The Phoenix Suns may look at trade deadline deals this season if they struggle in the west, as Goran Dragic is heading to free agency, while names like Isaiah Thomas, Gerald Green, PJ Tucker and the Morris brother could be targets for teams, including the Pacers, who have previously contacted the Suns about a deal with Dragic for Roy Hibbert.
Dragic is the main player to watch overall, as he is heading towards free agency and his value has only continued to rise over the last two seasons. According to the Sporting News, Dragic will be testing free agency this offseason and that means the Suns will have some competition for him. RealGM writes that the Rockets, Lakers and Knicks could be potential teams that chase Dragic, while the Suns likely will try and re-sign him to a long term deal.
Stein wrote earlier in the offseason that the Pacers were interested in Dragic and Pro Basketball Talk picked up on that, reporting that a Roy Hibbert deal for Dragic was talked about. The deal obviously did not go down, but depending on how the Pacers and Suns play the rest of the first half of the season, a deal could go down. The Suns once looked at a Pau Gasol trade last season to shore up their frontline defense, but that did not go down and now they could look at Hibbert as a possible pickup.
Dragic is leading the Suns in scoring this season, but his numbers are down this year compared to last season, which is not unexpected after the new additions. The free agent market will have some good options at point guard, with Dragic and Rajon Rondo hitting the market, while some big men also will be hitting free agency. The Suns and Celtics may look at Greg Monroe or Marc Gasol, while the Lakers and Knicks also should be in the mix for those players.
The Suns have started the season 11-8 and they won 48 games last season as one of the most surprising teams in the league. The offense has once again been very strong and that is no surprise, but for the team to make a playoff run, they will need more up front and on defense. Hibbert could be a solid option and the Pacers are in a position where they need some help, as they are playing this season without the help of Paul George. The Suns are third in the Pacific division and they are considered one of the up and coming teams in the NBA.
Dragic is coming off of a most improved player of the year award win and while the team loves him, the Suns could look at spinning him for picks or another player that can help them win. The team signed PJ Tucker back this offseason along with Thomas and also picked Tyler Ennis in the first round of the draft out of Syracuse and that also could make Dragic expendable. Dragic is making a team friendly $7 million next season and according to Pro Basketball Talk and ESPN's Marc Stein, the Indiana Pacers are interested in trading for the point guard at the deadline.