Brandon Knight could be wearing another uniform after December 15. Knight has been involved in trade talks even before the start of the 2016-17 NBA season. December 15 is the first day that players who signed a new deal in the offseason become eligible for a new deal.
Knight agreed to a 5-year, $70 million deal in 2015 to stay with Phoenix. He is now in his seventh NBA season and he'll still be just 25 years old on December 2. He's had a rough start to the season and the Suns are not doing better either with their 5-13 record.
He is currently averaging 12.6 points (the lowest it's been since arriving in Phoenix) and just 38.4% from the field and 31.1% from 3-point range. He also averaging a career-low in minutes, playing just 25 minutes a game. He has averaged more than 30 minutes a game in his previous six seasons.
He also lost his starting role to sophomore Devin Booker who is following up his strong rookie campaign with a strong start to the season. TJ Warren's emergence as another scoring option for the Suns is also not helping Knight's cause.
The Philadelphia 76ers could use another shooter and playmaker in their backcourt and Knight could fit perfectly in that role. The Sixers have Nerlens Noel and maybe Jahlil Okafor as possible trade pieces. The Sixers will still have a good frontcourt depth even if they decide to part ways with Okafor or Noel with the emergence of Joel Imbiid and Dario Saric making strides.
The Orlando Magic could also use a shooting guard with the departure of Victor Oladipo. The shooting struggles of Elfrid Payton is definitely no secret and Even Fournier has yet to prove he can bring it every night. Orlando could use some changes in their roster especially with their dismal start to the season.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough expressed that he is not actively shopping Brandon Knight and that the Suns organization are willing to wait it out two more months before they evaluate the team again. That means Knight is not officially available but that doesn't mean teams can't pitch their proposals. Other teams that could use Knight's skillset include the Brooklyn Nets, the Sacramento Kings, and the New Orleans Pelicans.
