NBA Analyst Says People Don't Realize How Much Trouble the Suns are in
At this moment, nothing feels as if it can go right for the Phoenix Suns.
Their 20-19 record only has them a couple games removed from exiting the playoff picture in what has been a tough Western Conference. Devin Booker won't be back on the court for at least three more weeks, while Cam Johnson's return is unknown.
They've averaged 94 points their last four outings and have won just one of their last eight games. They've yet to find a deal for Jae Crowder, and to some, that ship will be tough to sail moving forward.
ESPN's Bobby Marks appeared on "The Lowe Podcast" with senior NBA writer Zach Lowe and partially discussed the Suns' current predicament with Crowder:
"I went through Crowder trades again last night and like really, the only one that I came up with that I guess would make half sense - and this would be is if this team goes like 2-7 and they're out of it, they're sinking in the bottom of the standings - is sending him to New York for Cam Reddish and a salary-filler," said Marks.
"Maybe you get the Detroit or Washington first back which is pretty much heavily protected and who knows if New York will ever get that ... I don't see them getting a good, young player back that's under contract. I don't see that right now, and as you mentioned, for a guy that hasn't played since the Dallas series last year, who the heck knows where he's at here."
Lowe then responded with a potential target for Phoenix to monitor in Toronto's OG Anunoby:
"I'm stumped, man. Despite the fact that they have all these mid-sized contracts - they have all their picks, all their swaps - I mean this is why they were linked to Durant. Durant put them No. 1 on his now rescinded trade list … Do other teams find James Jones a little bit inscrutable to deal with in trades? Not bad to deal with, just like what does he want, are they interested, are they aggressive at all, what's going on over there?," asked Lowe.
"I legitimately don't know what they're gonna do. They are a team though - a name I thought of for them in the past ... They would be on my list of teams watching the Raptors. If I can't figure out anything to do with those picks, and I want to save my team, I want to save my team next season even, I would look at [OG] Anunoby a lot if the Raptors end up pivoting and rebuilding."
Toronto likely wouldn't part ways with Anunoby unless quite an offer came stumbling through the door, something Suns general manager James Jones isn't exactly known for after one NBA insider said other teams find it difficult to trade with Phoenix.
"My concern with them is you get to an NBA Finals two years ago and man, things change quickly. Best record in the NBA last year and you get blown out in the Dallas series. Now we're talking about will this team even make the play-in?," said Marks.
Lowe responded in saying, "I just don't think people have realized how much trouble they're in … I just don't know what they're going to do but the season is slipping away a little bit from them."
We're still a month removed from the league's trade deadline (Feb. 9), and of course Phoenix hasn't exactly been full strength when it comes to their roster.
Yet it's apparent the alarm bells are ringing across the league when looking in the Valley.
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