There is no doubt that the Phoenix Suns are going to try and be active in the trade market ahead of the deadline next year. Already we have earmarked several players who the organization could realistically trade for, and would help them become a better team ahead of the playoffs.
It makes more sense for the Suns to target a center or frontcourt player to help the cause, as a result of the struggles of Jusuf Nurkic so far this season. Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro are fine backups, but the squad needs more depth in this area to compete. That doesn’t mean they will neglect other areas to try and improve.
Which is why the should enquire about Seth Curry.
Curry is currently marooned on a Charlotte Hornets roster that is lingering near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They have a star point guard in LaMelo Ball – as well as a young stud in Brandon Miller – and not much else going on right now. Which is why a veteran like Curry is expendable to them.
The reasoning for going after Curry is obvious. He’s on a minimum deal and so is the kind of player who the team can actually add without much hassle, despite being in the second apron. Swapping Damion Lee straight up for Curry for example would work, although it is unclear why exactly the Hornets would do that.
https://twitter.com/sixthmansports_/status/1864867020090618170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1864867020090618170%7Ctwgr%5E4d5032539efb584361489cc77b6fd37d152704be%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvalleyofthesuns.com%2Fsuns-can-pick-rebuilding-team-add-elite-shooter-their-team-seth-curry
But as a team who are likely going to rebuild around Miller in the coming years, the Hornets could be interested in doing that sort of business if a second round pick was attached. Lee likely wouldn’t be the player going out – it is hard to see who would want him on a rental with the prospect of signing him to a new deal next season – but perhaps Bol Bol could.
Front offices are more forward thinking and financially conscious than ever before, but the Hornets are one of the few franchises in the league who could be talked into giving a player like Bol some run. They’re not going to win a championship anytime soon anyway, and Bol is a ton of fun to get behind if you’re not trying to win games. Less so if you actually are, as the Suns recently found out.
The Suns would then be getting an elite 3-point shooter – and although they have both Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale for that – if you’re only giving up an end of the bench player like Lee or Bol, then it makes a lot of sense to do the deal. Curry is playing less than 13 minutes per game so far this season, and despite only taking a pair of shots from deep each game, he’s at over 45 percent right now.
At 34-years-old, he’s also never won a championship either. Defensively he’s not giving this team anything, but it would be fair to say these Suns weren’t constructed with defending at a high level in mind. Stick him in the corner for seven minutes during a playoff series, and Curry would make any opponent pay operating in that kind of space.
He does also have family ties to Phoenix, as Lee is his brother-in-law, which would make any transition easier. The Suns are going to have to pick on teams like the Hornets who have no clear path to contention to bolster their own roster on the cheap, which is why they should be keeping tabs on Curry as trade season heats up.
Be the first to comment