Sports
NBA Trade Rumors: Pacers' T.J. McConnell Eyed by Suns; PG Wants to Stay With IND – Bleacher Report
As they continue trying to add to an already talent-laden roster, the Phoenix Suns are reportedly targeting Indiana Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell as a potential trade candidate, according to league insider Marc Stein.
McConnell, 31, is one of the most respected backup guards in the entire league and just wrapped up his fourth season with the Pacers. He would fill an immediate need for Phoenix, which doesn’t have a true point guard on its roster after the trades of Chris Paul and Cameron Payne earlier this offseason.
The trade is far from likely at the moment, however, per Stein. Of note, McConnell reportedly wants to stay in Indiana.
After acquiring All-Star guard Bradley Beal earlier in the offseason from Washington—who, along with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, is part of one of the league’s best scoring trios—the Suns have done a good job of filling out the rest of their roster by adding some veteran talent.
Some of Phoenix’s free agent additions include Eric Gordon, Keita Bates-Diop, Yuta Watanabe and Bol Bol.
With the trades of Paul and Payne, the organization is preparing Beal to take over as the starting point guard, a role that he’s not too familiar with thus far in his career.
McConnell could help fill that role nicely should he be dealt to the Valley at some point this year.
Going undrafted in 2015, McConnell has managed to carve out a nice role for himself over the past few years, first with the 76ers and now in Indiana. He’s coming off the best season of his career, averaging a career-high 8.7 points per game to go along with 3.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals.
He also knocked down 44.1 percent of his shots from three-point range, the best mark of his career.