The Phoenix Suns are in an interesting position as one of the youngest teams in the league and after finding out that top draft pick Alex Len should be healthy to start the season, there is a chance that the team could now trade center Marcin Gortat.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Gortat could hit the trading block depending on how Len plays early and if he is fully healthy, that could mean a nice deal for the Suns. The team has been active in the trade market all offseason with moves to bring in Caron Butler and Eric Bledsoe as well as sending Luis Scola to the Pacers and now the team has the chance to add more young talent. The Suns see Len as a franchise player and there has also been good news about Gortat and his health.
Gortat came back from the Euro tournament to have his right foot looked at and after MRI's, it appears that is nothing serious, meaning both players may start the season healthy. Len is just 20-years-old and the team wants to build around him for the future.
Gortat has been mentioned in trade rumors this past offseason, but after Scola was dealt, general manager Ryan McDonagh may want to hold onto the center until Len is fully healthy. Last year the Suns ranked 21st in points per game with 95 per contest and allowed over 101 points per game and the franchise is hoping the addition of Len can help upgrade the defense. Goodwin showed off his skills during the summer league and he appears to have potential as just an 18-year-old out of Kentucky.
The team said that Bledsoe and Butler are part of the future of the team, but now that future may not include Marshall, who was taken with the No. 13 pick last year, but that was a different regime and a different front office. The team this year selected Alex Len with the number five pick and while some have been worried about his ankle injury, comparing it to other big men like Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum, the Suns have been cautiously optimistic about his return by training camp.
The Suns likely feel that they can trade Marshall since they already have Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, Shannon Brown and rookie Archie Goodwin on the roster and Marshall may have helped himself look more attractive with some strong play in the Vegas Summer League. McDonough has spoken about Marshall and his development this offseason, but that doesn't mean he won't decide to trade him if the right deal comes along and he has also spoken about Bledsoe and Dragic playing together, which should eat up plenty of minutes for the other players on the roster.
Last season Marshall played 14.6 minutes in 48 games behind Dragic and now that the team has acquired Bledsoe as well, they may want to clip Marshall for draft picks or other pieces to build around if they don't see him as the future. The Suns went 25-57 last season and have plenty of weak spots on the roster and after ranking 21st in the league in points per game, they may try to flip Marshall for a more experienced and established scorer. Gortat likely isn't going anywhere until the team sees how Len is progressing, but if they feel like he will be healthy this year before the start of the NBA schedule. They could package the two players together for draft picks or depth down the line.
The Suns have already been mentioned in trade rumors for Marcin Gortat and while those reports have started to fall off, these new reports are much more pressing. According to NBA.com, the Suns have legitimately put Marshall on the trading block and they are hoping to put him in a deal with someone else on the roster and that could possibly be Gortat. Writer Scott Howard-Cooper reports that league executives have said that Marshall is available and that general manager Ryan McDonough, despite his talk of not looking to trade Marshall, is doing just that.
Gortat dealt with the injury in the spring and had to sit out the end of the regular season for the Suns and the team wants to make sure that he will be ready to start the year, as he is an integral player to the lineup with Len also dealing with foot issues. The Suns also traded away Luis Scola to the Indiana Pacers, leaving Gortat as the most experienced player in the frontcourt. The 29-year-old was one of the most consistent players at his position last season and averaged 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds and new coach Jeff Hornacek will be relying on him this season without Scola and after Len had surgery on both ankles this past year.
The Suns went 25-57 last season and with Goran Dragic as the leading scorer with under 15 points per game, the franchise is expecting big improvements after acquiring Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler in a three way trade with the Clippers. Both players are expected to be primary starters and after trading Scola, Miles Plumlee and Gerald Green may play roles as well.