The Suns have a decision to make on whether to retain guard Isaiah Canaan for the rest of the year, and a deadline for that decision is rapidly approaching.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough stated on Arizona radio today that Canaan has likely earned a permanent spot on the team, which means management would have a second issue to address if true: Which player on the roster they wish to move on from:
McDonough confirming on Arizona Sports 98.7 what I tweeted out earlier, that Canaan likely to have spot on roster rest of season.
— scott bordow (@sbordow) December 20, 2017
Because Canaan was signed using the team’s hardship exception, the Suns would have to either trade or waive another player in order to retain him for the season. This would happen upon an injured player returning — Devin Booker will likely return first in the coming days.
Canaan, who’s made a major impact since coming to Phoenix, was originally signed by the team last week to a rest-of-season contract, a source told Def Pen Hoops. However, the consensus coming from the franchise at the time of the signing was that Canaan would have to earn his keep. Averaging 16 points in his first two contests, Canaan has seemingly won over the confidence of Suns management.
The team has a major logjam in the frontcourt after trading away point guard Eric Bledsoe for Greg Monroe last month, making Monroe a potential candidate to be moved. They have explored trading Greg Monroe throughout the month of December, but the lack of interest in Monroe’s playstyle has halted initial discussions, a source told Def Pen Hoops. The value for Monroe isn’t at the level the team had hoped for when trading for him (they truly wanted Milwaukee’s draft pick).
Suns interim head coach Jay Triano has opted to use Tyson Chandler and Alex Len in recent days, giving Monroe three games off in the past four contests. Some around the organization speculate this could lead to Monroe and the team working on a buyout in the coming weeks if a trade cannot be reached.
The Suns also explored trading for Brooklyn Nets forward Jahlil Okafor before he was dealt from Philadelphia. The team has a known desire to add another promising, young piece alongside Devin Booker and Josh Jackson, the only two players on the Suns who haven’t been included in serious discussions this calendar year.
