The high-flying swing man Gerald Green has suddenly become expendable after the Phoenix Suns made some solid offseason moves to bolster their back court. They were able to resign Eric Bledsoe completing their three-headed monster in the back court with Zoran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas. Then they signed Zoran's brother Goran Dragic making the Suns guard rotation even more crowded than it was before.
Green is clearly the odd man out in the Suns roster and now that he enters free agency next summer, Zach Lowe of Grantland believes that the Suns will be looking to trade him this coming season:
It's a matter of math. The Suns just inked Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, Zoran Dragic, and the Morii to multiyear contracts, and they'll get an extra first-round pick from the Lakers at some point over the next three seasons. Barring a big trade, the roster is damn near full going forward. Green is movable, and if the Suns can get a couple of second-rounders for him, they might pull the trigger.
Gerald Green had a breakout season last year with Phoenix, putting up 15.8 points while shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc. While many would see at as a fluke season, there certainly will be a market for the athletic guard especially for the Lakers who could explore the potential of adding a quality winger like Green into the mix. And according to Lowe's estimation, it could be a bargain for the purple-and-gold.
The Lakers could count on Green to carry some offensive load away from the aging legs of Kobe Bryant. Green is certainly a better option than Wesley Johnson in the wing especially on the offensive end and all the Lakers just need to do is unload two second-round picks to get their hands on the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.
What's more, the Lakers could use Green's solid shooting to spread the floor tand open things up for Bryant and their rookie Julius Randle as he operates down low. Integrating him into the starting line-up or bringing him in as their Sixth Man would will definitely be a big boost to the Lakers firepower this coming season.
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