An NBA championship requires all hands on deck, and with the Phoenix Suns sailing in that direction, they need contributions coming in from all their roster spots. Unfortunately, that leaves the beloved but injured big man Dario Saric as trade bait for the next few weeks as we move toward the February 10th deadline.
With Saric having torn his ACL during last year’s NBA Finals, the odds stand heavily against him making a return to play this year. Due to that, he comes as no use to a Suns team currently switched onto “win now” mode.
Saric’s banged up knee also makes him valuable only to the small fraction of teams who have already waved their white flags and started looking toward next year. Despite possessing starting-level skills as a career 11.7 point, 2.0 assist, and 5.9 rebound per game player, at the end of the day, he still resembles a guy unable to make it up and down the court.
Put simply, trading Super Dario will still be a rather complicated task. His talent makes him an intriguing option for the right team, but the risk factor attached to his injury cannot just go tossed out the window.
However, a few deals remain not just possible, but highly beneficial for both the Suns and whoever they cook up negations with. Looking at these three mock exchanges, the Suns need to pursue something similar to at least one of them, bidding farewell to Saric and bringing that last set of hands on deck.