Brooklyn Nets looking to be a deadline buyer, but what’s for sale?
By Phil Watson
Phoenix Suns
Cap status: Over by $612,000
Expiring contracts: Ryan Anderson ($20.4 million, plus non-guaranteed $15.6 million for 2019-20), Dragan Bender ($4.7 million), Troy Daniels ($3.3 million), Kelly Oubre ($3.2 million), Jamal Crawford ($1.5 million)
There’s not a lot to work with here, because Ryan Anderson’s deal would (a) require something else from Brooklyn to make the money work and (b) cut into the 2019-20 cap space unless the Nets waive him.
Kelly Oubre is a non-starter, figuratively and literally, because his contract cannot be aggregated with other players in a trade for 90 days after he was acquired by the Suns from the Washington Wizards.
With that deal becoming official Monday, Oubre is off the table except as a solo acquisition until Feb. 17, 10 days past the trade deadline.
Bender could be a project, at best, but that’s not what a playoff hopeful is looking to add at the deadline. Troy Daniels can shoot a bit at 39 percent from 3-point range.
Jamal Crawford had a career-high 14 assists in Phoenix’s win at New York Monday night — an impressive feat for a 38-year-old in his 19th NBA season. But he’s shooting 35.8 percent overall and 29.1 percent from 3-point range and has never been past the second round of the playoffs.