Phoenix Suns: 5 Reasons To Keep Gerald Green
1. Phoenix Won’t Receive A Fair Return
Even if the Suns do need to trade Gerald Green to avoid the risk of losing him this summer as a free agent, what exactly would they get in return?
It’s unlikely his gunner-off-the-bench services, entertaining though they may be, command a first round pick. And with Green set to be a free agent this summer, what incentive would a team have to give up something good to acquire his services when they could just sign him this summer?
In other words, the only teams that would be interested in acquiring Green via trade are playoff teams, or perhaps teams like the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers who are confident they’d be able to re-sign him in the summer. But with both in the middle of tank jobs, even that seems unlikely, especially since Green will really be more of a secondary target on everyone’s radars.
McDonough is no fool. He understands Green’s value and if he were to make a deal, it would be for something that helps Phoenix long-term (draft picks) or right now for the playoff hunt (a serviceable rotation player).
If McDonough is expecting a first-rounder for Miles Plumlee, he’ll probably hold out for something similar with Green. As you can imagine, the list of teams that A) need Green’s bench scoring now, B) have something worthwhile to offer in return and C) don’t prefer to just sign him this summer is a pretty short one.
By not trading Green, the Suns run the risk of losing him for nothing. But Phoenix is in the middle of a playoff race, with no replacement ready to step up, and they wouldn’t even get fair compensation for him anyway. If he leaves, he leaves, but a look at his career numbers shows how mutually beneficial the relationship between these two parties has been.
Next: Phoenix Suns: Top 5 Potential Trade Targets