NBA Rumors: Tyson Chandler Demanding Trade From Phoenix Suns

NBA rumors are swirling around Tyson Chandler. Due to his comments on Friday to the Arizona Republic, many are now under the belief that his impatience with the Phoenix Suns has grown to the point where a divorce is needed. At 33 years of age, the defensive center wants to play for a National Basketball Association team that can contend. According to CBS Sports, Chandler feels that it is time for him to leave the Suns and find a better team.

Tyson Chandler wants to compete for an NBA Championship. He knows that his career is closer to the tail end than it is to the beginning, which took place in 2001 when the Los Angeles Clippers chose him in the NBA Draft with the second overall selection and immediately traded him to the Chicago Bulls to form a super tandem with Eddy Curry. The problem for Chandler is that the Phoenix Suns aren’t that team, and they’re headed towards another rebuilding phase.

Right now, the Phoenix Suns are sitting on a 19-50 record, which barely places them ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. Fortunately for the Suns, the Lakers generate a lot of attention from the mainstream media, so many aren’t focusing on how hapless Phoenix is. The franchise is happy with the emergence of Devin Booker and TJ Warren. They’re also waiting on the returns of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. However, Tyson Chandler doesn’t have the patience for that.

Even if Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe bounce back from their injures and return to top form, and Devin Booker and TJ Warren develop into NBA stars, it might not be enough for the Phoenix Suns to compete in the Western Conference next season. The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are pretty big hurdles. Tyson Chandler is smart enough to understand that, so he wants to be on a team that has a chance at making it to the Finals.

Unfortunately for Tyson Chandler, he signed a four-year contract worth $52 million with the Phoenix Suns last summer. That’s a pretty big commitment, and it’s going to be pretty hard for an NBA team to be convinced to take on that financial burden. The salary cap in the National Basketball Association is rising tremendously next season, but it’s a still a pretty sizable salary that teams might be concerned about taking on.

It would have already been hard enough for Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough to find a trade partner for Tyson Chandler normally, but since the 7’1″, 240 center has publicly stated his unhappiness, it’s going to be even harder to convince NBA executives to pull the trigger on a deal. They know that they have the Suns backed up in a corner. Not wanting to take on a deal just for the sake of making one, McDonough might simply opt to hold on to Chandler.

There may be some interesting options for Tyson Chandler in the NBA. He’s quite familiar with the Dallas Mavericks, but they have a cheaper option in Zaza Pachulia and David Lee. The Mavericks might also be rebuilding if Chandler Parsons decides to leave town and Dirk Nowitzki retires. The Miami Heat are a contending team, and they might be looking for a center to replace Hassan Whiteside, who may be too expensive for them to retain because free agency looms.

Only on year into his contract with the Phoenix Suns, and Tyson Chandler already wants out. Unfortunately for the California native, contracts in the NBA are guaranteed. It won’t be that easy for him to find a new home unless he’s willing to sacrifice a huge amount of money in a buyout.

[Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images]