Melton’s potential (and a second round pick currently projected to go in the 31-35 range) would only be worth it if the Suns were convinced Dinwiddie’s their guy moving forward, which he very well could be, given he’d be a great defensive fit next to Booker. He’s shooting an eyebrow-raising 37.9 percent from deep on 5.3 attempts per game this year, and though 21 games is a small sample size, he did convert 37.6 percent of his 3s two years ago.

Since LeVert went down, Dinwiddie has upped his production to 19.7 points and 6.0 assists per game. Unfortunately, that’s exactly why Phoenix may have to wait until the deadline to make a play for him, by which point they’d either be trading for a two-month rental or someone they believe in for the long haul — a real feast or famine proposition.