Phoenix Suns 2018 offseason plans Part 2: Trades

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PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 6: Marquese Chriss #0 of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 6, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender

While Ryan McDonough has said that he expects both of them back on the team next season, there is no way that there is a 100% guarantee that either Dragan Bender or Marquese Chriss will return.

There is no doubt that their performances early on in their careers have been disappointing to some (okay, maybe most), and even McDonough might feel some pressure to move at least one so he can avoid being tagged with two top-ten busts on his watch if he can bring in an accomplished player to upgrade the roster as part of a return package – not to mention that at least one of either Bender and Chriss might be part of a package necessary to bring in a star anyway, regardless of the package or player in question.

It wouldn’t shock me then if at least one of them are moved, with my money on Marquese Chriss as the most likely of the two, although that is strictly a guess. It also wouldn’t shock me at all if they both returned. Of all the players on the roster that may or may not be moved at some point, Bender and Chriss are the hardest to read their potential outcomes, although I would still put them at a better than 50% chance that at least one of them doesn’t return next season.

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