Suns could add postseason hero with aggressive offseason pursuit

The Indiana Pacers couldn't hold off playoff elimination, falling to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 on Monday. One team besides Boston is happy to see their season end because they can start inquiring about the trade availability of a key bench hero.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, T.J. McConnell "drew trade inquiries from the Phoenix Suns throughout this past season."

This comes as McConnell has been lighting up the world with his play in the playoffs. The one-time 76er has had to fill in for injured star Tyrese Haliburton, who has been missing games after poorly recovering from a hamstring injury that he suffered in January. McConnell has averaged 11 points on 49 percent shooting, five assists, and nearly three rebounds per game all while only playing 20 minutes per game.

Given his stellar play in the postseason, Indiana may end up trading the guard this offseason if the franchise is unable to get him on a long-term deal.

Phoenix is extremely unlikely to make a splash move in free agency with Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker all under max contracts. They still need a ball-handler that can dictate the offense. The Suns are limited in the first-round picks that they can offer. They only have their 22nd overall pick in this season's draft and their 2031 first-rounder (which both can't be moved until draft night) available.

With the Pacers not hanging the phone when it comes to McConnell trade calls, do the Suns have any chance of landing him or does their lack of assets give them no chance?

Do the Suns have any chance of trading for T.J. McConnell?

Even though McConnell is on an expiring deal next season, it's hard to see a world where the Pacers trade the backup guard. McConnell has looked like a starter-level veteran with Tyrese Haliburton in and out of the lineup with a hamstring injury. Although this could change if the contract negotiations break down between the Pacers and McConnell, Phoenix lack of assets won't help them convince Indiana to agree to a trade.

This postseason aside, the veteran guard has looked like an above average bench guard in this league. The Suns' possible offer of trading Nassir Little and a bag of second round picks can't possibly be the best the league can offer.

Yes, Phoenix can offer the No. 22 overall pick in this year's draft but contract talks between McConnell and Indiana would have to break down quickly for that to come into play. To be fair, you can make the argument for a small market team like Indiana to take the cheaper rookie salary, which will probably be somewhere in the range of something that the Pacers can afford, over McConnell's upcoming salary.

Suns fans might dream of getting someone that can fix their ball-handling issues but it's likely that McConnell will not be the answer that they are looking for with price being too high.