Phoenix Suns mailbag: spreading our wings

Will there be another trade, possibly shipping a wing for a power forward?

Unlike many Suns fans, I don’t see another trade as all that likely. At least not a big one. There are just so many other ways to shape up the roster.

Guys can still be picked up in free agency, and even more players will be available once teams make final cuts after training camp.

As for swapping a wing for a power forward, I don’t think it’s all that likely. Mostly because guys from the two positions are competing for each others’ minutes. The reason Chriss and Bender will struggle to see the floor is the wing depth. Swapping a wing for a four doesn’t make things any less cluttered.

It’s also an issue because of timing. The wing most likely to be traded seems to be T.J. Warren, and it’s definitely possible to get some value for him, maybe even a mid first round pick at the deadline. But not now.

There are plenty of teams during the season who could decide they could use a solid bench scorer. There are less teams worried about periphery pieces before the season begins. Every team is new, so they don’t know for certain what they need. And a player who can’t shoot or defend doesn’t exactly scream “perfect fit anywhere.”

Warren’s locked up for a long time, so teams should have no second thoughts about getting him midseason as opposed to right now. For all of these reasons, Warren’s value will likely go up as the year goes on.

The only way Warren should be traded for less than what the Suns perceive his value to be is if they know he won’t have a spot in the rotation. In that case, his stock would only go down, and it would make sense to get anything for him now.

But Warren should be getting minutes, and the Suns should look for other avenues to round out the team.