5 teams that should trade for Brandon Knight
By Roje Smith
Let’s take a look at five teams that should trade for Brandon Knight since the Phoenix Suns are underutilizing him.
The roller coaster known as “Brandon Knight’s career” looks like it’s on one of those steep declines. It’s the type of decline that makes you feel like your stomach is about to fly out of your mouth.
Knight was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. At the time, he was considered to be their point guard of the future. However, it never came to fruition in Detroit and Knight was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal for Brandon Jennings.
Knight’s career seemed to finally take off with the Bucks as he averaged nearly 18 points per game with them. He appeared destined to become an All-Star since his game and confidence were trending in the right direction. Just when things seemed to be going right for him, Knight was traded once again. This time, it was to the Phoenix Suns under the tutelage of then-head coach Jeff Hornacek.
Apparently, Hornacek understood how to get the most out of Knight since the former Kentucky Wildcat had his best scoring season under him. Along with Eric Bledsoe, Hornacek rolled out a two-guard system that had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, he was fired by the Suns and Earl Watson took over the reins in Phoenix.
Knight now receives less than 25 minutes per game and is coming off the bench in a sixth man role. His scoring, a strength of his game, is the lowest it’s been since his rookie year. As a result, his talents are being wasted and need a change of scenery. There are several teams that can make better use of Brandon’s abilities than Phoenix is. Let’s take a look at five of them.
5. Philadelphia 76ers
Some might think this doesn’t make much sense since the Philadelphia 76ers are a bad team with an 8-24 record. However, the Suns are just as bad as them with a 10-24 record. The important difference between the two teams is their respective roster needs.
Philadelphia’s frontcourt logjam of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Dario Saric and Ersan Ilyasova needs immediate addressing. Additionally, their backcourt situation needs major improvement since players like Sergio Rodriguez .
On the Phoenix side, it appears as if they could benefit from adding a post player with a bit more experience than rookies Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender. Chriss and Bender have potential, but they’re probably a couple of years away from being able to contribute effectively.
The Suns do have Tyson Chandler and Alex Len, but they can do better than that. Chandler’s been playing admirably, but he’s approaching retirement within the next three seasons. Additionally, Len’s upside is limited, but he can still be a solid contributor if he receives close to 30 minutes of court time.
This makes a pending trade between the 76ers and the Suns seem like a very good idea. Philadelphia can send Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor to Phoenix in exchange for Knight and it would be a valid trade. Brandon would be an immediate upgrade for the Sixers’ backcourt. He is a better scorer than any guard on their current roster and backcourt scoring is a dire need for their team. I’m sure that Knight would prefer to go to a team that wins more, but the opportunity to start again is a hard one to pass up.
As for the addition of Noel or Okafor, both are clearly more established than Chriss and Bender. A combination of Noel and Len can be a daunting one in terms of rim protection and board crashing. Additionally, we can’t ignore Nerlens’ developing offensive skills and the fact that he’s still only 22 years old. His presence would give Phoenix a very bright future. As for Okafor, since post scoring is a need in Phoenix, he immediately resolves that issue and is still improving as a player.
As far as I see it, it would be a wise move for the 76ers to trade for Brandon Knight. He addresses a huge need for them while they can address his need for more playing time.