With the recent trade involving Rockets big man Ryan Anderson to the Suns for Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight, it is clear that the Rockets needed to shave of the luxury tax and the Suns are now officially point guard-less. In Shaquille Harrison, Elie Okobo, Isaiah Canaan and newly added Suns point guard De’Anthony Melton, the Suns have a lot of point guard searching work to do than settle with the underwhelming quartet they have right now.
Despite the point guard conundrum in the desert, the Cleveland Cavaliers may provide the most viable solution, George Hill. Furthermore, the arrival of their future franchise cornerstone in Rookie point guard Colin Sexton makes disposing Hill a viable option for Sexton to have minutes solely to himself.
In relation, the need opens up a hypothetical trade between the Cavs and Suns.
The Cavaliers will be sending George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, Ante Zizic, and a future first rounder for TJ Warren, Dragan Bender, Mikal Bridges, and Tyson Chandler. Is it viable enough to push through? Who says no?
Why this makes sense for the Cavaliers?
It is a tough pill to swallow going from relevant to irrelevant in an instant. LeBron James moving to Hollywood is definitely going to be a quick and painful lesson for the team.
Once the mourning phase is over and everyone realizes the team is headed for mediocrity or rebuild, the logical thing to do is shed off contracts and try to flip players for assets.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, the Suns are neck deep in trouble when it comes to floor general preferences. A battle-hardened veteran in George Hill will definitely fit the Suns desperate need for a stabilizer and mentor to the young squad.
In addition, a fresh from extension talent like TJ Warren is going to be an intriguing addition to any team. An underrated blow by scorer with an explosive first step, his strong frame and deceptively quick footwork makes him slash to the rim with relative ease.
Despite his physical tools, shooting would be his primary red flag. Despite scoring 19.6 points per game last season, he is shooting a horrendous 22 percent from the arc. At 25-years-old, it would make you wonder if he could add another dimension to his offense. If he does, it could be fringe All-star in the making. Sexton, Warren, and Love don’t sound too bad for a post-LeBron era.
An inconsistent Jordan Clarkson and a big body to develop in Ante Zizic aren’t much of a loss for prospect Mikal Bridges and stretch forward project, Dragan Bender. The Cavs are in need of young talent to develop, and what they are getting from the Suns isn’t basically ideal, but they’ll get what they can take.
Taking Tyson Chandler is a headscratcher when you have a Tristan Thompson, his albatross contract will be a viable trade chip as the season progresses.
It would make sense if the first rounder had protection of some sort. Then again, this would only matter if it materializes into a franchise-changing piece. In theory, the Suns gave up three first-round talents for a decent veteran guard, an overpaid inconsistent combo guard, and a big body. The first rounder is a must for this to fall through.
Consider it compensation for jump-starting the Cavs franchise.
Why does this matter to the Suns?
The immediate need to fill is the point guard slot. For a young team oozing with potential and talent, that spells trouble even before the season starts. There was no hidden agenda or secret ploy behind this move. On the contrary, this is so straight up and obvious that the Suns should be scrambling to get one as soon as possible.
It is good to note, the inclusion of combo guard Jordan Clarkson is not some random throw in. He relieves ball-handling duties from the likes of Devin Booker and Josh Jackson. Providing some well-needed offense for the second unit, he shines best going against lesser established defenders.
If he recaptures his former Laker magic on the court and assuming Josh Jackson will not start, the Suns bench will be athletically dangerous him and Jackson leading the second unit.
A starting five of George Hill, Devin Booker, Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, and Deandre Ayton will be interesting enough to watch.
Ante Zizic will be a replacement big for Chandler. Not talent-wise, but they could hold on to the expected potential of him being a first rounder.
Far from being relevant in the deep Western Conference, another first rounder could help them stack up some more young talent or a trade chip in the future.
Who potentially says NO to the trade?
In a perfect basketball world for both teams, this wouldn’t even come close to happening. With both team’s needs outweighing most of the potential disaster, there is a good chance that both teams just pull the trigger on this one. Both teams don’t have enough reasons to decline this trade.
The Suns get the point guard that they need to lead a promising core of Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Josh Jackson. Will they sneak into the playoff picture? Unlikely, but they’ll be surely better than last season. Either way, all eyes will be on the Suns with the current number one pick, Deandre Ayton.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers get a better foothold on their future. Not necessarily out of the darkness yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel looks brighter than it should be. Despite the mild reboot, some sins of the past in rushed trades and bad contracts may still haunt them.
Ultimately, time will tell how things will go. For what it is worth, this hypothetical trade moves both teams in the right direction, which is forward.