National Basketball Association

NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Should Trade For Tyson Chandler

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:50 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Gerald Bourguet/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Dec 7, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; NBA referee Ken Mauer and Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) against the Indiana Pacers at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Pacers defeated the Suns 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In the latest NBA Trade Rumors, one team might be interested in Tyson Chandler. If the Phoenix Suns make him available, which teams should make an offer?

As the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline approaches, the Phoenix Suns have as many movable pieces on their roster as anyone.

A season that began with delusional playoff hopes has since been grounded by the reality of growing pains, with head coach Earl Watson moving further into the youth movement this franchise has needed since Steve Nash left half a decade ago.

With the Suns sitting at 12-26 for the second-worst record in the Western Conference, and veterans like Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, P.J. Tucker and Tyson Chandler not getting any younger, general manager Ryan McDonough could easily auction off some players who’d be useful to playoff teams at the deadline.

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Portland Trail Blazers are one team interested in veteran center Tyson Chandler. Though he’s 34 years old and still has two years and $26.6 million remaining on his contract, Chandler is a great locker room presence and would provide rebounding and experienced defense to any contender in need of an interior presence.

So far this season, Chandler is averaging 7.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per game (eighth in the NBA) on 67.9 percent shooting. But with the Suns needing to figure out what they’ve got in backup Alex Len, who has looked good in spurts as a starter but is approaching restricted free agency this summer, Chandler is expendable.

That being said, Chandler convinced the front office to avoid dealing him over the summer, so it’s possible Phoenix isn’t interested in a trade. If the Suns are smart, however, they’ll clear out starting minutes for Len ahead of his free agency, cashing in on Chandler’s current value to target young players or future draft picks to aid the rebuild.

With that in mind, here’s a look at five potential Tyson Chandler trades, why those five teams might be interested, and the various reasons why each trade would and wouldn’t work out.

Dec 20, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) against Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Bucks defeated the Suns 101-95. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

5. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks could very easily stay patient, accepting whatever happens this season with the knowledge that a healthy Khris Middleton would’ve made a big difference.

But with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker showing such significant progress, the Bucks’ current 18-18 record surprisingly has them hovering in contention for a playoff spot. Going .500 is nothing to write home about, but Milwaukee owns the fourth best point differential in the East and is only 2.5 games out of the fourth seed.

If the Bucks want to accelerate their plans a bit without sacrificing any of their intrinsic building blocks, trading for a defensive anchor to bolster their 11th ranked defense is one way to go.

At 26 years old, John Henson is slowly but surely teetering toward being a non-essential piece. He’s the Bucks’ starting center by name, but he averages only 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 20.1 minutes per game. Greg Monroe takes up plenty of center minutes off the bench and the Bucks can go small thanks to the Greek Freak’s all-encompassing length.

Bringing in a 34-year-old veteran like Chandler might seem risky, but since the Bucks are barely playing Henson 20 minutes a game, just imagine what Tyson — a former teammate of head coach Jason Kidd in New York and Dallas — could accomplish in a mentor’s role.

Not only would he be a positive locker room presence for rookie Thon Maker, but he’d definitely help the NBA’s 22nd-ranked rebounding team. He’s nowhere near as spry as he once was, but in split minutes with Monroe, there’s no question he could do a commendable job on the back lines.

Tyson’s rebounding and rim runs would help Milwaukee batten down the hatches for a playoff push, and if any fan base knows the value of defensive-minded veterans, it’s the Bucks, who watched their team significantly regress after Jared Dudley, Zaza Pachulia and Jerryd Bayless all left in 2015.

For the Suns, they’d be getting younger at the center spot and giving Henson the chance to prove himself off the bench. They’d clear out starter’s minutes for Alex Len, and though there’s no way they’d get a draft pick along with Henson, this kind of swap would make some sense for both sides.

That being said, Milwaukee’s front office could hardly be blamed for holding off on a semi-lateral move like this. Henson has not lived up to his potential or his contract extension, but he’s still only 26 and in his fifth NBA season.

That might make him more attractive than Chandler and the remaining two years on his contract, even if the NBA’s rising salary cap and the veteran experience he’d bring to the table would make that $26.6 million more than manageable.

Dec 19, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to pass the ball as Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) plays defense in the second half at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 115-108. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Minnesota Timberwolves

Like the Milwaukee Bucks, the Minnesota Timberwolves could use some veteran leadership, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Tom Thibodeau’s squad ranks 24th in defensive rating, and young bigs Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng could certainly use more direction on that end.

