Does John Jenkins’ Release mean a Trade is Imminent?

Could the Suns make more than one trade?

While there are circulating rumors that the Suns are having discussions regarding Brandon Knight, and that there are teams interested in P.J. Tucker, there does not appear to be anything imminent – the fact that the Suns waited until the last day to waive Jenkins prior to his contract becoming guaranteed is evidence of that. Plus, teams around the league knew that the Suns had this option in their back pocket meaning prior trade negotiations would have all included this move occurring.

What is most interesting about the team’s prospects moving forward is that if the Suns are going to attempt to make a blockbuster trade involving Brandon Knight (by that I mean more than a one-for-one-type trade, not necessarily that the Suns receive a superstar in return), P.J. Tucker may actually be the first player to be traded.

There is a chance that teams would be willing to take on Tucker’s remaining salary this season without shipping a player back to Phoenix in return. Should the Suns manage to trade Tucker for a draft pick, the roster would then feature two open spots.

From there, since Brandon Knight’s contract is so large, Phoenix could not only afford to make him part of a package that includes up to three players in return (without needing to waive anyone immediately), it could make the option of a three-team trade more viable as the Suns could take on multiple players from two different teams.