Phoenix Suns: Setting Expectations For Trade Deadline

Developing The Young Talent vs. Upgrading It

I know that’s not the answer Suns fans want to hear. The last time Phoenix made the playoffs was almost five years ago, when Steve Nash nearly led the Suns to the NBA Finals. This franchise doesn’t have a championship, but it’s the fourth winningest team in NBA history. Expectations are understandably high, and patience is not.

But how do we determine which of these young pieces will be part of Phoenix’s core for the future and which won’t with such small sample sizes? We can agree Green is likely on the way out (since the Suns probably can’t afford to re-sign Dragic to a max deal AND keep Green). Plumlee has been looking for a trade for awhile now, but Brandan Wright — the reason Plumlee is expendable — is also a free agent this summer.

Suns fans have been calling for Isaiah Thomas to be traded, which makes sense if you’re not a fan of the point guard hydra. But those three-point guard lineup have been effective in limited doses, unless they’re left on the floor for too long and the team struggles to close out defensive possessions with rebounds at the end of tight games.

Thomas is on a favorable contract that would be easy to move, but he’s also only in his fourth year in the NBA, he’s second in the league in bench scoring and he would serve as a useful instant heat check guy off the bench should the Suns lose Green. More importantly, as long as the team is winning, Dragic has given no indication he’s unhappy with Thomas being in town (CAVEAT: the team needs to keep winning).

People like to talk about the overloaded backcourt, but the frontcourt is starting to feel crowded too. Alex Len is going to be a defensive stud if he can stay healthy. Either Plumlee or Wright needs to go, with the Suns likely wanting to re-sign Wright if they can afford him this summer. But, spoiler alert: Wright won’t come cheap.

As for the extremely young players, Archie Goodwin represents some major potential that would be developing if the Suns were a tanking team. T.J. Warren and Tyler Ennis also need time to develop. Reggie Bullock is an intriguing 3-and-D prospect that needs some grooming, while Zoran Dragic serves his fairly obvious purpose (more on that later).

That’s quite a roster that features a clash between young starters/role players whose potential is tough to gauge and even younger players who aren’t ready to play but could wind up being just as good or better.

Next: Questions About This Team's Ceiling