Phoenix Suns: 5 trades team should make before deadline
5. Troy Daniels 3-team trade
The Houston Rockets launch a whopping 44.5 3-pointers per game, which is the most in the league by a gargantuan margin. Unfortunately, they’re not very efficient in their long range onslaught.
The Rockets are only cashing in on 34.5 percent of their looks from downtown, which ranks 23rd in the league. James Harden‘s step-back 3 is a weapon unto itself, but he’s not getting much help around him. Enter Troy Daniels, who’s knocking down 39.2 percent of his 3-point looks this season and is a career 40.3 percent shooter from downtown.
The problem is matching salary. James Ennis III and Gerald Green aren’t making enough money for a one-for-one deal, and they’re too valuable to Houston’s wing depth anyway. Marquese Chriss would make the most sense, but he can’t be traded back to the Suns within a year of being traded away from them. That leaves Nene, who would serve little purpose in Phoenix.
But what if a third party like the Philadelphia 76ers got involved to address their need for a capable backup center?
In this exchange, the Suns take on the injured Justin Patton, who will come off the books this summer and is included to match salary. They’ll also pocket two future second-rounders — one from the Rockets in 2020 (via the Memphis Grizzlies) and one in 2021 from the Sixers.
Philly gets an experienced big to play limited minutes during their playoff run, while the Rockets address their need for 3-point marksmen. This deal would leave Houston in a bind in the frontcourt until Clint Capela returns to action, but Kenneth Faried has been terrific since joining Clutch City and Nene has only been playing about 10 minutes a night anyway.
Even if the Suns stay complacent at the deadline and avoid trading for a point guard, they should at least cash in on Daniels’ expiring contract and set him free somewhere. This three-team deal would leave the Rockets better off with the postseason in mind, it’d help the Sixers’ depth, the Suns would pocket two future second-rounders for a player who hardly ever plays and Daniels would actually get to compete again. Win-win-win-win.