Portland Trail Blazers Trade Rumors: Tyson Chandler Deal In The Works?
Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors have linked the team to center Tyson Chandler, who could give the team an immediate boost on both ends of the court. A report by NBA analyst Marc Stein states that the Blazers have been tracking Chandler as a trade target for a while now. With two seasons left on his current contract, the Phoenix Suns may be looking to either get a younger asset or draft picks in return for the veteran.
In his second NBA season with the Suns, Chandler is again putting up good numbers. Through 29 games (28 starts), he is averaging 7.5 points and 11.6 rebounds a night. Chandler is also shooting 68.5 percent from the field, showing that he is making the most of his opportunities on offense. While it is rare for the team to run plays where Chandler is the focus, he finds ways to capitalize on second-chance opportunities.
Before posting two straight victories this week, the Phoenix Suns had the worst record in the Western Conference. Though the Suns have only improved to 12-25 on the season, fans haven’t given up on the roster making a playoff run. That might be something that stands in the way of these Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors becoming a reality because it is a sentiment that was shared by Tyson Chandler last season. Despite the team struggling, he urged the front office to stay the course and not deal him before the NBA trade deadline.
If it gets to a point where Chandler is tired of losing in Phoenix, it should be easy for the team to find a trading partner. That day may be coming, as he has shown some frustrations early in the 2016-17 NBA season. After the current season, Chandler still has two years left on his contract that will pay him about $26.5 million total. That could make him a good trade asset, as it would guarantee team control to any franchise willing to pick up the tab. With salaries inflated again this year, that’s not a bad salary for a starting center.
Even though the Portland Trail Blazers have also struggled to open the 2016-17 NBA season, the team finds itself in the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. A 16-22 overall record has been just good enough to stay in contention for the 2017 NBA Playoffs, suggesting if the team can add a piece or two that they might become a threat in the postseason. If the current playoff brackets were to remain the same, though, the Blazers would play the Golden State Warriors in a first-round matchup.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Blazers recently acquired a second first-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. One of those picks could be very interesting to the Phoenix Suns, especially as the team languishes near the bottom of the current NBA standings. It could become even more intriguing if the Suns find a young player on the bench for the Blazers that might get included to sweeten a deal. That would all be in addition to any players the Blazers add to a deal to match salaries with that of Tyson Chandler.
There is still a lot of time until the NBA trade deadline rolls around, giving the Phoenix Suns a lot of time to decide about the future of Tyson Chandler with the franchise. There are likely to be several suitors looking into acquiring a starting center, so the Suns wouldn’t be short on offers. If the Suns want to make a deal in the short-term, though, recent Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors have started to indicate some desperation that could lead to overpaying to acquire more size and depth.
[Featured Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
