So much for the Phoenix Suns not being open to trading Brandon Knight.
Previous speculation has been denied by the team time and again. The Suns, driven by this untenable hope of contending for a playoff berth while rebuilding, weren’t looking to trade Knight—a point guard on a pre-cap-boom contract relegated to backup duty behind Eric Bledsoe and sophomore Devin Booker.
Phoenix has apparently moved on that stance, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein:
The latest signals continue to suggest that Suns guard Brandon Knight will be one of the bigger names to move between now and the Feb. 23 trade deadline. Knight played only nine minutes in the Suns’ home win Thursday night over Toronto, less than 20-year-old rookie Tyler Ulis.
This was inevitable. Knight is shooting under 40 percent from the floor, isn’t trashing opposing second units, doesn’t move the defensive needle and, most harrowingly, owns the NBA’s worst individual plus-minus by a 59-point margin.
None of this bodes well for his value on the trade market. The league is still flush with quality point guards, and Knight’s value has plummeted since arriving in Phoenix—to the point where the Suns have no chance of recouping the value they gave up for him in the first place (a top-five protected pick from the Los Angeles Lakers that now belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers).
Still, Knight is signed through 2019-20, with no early outs, and, including this season, will earn just $56.5 million through the remaining life of his deal. That’s bargain-bin territory for a starting floor general in the new cap climate. So there will be a team that bets on his past three-point shooting and so-so playmaking ability.
Said team, in all likelihood, just won’t be forking over a king’s ransom to make that gamble.
