5 players who will take advantage of the NBA trade deadline
Tyler Ulis
Point Guard,
Tyler Ulis was the hottest player in the 2016 Summer League, averaging 29 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.8 steals per game.
Now, he’s getting 9.1 minutes a night and is thrown into garbage time for the Suns. Sitting behind Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, Ulis isn’t going to get any more playing time than he already has. But if the Suns unclutter their backcourt before the trade deadline, they’ll be making room for Ulis to develop.
At 5-foot-8, he may not look like the future of Phoenix, but he is. Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker are manning the reigns right now, and for the foreseeable future. As the sixth man off the bench, though, Ulis will be able to impact this young roster.
The Suns have one of the best young group of players in the NBA. But Knight along with others have been their biggest downfall in development. Shooting a career-low 39 percent and 32 percent from three, Knight isn’t contributing to the Suns in any way.
It’s time for Phoenix to move on from Knight and start to let Ulis grow. As one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Suns aren’t going to make the playoffs this season. So, they might as well start to work towards their lineup next year. Running the second unit should and will be Ulis.
Ulis is going to get his first chance in the NBA after the trade deadline. There’s no reason for the Suns to keep Knight and if they can trade him and others for a star, they will. When they do, Ulis’ minutes are going to skyrocket.