NBA rumors: Mavericks, Suns interested in Marcus Thornton
By Bryan Rose
The Brooklyn Nets traded for Marcus Thornton last season in hopes that he would bolster their bench. He did play well, but apparently not well enough as it looks as if the Nets are attempting to move the three-point shooter to relieve some of their payroll issues.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a rumored destination for Thornton, however they understandably don’t want to add any money to their books currently as they attempt to woo LeBron James. But there are a handful of teams interested in trading for the former LSU product including the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Marcus Thornton brings with him an $8.5 million dollar contract for the upcoming season, however, he is an expiring contract which interested teams are likely to be happy about.
During his tenure with the Sacramento Kings, Marcus Thornton was one of the better bench scorers in the NBA though struggled with the rotations employed by Sacramento head coach, Michael Malone. When Thornton was an assistant with the Hornets, Thornton also struggled so many have attributed his recent sub-par play to coaching.
What Thornton doesn’t bring to the court is defense as he’s one of the worst defenders at his position in the NBA. That’s not to say he doesn’t give effort, but he’s continually finding himself back peddling and often gives up as many points on the defensive end as he attributes on the offensive side.
Still, few players can heat up like Thornton and he’d certainly improve the bench of any team who decided to acquire him.