9/1/17
Suns acquire former slam dunk champion in surprise trade
The Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors today completed a trade which will see the Suns acquire explosive wingman Terrence Ross in exchange for veteran PJ Tucker and two future second round draft picks, due in 2017 and 2019.
Being traded in what is basically a salary dumping move is a rather large fall from grace for the number 8 pick from the 2012 draft. The sky seemed the limit for Ross on the back of some early-career milestones, such as winning the slam dunk contest in his rookie season and scoring 51 points against the Clippers in his sophomore campaign, which included a franchise-record-equaling 10 three-pointers.
Fast-forward two more years and his career has almost completely stagnated. He has been stuck playing back-up to DeMarre Carroll in Toronto and at different times over the past couple of seasons he has looked completely disinterested during games. The media have begun questioning whether or not he has reached his ceiling or if he is just in a career slump.
Hopefully for him this move to Phoenix will rejuvenate his enthusiasm for the game and help him recapture some of his past form. So far this season he has only managed to score in double-figures in 12 of the 37 games he played for the Raptors. It's that inconsistency that stopped him from taking the next step in his development. The same inconsistency that led to Raptors coach Dwane Casey only starting him in 7 games this season and giving him the lowest amount of minutes per game that he has had since his rookie season.
Despite playing fewer minutes, Ross is actually playing very efficiently this season. He is shooting at 48 percent from both inside and outside the three-point arc. It's that quality shooting that likely attracted the Suns to him. Phoenix are currently ranked 20th in the league for three-point shooting and desperately needed more firepower to compete with the likes of division rivals Golden State.
Ross also arrives in Phoenix with a reputation as a guy who stays healthy. He has only missed 19 games since he came into the league in 2012, which is probably another thing that Phoenix liked about him. They have had a terrible run with injuries this season, losing key players Alex Len, Dragan Bender, Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe and Marquese Chriss for extended spells.
It is unclear at this point whether TJ Warren will keep his starting role or not after the arrival of Ross. He probably will in the short-term at least, which should provide him with some incentive to improve his own lacklustre output. Ross will likely join the Suns' surprisingly effective second unit alongside Brandon Knight, Tyson Chandler, Jared Dudley and fellow former Washington Huskies player Marquese Chriss. These bench players will be key for Phoenix if they hope to make the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Phoenix currently hold the 6th seed in the western conference with a 22-16 record, which has surprised a lot of people so far this year.
Toronto had reported been shopping Ross around the league for the past few weeks, looking for a team with cap space and some spare picks to take him.They finally found a suitor in Phoenix and were happy to take an expiring contract and a couple of likely mid-second round picks in exchange.
This trade helps the Raptors continue to compete in the playoffs this season, whilst also giving them the cap flexibility they need to re-sign star guard Kyle Lowry next season if he opts out of the player option in his contract. Key big man Jared Sullinger will also be a free agent at the end of the season.
It may seem like PJ Tucker is just an expiring contract in this deal, but he is a very useful role player to have. He is a good lockdown defender and has developed a serviceable outside shot. He will also have a point to prove in Toronto after he was originally drafted by the Raptors in 2006 with the 35th pick, but then waived after playing only 17 games for the franchise, He returns after having played all around the world and he will be keen to show the fans in Canada how much he has improved since they last saw him.
Before the season started Toronto were predicted by many to be Cleveland's main challenger in the eastern conference this season after pushing the Cavs to game six of the conference finals last season, but they are barely clinging on the the 7th seed right now thanks to a disappointing 18-19 record. Their fans will be hoping that this minor shake-up will kick-start their team's season.
Phoenix receive
Terrence Ross - 25 - SF - $31m - 3 years (75)
Projected line-up:
Alex Len - Dragan Bender - TJ Warren - Devin Booker - Eric Bledsoe
Reserves:
Brandon Knight, Jared Dudley, Terrence Ross, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Martin, Leandro Barbosa, Archie Goodwin, Marquese Chriss, Tyler Ulis, Alan Williams
Toronto receive
PJ Tucker - 31 - SF - $5m - 1 year (75)
Suns' 2017 second round pick
Suns' 2019 second round pick
Projected line-up:
Jonas Valanciunas - Jared Sullinger - DeMarre Carroll - DeMar DeRozan - Kyle Lowry
Reserves:
Patrick Patterson, Cory Joseph, PJ Tucker, Norman Powell, Jakob Poetl, Delon Wright, Lucas Nogueira, Pascal Siakam, Bruno Caboclo