This season has not gone exactly the way the Phoenix Suns had expected it would. The Suns have now lost 15 of their last 17 games to drop their record to 13-29 and it looks like their hopes of making the playoffs are all but gone. With just a month left between now and the trading deadline it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear Phoenix in a lot of rumors. Markieff Morris is the name brought up the most but P.J. Tucker and Mirza Teletovic could possibly be on the move too, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News.
The Suns have been in trade rumors a lot because many people see Morris getting traded due to his falling out with the organization but he might not be the most likely player to get traded. The Suns have reportedly been getting calls for both Teletovic and Tucker and it would make a lot of sense for them to be traded to a contender. Phoenix though, is holding out on making any trades until they see themselves as out of the playoff race.
Right now the Suns are somehow only 5.5 games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference despite being 16 games under .500. In reality though, the Suns recent play and the fact that their best player, Eric Bledsoe, is out for the year is likely proof that they will be out of contention sooner rather than later. The Suns are in an interesting position this trade deadline as they are a team with some good core pieces and some young talent so trading away role players to get assets could be very helpful.
Both Tucker and Teletovic are guys that are garnering interest and it shouldn't come as a surprise considering they could be very helpful to a contender and their contracts are not an issue. Tucker is signed through next year but his salary for next season is non-guaranteed so the likelihood is that he is cut before the season begins and not paid the $5.3 million he is owed. Effectively Tucker is in the final year of his contract and he is a guy that can bring some toughness and very good perimeter defense to a team. The 30 year old is also making 34 percent of his threes this season so he should be highly sought after on the trade market.
As for Teletovic, he is the prototypical stretch four that everyone in the NBA covets nowadays. The 30 year old forward is in his first season with the Suns after playing three seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and he has shot lights out this season (43 percent from three). Teletovic is making $5.5 million this season but he only signed a one year deal so his expiring contract along with his tremendous shooting ability should also garner plenty of interest. The Suns could be one of the more active teams in the next month and depending on what kind of deals they make it could help them bounce back and be in playoff contention next season.
