Report: Suns fielding calls for Kelly Oubre before deadline

The Phoenix Suns (20-30) enters Wednesday five games back from the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and they’re looking to make some roster changes before Thursday’s trade deadline. The New York Times’ Marc Stein reports that the Suns are fielding calls for swingman Kelly Oubre, who is in the middle of a career year. Oubre is averaging career highs in points (18.5) and rebounds (6.7) per game while logging minutes at small forward and power forward for Phoenix. He signed a two-year, $30 million deal with the Suns ahead of the 2019-20 season after splitting time with Phoenix and the Washington Wizards in 2018-19.

If Oubre is moved and another power forward doesn’t come back the Suns’ way, Dario Saric would likely be promoted to the starting lineup. Saric is averaging 9.6 points and six rebounds per game in a reserve role.

A few teams could be interested in adding a versatile wing like Oubre. He’s not bad at shooting the long ball (34.6%) and can get hot from deep at times. His energy, proficiency as a cutter, and ability to defend multiple positions never wavers though. There’s no clear frontrunner pursuing Oubre right now. Phoenix appears willing to part with him for the right price. That price might include a quality future draft pick from a team looking to make a playoff push, or a team looking to add more youth for a rebuild.