NBA Trade Rumors: 5 destinations for Brandon Jennings
By Tom West
Phoenix Suns
The next of the “prime landing spots,” as described by Mitch Lawrence, is one of the most troubled teams in the NBA right now. The Suns have lost their star Eric Bledsoe for the season due to a torn meniscus, they’ve lost nine of their last 10 games, and they rank just 13th in the West in the midst of a lost season.
So, with countless problems and the almost inevitable chance that head coach Jeff Hornacek will be fired after this season, there’s no point in trading for a player for a late playoff push. That’s not even in the realm of possibility for the Suns, and as Jennings will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, they’ll only bring him on board if they think they can keep him beyond 2016.
Whether or not Jennings could be willing to be part of a rebuild and play a significant role off the bench (he obviously won’t be replacing Bledsoe) are the two key areas of concern here. However, if he’s comfortable with getting back to top form off the bench and developing a sixth man type role, he could really help the Suns.
Outside of Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, the Suns don’t have many great scoring options. T.J. Warren (their 3rd leading scorer) is still developing and Markieff Morris (their 4th leading scorer) is surely going to be traded by the deadline. After that, they’re limited to their stretch big men (Mirza Teletovic and Jon Leuer) and the odd basket from their other perimeter players.
Besides ranking 23rd in the NBA for offensive efficiency now, they rank just 24th in assist ratio. Obviously, these are weaknesses (among many others) holding them back, and the Suns’ reliance on Bledsoe and Knight’s scoring is clear. Jennings could really help as a sixth man, so it’s just down to Phoenix to see if they can make the right offer.
If they include some perimeter shooting to help the Pistons’ offense, maybe they’ll be interested.
Next: Brooklyn Nets