The Phoenix Suns are dealing with a number of issues at this point in the season as coaching problems and injuries are becoming a major factor. The team has officially lost their leading scorer and best playmaker in Eric Bledsoe which could leave the Suns to make a trade a priority in order to get some depth at the point guard position.
According to Paul Coro of AZCentral.com, Bledsoe is expected to miss at least six weeks following surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The loss of Bledsoe hurts badly to the Suns' chances of being competitive in the Western Conference. For the short-term the team will rely heavily on Brandon Knight and Devin Booker who moves into a starting role, but will that be enough to avoid tanking?
Zach Lowe of ESPN.com believes the Suns have the ingredients to keep winning games, but the loss of Bledsoe hurts. The team could target a trade to help as they have a key asset in Markieff Morris they could easily move. The first option that comes up is the Houston Rockets after Marc Stein reported the team had interest in swapping Ty Lawson for Morris. Lawson would be an easy acquisition for the Suns, but his contract might not be wanted for the struggling team. Instead expiring deals on players like Brandon Jennings and Jamal Crawford could be options if the Suns feel the need to make a trade. Both point guards are reportedly available.
According to Lowe, one of the best ways the Suns can begin to pick up the pieces as things fall apart is by trading Morris who is clearly unhappy in Phoenix following the trade of his brother to Detroit. Morris could be a big target at the trade deadline, but his contract will make a difficult as many teams will have to sweeten the package in order to make things work for the league. However, right now Morris is simply wasting space on the bench for the Suns and a trade could help everyone move on.
The Suns are also reportedly mulling the firing of head coach Jeff Hornacek. According to ESPN.com, the Suns are first shaking up the staff before targeting the head coach. Phoenix will see what the duo of Knight and Booker can bring to the court before making a trade to buy time while Bledsoe heals. If that fails to be productive, the Suns will have no choice but to trade.
