Phoenix Suns: Top 5 Potential Trade Targets

5. Arron Afflalo

Suns trade: Gerald Green, T.J. Warren and Tyler Ennis
Nuggets trade: Arron Afflalo

Like Kendrick Lamar, I used to be jealous of Arron Afflalo. Last season with the Orlando Magic, he averaged a career-high 18.2 points along with 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He’s a career 38.6 percent shooter from three-point territory and he’s an underrated defender who would provide the Suns with an upgrade on that end.

But this season has been a nightmare for Denver and by my calculations, the Nuggets only have two players who qualify as “untouchable” — Ty Lawson and rookie Jusuf Nurkic. Denver would probably include Kenneth Faried on that list, but Afflalo is almost certainly a movable asset with the deadline approaching.

However, the Nuggets would want young assets in return, so Isaiah Thomas (and his perfectly matching salary) probably wouldn’t be one of them since they already have Lawson. For the Suns, they’d have to surrender some young talent like Ennis and Warren, not only to make the salaries match but also to entice Denver into giving up a still effective two-way player.

For the Suns, surrendering a young player like Warren might feel like a bit much for a 29-year-old shooting guard who’d likely be coming off the bench behind Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic (assuming the Suns are able to re-sign Dragic this summer). Green is as good as gone, either via trade or free agency, but I’m not sure how much better this deal makes the Suns right now versus banking on the future potential of Warren (and Ennis too, I suppose).

Next: No. 4