Centers
The first center would be more of a project if he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Deyonta Davis is a young center that has upside that if the Suns were willing to be patient to develop, could be good down the line. Advance stats show that Davis has the potential to be a solid starter.
| Season | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG% | 2P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 20 | MEM | C | 36 | 0 | 238 | .511 | .511 | .556 | 3.0 | 6.1 | 9.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 6.1 | 8.8 |
| 2017-18 | 21 | MEM | C | 7 | 0 | 79 | .667 | .667 | .667 | 1.8 | 8.7 | 10.5 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 5.9 | 12.8 |
| Career | 43 | 0 | 317 | .554 | .554 | .583 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 9.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 6.0 | 9.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/29/2017.
With Marc Gasol and Brandan Wright on the roster, it’s unlikely that Davis will receive any quality playing time. Still the Suns may have to give up either multiple second round picks or a quality player, maybe one of the many centers the club currently has to acquire Davis.
This list would be incomplete without having Jahlil Okafor on it. Beyond Okafor being stuck with the Philadelphia 76ers and Devin Booker‘s plea to have the big man freed from Philly, Okafor does have positives to bring to Phoenix. He is beyond a talented scorer and the Suns need a third scorer to compliment the two perimeter scorers they already have. Trading for Okafor or waiting for a buyout from the Sixers seem like viable options at this point.
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Jonas Valanciunas was mentioned as a player that could be traded to the Suns by Zach Lowe of ESPN. In a reaction article to Lowe’s piece, I cheered for the idea of exchanging Tyson Chandler for Valanciunas. Even though Valanciunas appears to be struggling this season, that may have to do more with a lack of playing time than his actual skills. The Suns would allow him to play a lot more. Now if the Suns can actually do a straight trade like Lowe proposed, then that would be a great deal for the franchise.
Honestly, the Suns should pursue Domantas Sabonis more than any other center on this list. Sabonis has broken out with the Indian Pacers during his second season. As a starter this season, he has averaged 12.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.5 blocks and 0.3 steals. The Pacers also have Myles Turner at the center position and even though they could try to play the two young big men together, the combination would be a defensive liability in certain situations. Even though the price could be high to acquire Sabonis, he would be worth the cost.
Next: Suns Rookies and Sophomores Update for Week 6
Regardless if the Phoenix Suns trade for any of the players or not, they still have a need at both the point guard and center position. Either through trade or the draft, the team needs to fix the problems at those positions before the Suns’ rebuild can end. At this point, the Suns are only a few pieces away from being competitive and trading for the young pieces needed would speed up the rebuild.