It’s trade deadline week, and Phoenix Suns fans are seemingly split over what they want the team to do before high noon in Phoenix on Thursday.
Beginning on Sunday night when 27-13 Phoenix hosts the 28-14 LeBron-less Lakers, the push for the playoffs coincides with the deadline-week push to improve.
With the team’s success and a pretty decent runway for playoff contention in the next few years, the Suns’ future draft picks no longer are as valuable as they were during The Great Drought.
As the Phoenix Suns enter trade-deadline week, they have to consider all options: from making key moves to doing absolutely nothing.
That said, it’s much more fun to recklessly speculate and advise the personnel department how to do its job. There’s plenty of that “advice” tumbling around the internet.
What kind of “best options” are out there for a team whose fortunes are only rising?
A primary focus is on rim protection and improvement ideas for Phoenix’s interior defense. Other areas surely being evaluated and explored by general manager James Jones include depth at both forward positions, playoff-experienced veterans and more shooting.
Entering Saturday’s games, the Suns ranked way down at 26th in blocked shots per game (4.2). There’s a category for targeting improvement.
The team also ranked poorly — 27th — in steals per game at 6.6. Clearly, any addition would need to include above-average defensive skills.
As Chris Paul and Devin Booker continue to lock down leadership responsibilities, the Suns expect to have Cam Johnson back on the court soon.
Johnson, who hasn’t played since March 2, has been sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols.
That will feel like a trade-deadline addition, but what else is on the front burner?
Phoenix Suns deadline list item 1: Add that backup center piece.
The Suns should be seeking continued improvement, even though they sit at the top of the Pacific Division entering Sunday’s matchup with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
The eye immediately finds the Suns lacking in big-man defensive metrics.
While Phoenix has been in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating seemingly all season, they are a pedestrian 12th in opponents second-chance points allowed and 14th in opponents points in the paint.
To move forward — especially considering the added physicality of the playoffs — the Suns need more of a defensive presence.
The addition of 6-7 Torrey Craig filled the 15th and final roster spot, but the team could finesse a plan to bring aboard any one of the rim protectors/defenders who could be bought out.
Why do anything with the backup 5 spot? Look into your playoff crystal ball and see how it’s gonna look if the Suns tangle with the Lakers (Anthony Davis at the 5), Nuggets (Nikola Jokic = a problem) or Jazz (Rudy Gobert).
The Suns have been able to get away with using Dario Saric, whose contributions truly have been a pleasant surprise, to help close out tight games but Saric could be more valuable as a traditional sixth man. He should play the 5 only when the Suns defend a small-ball lineup.
Jalen Smith’s body is a couple of years away from being able to help on the interior, and Frank Kaminsky is a center in name only. Valuable, sure, but expendable for the right price.
The move: Chase down and exhaust all options to bring on the likes of JaVale McGee, LaMarcus Aldridge or Hassan Whiteside.
Phoenix Suns deadline list item 2: Use other teams’ pursuit.
The Suns clearly have the attention of the rest of the league — and the consistent appearance among the NBA’s top five teams is proof enough. That means NBA GMs have also taken notice and are carefully scrutinizing the Phoenix roster.
If someone wants a veteran influence with a certain set of skills, perhaps E’Twaun Moore, Jevon Carter, Frank Kaminsky or Langston Galloway may provide a fit.
In the paint (non-restricted area shots): 51 percent, No. 1 in the NBA.
Corner 3s: 46.1 percent, second in the NBA (left corner, 44.3 percent, fourth in the league; right corner: 46.6 percent, third in the league).
Midrange: 45.6 percent, fifth in the league.
The only kind of shooting this team needs to improve? The kind that someone such as Hassan Whiteside or JaVale McGee could bring: dunks.
Deandre Ayton continues to work on his strength and assertiveness around the rim, but it’s not moving along to everyone’s satisfaction. Low-post fumbles, uncertainty on point-blank attempts and a resistance to dunking EVERY time he can are among the points of criticism.
To that end, the Suns are only 11th in restricted-area field-goal efficiency (66 percent). Numbers don’t lie; a strong finisher who plays 13-15 minutes a night would provide help.
If Jones is stuck trying to initiate interest in a deal, a move would be to entertain informal discussions with teams much more desperate to do something by Thursday.
The inference is that fans want a quality backup center, some improved defense, some more shooting and perimeter defense. Did we mention interior defense? That, especially.
Phoenix has taken the express elevator from the cellar to top contention in a very short time, escaping the conference’s No. 9-10 rut — the worst place to be for an NBA franchise. The Suns avoided the danger of trying too hard to rush the process and having to take a step back.
Nope, it’s full speed ahead.
The move: Consider strongly every offer — every discussion — and find a way to improve.
Phoenix Suns deadline list item 1: Find balance and do something
It would be a nice boost of freshness (sounds like a deodorant commercial) for James Jones to shake things up a little. “If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind” and all that.
So, many Suns backers want to see some effort, action and ingenuity from the GM.
But what about some outside-the-box thinking?
Did you hear the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers are in the hunt for the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon?
Long rumored to be a target of past Suns incarnations, Gordon is looking better and better as the season unfolds. His price is rising to heights that likely are too high for most teams.
Should the Suns be worried about Gordon joining the Nuggets or Blazers, two of Phoenix’s primary rivals in the Western Conference?
The fourth overall pick from the 2014 draft is still only 25 years old, so he’d fit comfortably into the Suns window of contention.
In 22 games this season, Gordon is putting up 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He doesn’t shoot particularly well, though, and carries an $18.1 million contract.
The cost for Phoenix would be prohibitive — think Mikal Bridges/Cam Johnson/Dario Saric/first-round picks — and would call into question whether the team becomes better this season.
Becoming better right now (or just doing nothing) is a must because, let’s face it, Chris Paul is amazing but Father Time is undefeated. There really isn’t an option to take a step back based on the belief a trade will make Phoenix better in the long run.
Reports indicate the Magic want a “young player or players, a draft pick” and matching salary in return, the Denver Post’s Mike Singer reported Friday.
Gordon, just back from an ankle injury, is under contract through 2022.
Making a move at the deadline, any move, would send a message that the Suns are eager for more. But it can’t hurt the team in the short term — or even run that risk.
The move: Whether it’s upgrading a particular position, a trade involving veteran role players or an Aaron Gordon-level big swing, Suns fans always enjoy a good talking point.