We haven't even reached November, yet players in the Phoenix Suns locker room are already frustrated about their lack of a traditional point guard on the roster, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported.
"There's some growing frustration within that locker room for the simple fact that that roster does not have a point guard that can organize that offense," Haynes said. "I don't know that the Suns are looking to address as of right now; the hope is that they can kind of play this role by committee, but as of right now, it's not looking like it."
The Suns literally made the NBA Finals with Chris Paul at point guard. They have the blueprint right in front of them and, for whatever reason, continue to decide to go away from it, forcing Devin Booker into more of a point guard role.
Suns' point guard frustration makes the Blazers ideal trade partners
Portland Trail Blazers fans know how the rough Phoenix season started, because, well, it was at Portland's doing. The Blazers' 124-83 blowout win over the Suns in the season opener put these two teams on completely opposite trajectories, and it's remained that way early on.
It remains to be seen what the Suns' sense of urgency is when it comes to a trade, with Haynes saying they were initially hoping to address it internally with a committee approach. Both Portland and Phoenix have a committee approach in the backcourt; the only thing is the Blazers have too many talented guards than Micah Nori even knows what to do with them at times.
The Suns are stuck in this purgatory after the all-in move for Kevin Durant backfired. They might as well try to make the playoffs by upgrading at the point guard position before February's deadline, assuming things don't improve anytime soon.
The Blazers wouldn't trade Damian Lillard anyway because of what he means to this franchise, but he's off the market due to a rare no-trade clause. However, Portland would still have three starting-caliber point guards that would all be immediate upgrades for Phoenix: Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson.
Between the three players, it could be Henderson that makes the most sense to trade for both parties. Morant has both played and fit incredibly well in Portland, contributing to their undefeated start. Holiday is proving to be essential in a sixth man role thanks to his versatility, filling in multiple holes on this wonky Blazers roster.
This is a team that could legitimately go deep into the postseason, and they'll need their veteran guards to get there. But with Morant and Holiday playing and fitting so well alongside Lillard in the revamped backcourt, it leaves Henderson as the odd man out.
The Blazers didn't extend Scoot before the season. If they don't want to pay him in restricted free agency next summer, it could be in their best interest to trade him to a team like the Suns. For Phoenix, Henderson is the exact type of piece they should be looking to acquire: a young, true point guard with untapped potential that can help solve their problem of how to retool around Devin Booker without having as many draft picks.
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