The Phoenix Suns are one of the youngest teams in the NBA this season and after working on a couple trades in the offseason that brought in Clippers star Eric Bledsoe and sent away veteran Caron Butler, the team could continue to deal into the year and the prime candidate appears to be Marcin Gortat.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Gortat spoke with the Arizona Republic and said that there is a chance he could be moved at the trading deadline this season and that he understands the NBA is a business and that is part of it. Gortat is entering the final year of his deal and with the Suns in rebuilding mode with new draft picks like Alex Len and Archie Goodwin, there is a good chance he could be moved, especially if Len ends up healthy after dealing with some foot problems.
Last season Gortat dealt with injuries as well, but he appears to be back to full health and after six seasons in the league, he could be an attractive option for a number of teams, especially ones looking for a solid center. Gortat is the highest paid player on the team and while general manager Ryan McDonough has praised the center this offseason, there is always a chance he could be gone by the time the trading deadline rolls around.
Last season Gortat played in 61 games and averaged 11 points and nearly nine rebounds with over one block per game and with stats like that, a number of teams could be interested in his services. The Suns won just 25 games last season and ranked 18th in rebounding and 21st in scoring and they feel that Bledsoe and Goodwin along with Len gives the team a solid group to build around and trading Gortat could get the team more picks to help add talent to the roster.
The Suns will likely not deal Gortat until they need to and he said he understood why the team could think about dealing him, especially with his contract and the fact that Len is a young player. The Suns have some options to think about moving forward and Gortat is the biggest one.
To the Republic:
"We all know what I am right now," he offered, "and we all know what's going to happen, probably. It's business. I totally understand that, I totally understand the situation. I totally understand the management, the front office people. There's no hard feelings. At the end of the day I'm a pro, I'm going to try to do everything necessary to win a basketball game."
