Suns Trade Target: Paul George

With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, many Suns fans are praying for a drastic change.

As I outlined in my discussion about trading for Andre Drummond and as Adam Maynes too has blogged about, the best option for the Suns is to sit tight and only trade away veteran players over 25.  However, the Suns may not have that luxury due to an impatient owner who is hell-bent on competing as soon as possible.

Few trades for a player older than 25 make much sense, but Paul George may be an exception.  Yahoo writer Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Pacers are looking to see what they could get back for George.  George is eligible to become a free agent in 2018 and Indiana is concerned they will lose Paul to his hometown LA Lakers without any compensation in return.

The Pacers’ effort to be competitive enough to encourage George to re-sign has left them saddled with some of the worst contracts in the NBA.  If they can rebuild the team, dump some dead contracts, and clear cap space, they can be talked into trading George.

The Case for George

There is no individual player in the NBA the Suns could trade for that would make them a title contender now or in the immediate future. However, Paul George may give them a punchers chance at competing over the next few years.

People are quick to forget just how good Paul George can be. George is a shut down defender who has an unusually well-rounded game. He is currently averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. That kind of production along with elite defensive effort isn’t easily found.

Pairing George with the Suns current roster would give the team elite versatility. If the Suns needed more defense than offense, they could slide George over to shooting guard while benching Booker. George can guard every player from a point guard to a power forward giving the Suns a lot of options. Partnered up with Tyson Chandler, the Suns now have a defensive unit that gives them a chance to play the kind of defense that has cost them so many games this season when unable to effectively defend.

The Suns already have a winning record against the East and with a second half schedule heavy on Eastern Conference teams, adding George could actually be enough to sneak the Suns into the playoffs this year.

A trade for George would eliminate the Suns’ rebuild around Booker and focus it on the Bledsoe/George timetable instead. Adding George would immediately make the Suns competitive and continue to be for the next five years at least. This of course would be in opposition of the otherwise slow development through the draft for the next several seasons. Adding George too might be enough to attract one more high profile player in free agency who could help push the Suns into legitimate Championship contention at some point soon.

Potential Trades

Option 1:

Adding George to the Suns would likely put the team out of contention for the top-three picks.  This makes giving up the team’s first-round selection this year less painful. Toss in Miami’s pick plus Dragan Bender and the Pacers have three future pieces to rebuild around as well as any asset they can get from Dudley should they flip him in the future.

Option 2:

This option allows Indiana to get out from under Al Jefferson’s terrible contract. In return they get back Brandon Knight’s terrible contract, but the upside of Knight is significantly higher than Jefferson’s. The Pacers get young pieces to rebuild around, the Suns get even more short-term help.

Option 3:

This trade allows the Pacers to get out of two terrible contracts in exchange for ones that are expiring sooner or have greater additional trade value.  This trade also allows the Pacers greater flexibility to rebuild around with tradeable assets and some young pieces.  For the Suns it leverages their cap space to lesson what they have to give up in return for talent. The Suns would have some short-term cap pain, but could clear that up in subsequent moves.

Conclusion

The Suns should sit tight and bank on a rebuild.  However, if the Pacers are willing to make the right deal, you can’t go wrong with having Paul George on your team. Bledsoe, Booker, George, Marquese Chriss, and Chandler is a lineup can win some games now, and soon in the playoffs.