The Phoenix Suns are expected to make moves at some point during the 2014-15 season, as they try to fix a logjam at the wing position. According to Grantland NBA insider Zach Lowe, veteran small forward Gerald Green is the most likely trade chip for the Suns because of his cap-friendly expiring contract.
If that is the case, the Lakers could perhaps explore the possibility of adding a quality winger like Green into the mix. And based on Lowe's estimation, it could be a bargain for the purple-and-gold.
Lowe, who recently released his annual 32 Crazy Predictions for the coming season, might not be fooling after all when he stated that Green will be traded this season. Despite coming off a breakout season, the 28-year old Green is really an ideal trade chip because he will only get paid $3.5 million in the final year of his contract.
Moreover, Lowe pointed out that Green is going to be the odd-man out mainly because the Suns have already locked up their wingmen of the future in PJ Tucker (three-year, $16.5M deal) and T.J Warren (14th overall in 2014).
"It's a matter of math. The Suns just inked Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, Zoran Dragic, and the Morrises to multiyear contracts, and they'll get an extra first-round pick from the Lakers at some point over the next three seasons. Barring a big trade, the roster is damn near full going forward," Lowe stated.
While losing Green would be a big risk for the Suns as Tucker and Warren have yet to develop certain skills set to become a high-impact player on the offensive end, Lowe nevertheless believed Green can be easily moved by trade deadline.
"The Suns do have three starting-quality point guards, and those guys will eat up a lot of the shooting guard minutes. Green is movable, and if the Suns can get a couple of second-rounders for him, they might pull the trigger," according to Lowe.
Greener Pasture with Purple-and-Gold!
Aside from Wesley Johnson, the Lakers don't have a natural small forward. And Green is way better offensive player than Johnson. Based on Lowe's projections, the Lakers just need to unload two second-round picks to get their hands on Green, who averaged 15.8 points and 3.4 rebounds this season.
Another point why it's ideal to trade for Green is the Lakers' slack of three-point shooters. Green shot 40 percent beyond the three-point arc last season and 85 percent from the free-throw line. Plugging him into the Lakers starting five or putting off as their Sixth Man would be a big boost to a Lakers firepower this season.
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