The Phoenix Suns could use more shooting.
That seems a strange thing to say about a team with Devin Booker as its star, but the bottom line is the Suns are bottom 10 in the league in both three point shooting percentage and total percentage of points the team gets from three. The Suns need shooters.
Such as Detroit’s Luke Kennard. The two sides are in talks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Detroit and Phoenix are discussing a deal centered on guard Luke Kennard, league sources tell ESPN. Suns' first-round pick is in play. Kennard has missed 22 straight games with bilateral knee tendinitis.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2020
Possible package gaining traction for Kennard, per sources: Jevon Carter, Elie Okobo and a first-round pick. Suns imagine Kennard as a 30 minute-plus per game floor spacer to complement Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and Ricky Rubio. https://t.co/1iw2iqPmq2
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2020
The connection here: Jeff Bower, the Suns’ VP of basketball operations, used to be the Pistons GM and drafted Kennard.
The big question is what protections would be on that first-round pick. The Suns seem lottery bound this year, but in a down draft they may want Kennard more than a late lottery selection.
Kennard is a career 40.2 percent shooter from beyond arc who plays the wing (call him a two or three, whatever makes you happy). He’s not a spot-up guy, more than a third of his threes this season are unassisted — meaning he created the shot himself — plus he can play a little defense.
There’s some logic to the deal. If the two sides can figure out the protections on the pick, this could get done for Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
