NBA Trade Deadline: 5 trades Phoenix Suns need to make
By Tom West
Toronto Raptors assets
The other key trade chip that the Suns could well be using before the deadline is P.J. Tucker. He has notable value with his gritty defense, strong rebounding (6.9 boards per 36 minutes), and respectable three-point shot at 34.1 percent. Multiple teams could be interested him as Phoenix look to start afresh in 2016-17 and acquire some assets that they can develop for their future, which is how others can assemble their offers for Tucker.
As ESPN’s Marc Stein has suggested, the Suns could want a high draft pick in return.
Given Suns have continued to hold out for quality pick or player for disgruntled Markieff Morris, expect them to seek nice pick for Tucker
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 3, 2016
ESPN sources say Toronto is among the teams expressing trade interest in Suns swingman P.J. Tucker in advance of the Feb. 18 trade deadline
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 3, 2016
The Toronto Raptors are a team who are expressing interest in Tucker, so they could form an offer around a future draft pick, James Johnson and Lucas Nogueira. Judging by Stein’s comments, it may take the Raptors’ 2016 first round pick instead of an extra player to land Tucker, but could that be too much to sacrifice? Perhaps, although for a team like Toronto who are trying to maximize their current potential, Tucker has real value.
Especially with DeMarre Carroll out due to injury, the Raptors could really use another reliable defender like Tucker who can be placed on the top scorer of opposing teams. And even when Carroll returns, having Tucker coming off the bench as another defensive enforcer is still going to be hugely beneficial.
Meanwhile, the Suns get to start looking towards the future. With a draft pick (potentially a first round pick, which is still a great pick up even if it isn’t too high) they can choose the direction they go in with their youth, while Johnson is a proven high-energy player and solid defender in his own right.
As for the 23-year-old Brazilian center Noguiera, he’s purely a project at this point. He’s 7’0″ with an imposing 7’6″ wingspan, so he certainly has the length to develop into a rim protector off the bench at some point in his career. Until he develops or gains more minutes, though, he’s really an afterthought in this trade.
This helps the Suns going forward and the Raptors get a defensive upgrade to help their chances of bothering the Cavaliers if they make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Next: A new scorer and draft picks