The Phoenix Suns are clearly in the middle of their first complete rebuild in franchise history and are in the process of extricating all of their veteran players for more youth and potential as they re-construct their team moving forward.
Now that Eric Bledsoe is gone, the next step is to move one of their three centers: Tyson Chandler, Greg Monroe or Alex Len.
According to Suns Beat Reporter Scott Bordow, the Suns desire to sign point guard Mike James to an NBA contract, he is currently on a two-way deal, could facilitate a trade sooner rather than later in order to free up a roster spot.
McDonough reiterated to me today that Suns want to sign Mike James to standard NBA deal before his two-way contract expires Dec. 6. My guess how they'll do that: Create roster spot by dealing 1 of 3 centers
— scott bordow (@sbordow) November 20, 2017
All of which could fetch a (small) amount of trade value on the market for different reasons. Len is still only 24 and has flashed moments of his potential throughout his mostly frustrating NBA career as a guy who could be a double-double guy and average two blocks per game. A team may want to give him a tryout of sorts this season to see if he is worth re-signing in restricted free agency this summer.
Tyson Chandler is a leader and a veteran big man with championship pedigree and a proven ability to anchor a defensive and be very effective on the glass. He could step in and help a contender in need of rim protection and he deserves to be playing meaningful basketball again.
Greg Monroe has very little value in all reality in the current NBA as a guy who can’t protect the rim, doesn’t knock down long-range shots and isn’t conducive to a fast-paced playing style, but he is making just under $18 million this season in the final year of his deal and that contract coming off of the books could be very valuable to a team trying to clear space.
My hunch is that the Suns will end up dealing Monroe and using his expiring as an asset to acquire a player who can help them in the next few seasons.
