Former coach suggests Phoenix Suns trade Cameron Johnson for Tyler Herro

Phoenix Suns’ Cameron Johnson and the Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro are two of the most high-profile players entering their fourth season in the NBA. Both players share similarities – they’re stuck in sixth man roles in good teams, and as such, are yet to commit to contract extensions beyond this season.

Herro and Johnson each have big years ahead of them, but their situations could complicate if a proposed idea to swap the two actually did eventuate.

Former coach and NBA trainer David Thorpe has suggested the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat do a direct swap of Cameron Johnson and Tyler Herro.

Thorpe is best known as a former coach who’s trained some notable NBA players, namely Kevin Martin, Joakim Noah and Udonis Haslem. Now on TrueHoop, he’s proposed that the Suns and Heat should do a direct swap of their respective fourth-year players.

"“An excellent defender who is improving, Johnson also hit 39 percent of his 3s in his first three seasons and 41 percent in the past two postseasons. Like Herro, he has been a solid role player on one of the league’s elite teams.”“He is not the scorer or shot creator Herro is, and that matters to Miami; yet Johnson did score 12 points a game on the second unit of a very balanced offense. He should get more 3-point looks in Miami, meaning he’d fill some of the 3-and-D void from (P.J) Tucker’s departure.”"

This is one of the more realistic suggestions you’ll see given the needs for each team. As Thorpe pointed out, the Heat have a hole at power-forward after losing P.J Tucker to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. Johnson could fill that need with aplomb, in turn giving him the starting role he desires.

The Suns also have a need for another ball-handler and shot-creator, a facet Johnson doesn’t provide. Herro would provide that though, albeit still in a sixth man role. Finishing games with Chris Paul, Herro, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton would be a fearsome five, even if issues could emanate on the defensive end.

Herro won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season, with Johnson finishing third. This may give a good indication that their value is fairly similar, although Herro has a little more upside.

It remains more likely that Jae Crowder is the Suns player who goes to Miami to fill the power-forward void. Of course, Phoenix would be getting something much less than the value of Herro in that scenario.