The Phoenix Suns are one of the youngest teams in the NBA after making some trades and drafting Archie Goodwin in June and with first round pick Alex Len looking healthy for the season, veteran Marcin Gortat could be on the move this year.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Len will be healthy for the start of the season and training camp after rehabbing both his ankles during the summer after getting surgery. The Suns selected Len knowing he may not have been ready for the start of the season, but after posting a photo of a text exchange, Len wrote that he was cleared by doctors to play and that he could start working out at full strength. Len played college ball at Maryland and the team feels that they can build around him and Goodwin.
The Suns traded for Eric Bledsoe with the Clippers after shipping out Jared Dudley and the team also got Caron Butler in that trade before moving him. The team also traded away Luis Scola to the Pacers and are setting themselves up to be players potentially down the line in a deal with another team as they rebuild. The report from Pro Basketball Talk says that the Suns could be setting themselves up for a trade later down the line with Gortat, as Len would be the starting center if he is healthy.
Len did not play at all over the summer to keep him out of draft workouts as well as league play and now the Suns will get a chance to look at their big man for real. Len was an excellent player in college and averaged nearly 12 points and eight rebounds while also blocking over two shots per game as a soph and the Suns thought he had enough talent to take him with the number two pick.
Last season the Suns went just 25-57 and ranked 21st in the league in points per game with under 96, while they allowed over 101 points per game. The team was 18th ranked in rebounds and 14th in assists and they are hoping the influx of young talent can help turn the team round, especially with Len. That leaves GM Ryan McDonough in a tough situation, as he likes Gortat, but he likely now will trade him at some point down the line, especially if Len plays well.
Gortat's trade likely will come until after the season starts. The center was solid last season and averaged 11 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for the Suns and rumors said that the Spurs were interested at various points and could make a move to deal for him in the future. The team decided to trade Scola to continue the rebuild, and he was durable and played in all 82 games last season while averaging 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Suns and now he brings that consistency to the Pacers. Scola has played in all 82 games five different times and the Pacers now get a player they have been interested in since back when he was with the Rockets and he brings career averages of 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds.
