After making an unexpected trade, the Phoenix Suns are now missing a starting point guard. They have a wide range of options going forward.
On Thursday night, the Phoenix Suns surprised a lot of people by sending Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss to the Rockets for De’Anthony Melton and Ryan Anderson. Overall, it was a good trade for the Suns.
Melton is an enticing prospect who could be the perfect fit next to Devin Booker. He’s a capable facilitator, an elite defender, and an improving perimeter shooter. Despite many analysts being high on him, he fell all the way to 46th in the draft. An impressive Summer League suggests a lot of general managers may have been wrong.
Anderson is a sharpshooting stretch four who does little besides hit the three. Although he’s expected to start, he does nothing to clear up an extremely crowded forward group. His acquisition just makes it harder to find minutes for other players that deserve them.
Critics of the deal may point out that it’s too early to give up on Marquese Chriss. It’s only been two seasons since the Suns made him the eighth pick in the draft. He’s flashed defensive potential, and he still could become a quality NBA player.
They’ll also question making a trade for Melton. If they really wanted him, they could’ve taken him with the 31st pick instead of Elie Okobo. Either they value Okobo higher than Chriss and Melton or there was a mistake made either in the draft or in this trade.
But there’s no doubt the critics will most loudly condemn the loss of Brandon Knight without another starting quality point guard in return. The Phoenix Suns now have three main point guards in their rotation: Okobo (rookie), Melton (rookie), and Shaquille Harrison (23 career games).
Now without a veteran point guard, the Suns have three possible directions for the upcoming season. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of all three.