Elie Okobo
If you count combo-guard Tyler Johnson, the Phoenix Suns started the 2019-2020 season with six point guards on the team (seven, if you count former two-way player Jared Harper). My expert basketball analysis says that this is a lot.
Kind of like the old football adage, if you have six backup point guards, you have zero.
The role was eventually won by Jevon Carter, or at least, he sat in the seat when the carousel stopped wit the season hiatus. While Elie Okobo had his time in the saddle, he feels like the most expendable of the bunch.
Okobo is still under contract for next season (albeit not fully guaranteed) and has a team option for the 2021-2022 season. Having said that, the team has already been rumored to have packaged him in a deal at the trade deadline for Luke Kennard. The deal did not go through, but the fact he was included in the trade makes me think it could happen again.
If the Suns choose to trade their first-round draft pick, Okobo would be a good player to throw in to sweeten the pot a bit. He’s a decent young player on a cheap contract, so something like that may attract teams looking for young talent.
The Phoenix Suns are likely committed to first-round pick, Ty Jerome, as well as Jalen Leque. As stated previously, they seem to be higher on Jevon Carte, so that makes Elie Okobo a bit expendable. It is very possible he could get shipped out of Phoenix this offseason.
Of course, there are plenty of trade options out there. Save for Devin Booker, I don’t think anyone is off the table when it comes to trades, however, in order to pluck the likes of Oubre, Bridges, or Johnson, it would take a high-caliber talent. Let’s how James Jones disappoints surprises us this time around.