With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, one of the bigger names who’s rumored to be dealt is Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic.
Despite Phoenix clinging to a half-game lead over Oklahoma City for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Suns reportedly may want to deal Dragic, who’s an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Lakers, Rockets and other teams have been trying to persuade the Suns to deal Dragic, according to an ESPN.com report from Friday, and Phoenix is reportedly considering its options.
Two reasons the Suns may be re-considering a Dragic trade is its two other point guards, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas. Phoenix inked Bledsoe to a five-year, $70 million deal last offseason and also signed Thomas to a three-year pact worth $27 million.
“I can’t comment on it too much just because it’s out of my control,” Thomas told SheridanHoops at the All-Star Saturday Night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “The game of basketball, especially the NBA, is a business and nobody is ever safe. You just have to be professional and come to work every day.”
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Suns general manager Ryan McDonough told local Phoenix radio on Wednesday that he feels his team is “a little too backcourt heavy” and “at some point we’ll need to balance that out, try to get a little more size, a little more frontcourt scoring and rebounding.”
Finding that roster balance could come this week in the way of a Dragic trade, but it would be tough to deal one of your best assets in the midst of a highly competitive playoff race.
Thomas even admitted that he was feeling a little bit of pressure to make the postseason as the season takes a week’s pause before the stretch run.
“There’s no room for error, especially the last two spots to make the playoffs, which are close, and then you’ve got two more teams in the 9th and 10th spots close as well,” Thomas said. “So there’s no room for error. You’ve got to bring it each and every night.”
What we’ll soon find out is whether Thomas will be “bringing it” with Dragic as Suns teammates for much longer.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who focuses on analytics, profiles and features. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. You should follow him on Twitter.