Dream Suns trade proposal would take them to next level immediately

With the trade deadline now just over a week away, plenty of players have suddenly hit the rumor mill as potentially being available at the right price.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is holding up the whole process of deals actually getting done however, with even the Phoenix Suns forced to wait and see how that plays out before making moves of their own.

Suns should test the waters on Lakers' Dalton Knecht

One player who is rumored to be on the move ahead of the deadline according to Marc Stein is Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers.

He has fallen out of the rotation after a rookie campaign in which he showed some promise, and at 24-years-old is also a lot closer to the finished article than most sophomores. Which is why Oso Ighodaro should not be discouraged by this latest development.

Why don't the Suns test the waters and see if they can convince the Lakers to part with the sharpshooter for the return of Nick Richards and a second round pick?

It might not seem like a lot, but the Lakers are suffering from a problem that caused the Suns to go and get Richards in the first place.

Their starting center in Deandre Ayton does not have the consistent motor to make a difference, whereas you always know what you're getting with Richards.

If that is too much of a hard sell, and if we're being honest we'd struggle to let Knecht go for that return, then let us have a more difficult conversation.

Some salary filler in the form of Adou Thiero would also have to head to Phoenix, or get cut from the Lakers altogether, but would you be willing to part with Khaman Maluach?

If you're the Lakers, at least unlike Richards there is raw potential to work with there, and Maluach is five years younger than Knecht.

It is unclear why they would want a prospect when they're trying to win a championship right now, but they have to bridge the gap into the Luka Doncic era without LeBron James some day.

Phoenix only does this if they're convinced Maluach won't have it for several years, if he ever will, as they are trying to keep Devin Booker engaged in The Valley.

Adding Knecht would then allow them to move on from one of Grayson Allen or Royce O'Neale, getting younger and saving money in the process.

Quite how Knecht would help defensively is unclear, as both Allen and O'Neale have done remarkably well in that area under head coach Jordan Ott.

Certainly something to consider, as Knecht is the kind of player you can buy low on and take a victory lap over the Lakers with later.