NBA Trade Rumors: 3 players the Phoenix Suns should look to trade away

Despite having a resurgence in form lately, the Phoenix Suns are currently amidst another disastrous season. The Suns have one of the worst records in the entire NBA (9-28), and the team still looks years away from competing for a playoff spot.

The Suns were annual contenders in the early 2000s, although the franchise has now failed to make the postseason since 2010, and the team looks further away from contending than ever before. The current roster is riddled with both bad contracts and underperforming players, and last year the team finished with an abysmal record of 21-61. This was also the third consecutive season in which the Pheonix team failed to win at least 25 games in the regular season.

Due to already being out of contention for the postseason, the Suns have already started turning their attention to the 2019/20 NBA season. The team recently sent Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards, while earlier in the season they allowed Tyson Chandler to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Further departures are likely in the coming weeks, and here we will look at three players that could soon leave the team.

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#3 Troy Daniels

Orlando Magic v Phoenix Suns

Troy Daniels was traded to the Phoenix Suns back in 2017, although he looks to have no long-term role on the Suns' roster. While Daniels had a good first year with the team, his minutes have been lowered during the 18/19 season, and despite being fit, the 27-year-old has barely featured at all this month.

The shooting guards range from behind the arc means that other teams may be interested in adding Daniels to their roster over the next few weeks, and the Suns would be willing to make a deal, as the franchise wants to bring in a new starting guard.

#2 Ryan Anderson

New Zealand Breakers v Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns acquired Ryan Anderson this summer after the Houston Rockets had been looking to move him on for more than a year. Anderson was ultimately traded alongside De'Anthony Melton, in exchange for Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss.

As part of the trade, the Suns had to take on the remaining two years of Anderson's four-year, $80 million contract that he signed with the Houston Rockets back in 2016. This is a huge amount of money to pay out for a 30-year-old who is currently having the worst season of his career and has no place in the Suns' long-term plans.

Anderson has played in just 15 games for the Suns, and he is currently shooting a career-low 20% from behind the arc. The power forwards presence on the team will make it difficult for the Suns to contend next season, and the franchise should do everything in their power to move on the former Rockets man.

#1 Dragan Bender

Sacramento Kings v Phoenix Suns

There was a lot of hype and anticipation surrounding Dragon Bender when he entered the NBA back in 2016, although he has so far failed to justify his place on an NBA roster. Bender stands at 7'1, and his combination of size and shooting ability resulted in the centre being one of 2016's most intriguing draft prospects.

The Suns opted to take the centre as the fourth overall pick, although despite currently being in his third season with the team, Bender has made less than 40 starts. During the current season, the Croatian is only averaging 8 minutes-per-game and he has also appeared in less than half of the Suns' games.

The 21-year-old is averaging just 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, and with his rookie deal set to expire in the summer, the team should look to get something in return.