RR7
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https://www.gophnx.com/2023/01/30/2...o-russell-john-collins-kyle-kuzma-og-anunoby/
https://www.gophnx.com/2023/02/01/p...d-green-og-anunoby-clint-capela-john-collins/
Josh Hart
If the Portland Trail Blazers really do have interest in Jae Crowder, the Suns should keep them in mind as a last resort trade partner. Recent trade buzz indicates they’re not looking to move Hart, but as underwhelming as that kind of return would be, he could help, at least.
Hart is a solid defender and an inconsistent 3-point shooter, but he’s still chipping in 9.3 points and an impressive 8.1 rebounds per game this season, all while shooting 50.2 percent from the field.
The only problem is Hart’s $13 million salary is just a smidge too high for a straight-up Crowder swap. At that point, including one of Okogie, Landale or Lee isn’t worth it.
https://www.gophnx.com/2023/02/01/p...d-green-og-anunoby-clint-capela-john-collins/
Jerami Grant
It’d be fairly surprising if the Portland Trail Blazers dealt Grant in the middle of a borderline All-Star season, full stop. But with the 28-year-old week eligible for a contract extension before the trade deadline and Rip City sitting two games below .500, maybe it’s not as implausible as it seems?
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst agrees, speculating: “Keep an eye on Jerami Grant in Portland. If he doesn’t sign an extension by deadline week, teams are going to sniff there.”
Assuming he doesn’t get that extension, let’s go ahead and sniff there:
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Trading Grant away for a cap relief package like this, rather than just extending him or re-signing him this summer, would send a bad message to Damian Lillard. Then again, is ownership willing to dive deep into the luxury tax with the kind of extension he’ll want, especially to retain the core of a team that’s not even currently occupying a play-in spot?
As we covered in Part 1, the Blazers are interested in Jae Crowder for some reason. Give them some expiring salaries and two first-round picks, and suddenly the Suns are even more dangerous on both ends of the court.
Grant has frequently been mentioned here as a sensible Suns trade target, and that’s especially true now that he’s averaging 21.3 points per game on .488/.422/.797 shooting splits. His struggles with creating as the No. 1 option on the Detroit Pistons make him a lethal No. 3 or No. 4 guy, which is what he’d be again in Phoenix.
Does he want to return to that sort of role? That’s open for debate, but there’s no question that winning is fun. This would require Cam Johnson to slide back into a bench role, but a six-man core of CP3, Book, Bridges, Grant, Ayton and Johnson would really batten down the hatches for a deep playoff run.