Reports say that the Suns are interested in adding shooters to surround Devin Booker, and Denzel Valentine could be a cheap option for them.
If Luke Kennard is truly the Suns’ biggest target, then shooting is clearly what the team is targeting. The biggest question going into the deadline is if the Pistons will wisely choose to blow things up or not. Even if Detroit decides that they want to pursue a rebuild, they very well could see the 23-year-old Kennard as a piece of the future. If they do decide to move Kennard, the price tag will likely be very hefty.
In the event that Detroit keeps the gang together or if James Jones is unwilling to give up as much as Detroit asks for, Denzel Valentine is a very viable option. Also a former lottery pick, Denzel Valentine has the upside and skillset that Phoenix is searching for. In addition to their similar play styles, Kennard and Valentine have near identical per-36 stats.
The downfall of Valentine as opposed to Kennard (other than Kennard being a clearly more successful player to this point in their careers) is that Valentine’s deal is set to expire this Summer, while Kennard’s has another year left on it. There is a very real chance that Detroit is unwilling to cut ties with Kennard for a multitude of reasons, and Valentine could serve as a similar solution for Phoenix.
Giving up Jevon Carter should be no big deal for the Suns, as he is on an expiring deal and plays very limited minutes as is. His expiring contract is favorable for Chicago, as the Bulls would not be financially obligated to him past this season. Although Carter is young and fits the team’s timeline, it is unlikely that he would make the 2020-2021 roster with the abundance of point guards that the Bulls have.
Jalen Lecque is the motivating factor for the bulls in this swap. As a top-50 high school recruit, Lecque reclassified from the high school class of 2018 to 2019 in order to forego playing NCAA basketball and entering the NBA. After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns signed him to a four-year deal with two guaranteed years.
Lecque is an absurd athlete, although he stands at only 6ft 3. His ability to blow by defenders and jump out of the gym is eye-popping, which is a large reason why he was a four-star recruit in high school. Lecque is certainly a project, but at only 19 years of age the Bulls would certainly have time to wait on his development. As for giving up on Valentine, it would be a shame to see the Bulls let a former lottery pick go for very little, but getting something out of him instead of him walking in free agency is certainly the smarter approach.