The Phoenix Suns have been one of the most mentioned teams heading into the trading deadline and names like Pau Gasol, Zach Randolph, Ben Gordon, Carlos Boozer, Rudy Gay and Thaddeus Young have been connected to the Suns in rumors and players like Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic could be in the mix heading into the February 20 date.
The Suns have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season and that has prompted the front office to look for a veteran trade option and some names like Gasol and Randolph have come up in connection with the team. According to ESPN.com, the Suns were close to pulling off of a trade for Gasol last month, but that cooled off considerably after Gasol went down with an injury and heading into the All-Star break, it looks more likely that he will be staying in Los Angeles.
The Suns are seventh in the western conference this season and not many expected them to be in playoff position and that is why general manager Ryan McDonough has been looking for a deal. The team is one of the youngest in the league and they have multiple draft picks coming up this year after making the trade with the Clippers and the Luis Scola deal with the Pacers and that means they can afford to give up one for someone like Gasol or Randolph. According to SB Nation, the Grizzlies rejected the initial offer from the Suns for Randolph, but as the deadline gets closer that could change, as he has a contract coming up eventually and they are right there at ninth in the western conference.
The team likely will not want to give up Goran Dragic or Eric Bledsoe in any deal and that could limit their options, but the Suns picks will be coveted and there is a chance that they could sit tight and take the team they have into the postseason. The Suns were expected to be in a rebuilding year and while they are still constructing their roster for the future, they have the chance to make some noise in the playoffs, as they are ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the standings right now.
The team is ranked in the top 10 in scoring this season and they are averaging over 104 points per game and they have the chance to get a solid player like Gasol or Boozer at the deadline. The Bulls could end up being sellers with Derrick Rose out for the season and this comes after the team already traded Luol Deng and that could be a move to consider as well.