3 Landry Shamet trades for the Phoenix Suns to consider

Phoenix Suns land experienced wing Terrence Ross

Terrence Ross has been left as the odd man out in Orlando after the franchise dove into rebuilding mode. Having traded Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier at last year’s trade deadline, Ross has been left as the only real experienced piece on the Magic roster.

Perhaps they wish to retain him as that veteran presence, but on the last year of a four-year, $54 million contract, speculation will continue to grow on a potential Ross trade. Their equivalent contracts mean Shamet and Ross could practically be traded for one another in a straight player-for-player move.

What’s the motivation for Orlando?

The Magic are clearly moving away from Ross, with the 31-year-old playing the least amount of minutes per game since his rookie season. He was also largely unproductive when on the floor, averaging just ten points a game while shooting less than 40% from the field and 30% from three-point range.

Orlando finished 28th in three-point percentage last season, with the roster greatly lacking in pure shooters. Shamet could provide an improvement in that area and is also a better timeline fit within the team’s rebuilding core.

What’s the motivation for Phoenix?

Firstly, if the Suns don’t see Shamet as a future piece, then getting off his long-term money for an expiring contract is a win in itself. From a playing perspective, Ross could give the franchise a little more offensive juice should he be able to get back to somewhere near his best.

Before last season, Ross had produced three straight seasons averaging around 15 points per game. While he can be inefficient at times, he’s a tremendously difficult offensive player to stop when he’s up and going.