Thibs has never seemed like the patient type, and though he won’t be auctioning off any of his key youngsters like KAT, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine or Kris Dunn, a trade for an experienced vet like Chandler would make some sense for the right price.

The question is, would a rebuilding team like the Timberwolves consider trading away a future first-rounder for a 34-year-old veteran like Chandler?

(NOTE: The Wolves owe Atlanta a lottery-protected first round pick in 2018, and if it’s not conveyed then, it remains lottery protected for 2019 and 2020. That means the soonest Phoenix could get a first-rounder from Minnesota would be two years after whenever that pick is conveyed, since the Wolves likely wouldn’t consider trading a potentially valuable 2017 first-rounder.)

The Suns would likely have to wait quite a few years for a first-rounder, but in this scenario, Thibodeau gets an experienced defensive anchor to help teach the young bigs how to be competent on that end. As long as the pick is a few years down the road, it’s not going to be a terrible loss for Minnesota either, especially once this talented young core rises through the ranks in the West.

Outside of a pick that would decrease in value the more that the Timberpups improve, all Minnesota would have to part with is backup big man Cole Aldrich, who was signed to a team-friendly deal but is only averaging 2.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game this year.

From the Suns’ perspective, they’d be getting a decent backup for Len who wouldn’t steal minutes from him. The 28-year-old Aldrich had a career year with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015-16, averaging 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 13.3 minutes per game, making him a perfect backup for a rebuilding team like Phoenix.

Pocketing a future first-rounder would obviously be the real prize. Isn’t it possible a team with such a promising future makes a move for a savvy veteran and banks on its draft picks become less valuable as the years go by?

Nov 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) blocks a shot by Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

3. New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are a playoff desperate team out West, but they don’t have many assets to work with in terms of their actual personnel. That wouldn’t deter a team like the Suns, who should be pick-hunting in pretty much any deal they swing this February.

The Suns would have little use for Tyreke Evans if they traded for him, especially if they don’t end up moving Eric Bledsoe or Brandon Knight. Evans hits free agency this summer and he’s still shaking off rust after missing the first 26 games of the season while recovering from knee surgery.

That being said, he could function as a bench playmaker in the event of a Knight or Bledsoe trade, and even if the Suns just let him walk this summer, they’d be netting another future first. That’s more than enough reason to take on an expiring contract like Reke’s.

As for the Pellies, they’d be making a move for Chandler to bolster a frontcourt that has zero depth outside of Anthony Davis. At the center spot, Omer Asik is averaging a negligible 16.7 minutes per game, and having Chandler would only help a team that surprisingly ranks in the top 10 for defensive rating and rebounds per game.

The offensive end is where Chandler would really help. His rim runs out of pick and rolls would make him a great fit alongside Jrue Holiday and Tim Frazier, and it’s worth noting that Chandler’s 105.9 offensive rating leads all Suns players who are actually part of the rotation.

Chandler is not exactly the superstar-caliber addition New Orleans is looking for, and a future first round pick might be too steep an asking price. But he would undoubtedly make the Pelicans a better team, and since they’re only one  game out of a playoff spot, perhaps desperation for a frontcourt complement to the Brow would make this deal seem more sensible for both sides.

Jan 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) handles the ball in the first half of the NBA game against the Miami Heat at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

2. Boston Celtics

This isn’t the blockbuster trade Boston Celtics fans have been waiting for, but for a team ranked 28th in rebounds per game and rebounding percentage, Tyson Chandler would be a useful addition who wouldn’t cost the C’s nearly as much as a superstar.

Before Suns fans go dreaming of that 2017 first round pick from the Brooklyn Nets, let’s preface this entire section with, “That ain’t happening.” Chandler and his 11.7 rebounds per game would clearly address an area of need for Boston, but it’s not that big an issue.

That being said, general manager Danny Ainge has plenty of other future assets that might entice Phoenix, and he wouldn’t even have to worry about giving up a talented piece of his team’s core like Jae Crowder or Marcus Smart.

For the simple price of veteran Amir Johnson and a future first-rounder, the Celtics could add the interior presence and rebounding anchor they badly need.

Al Horford is a versatile defender and underrated rim protector, but he’s a historically underwhelming rebounder and he struggles head-to-head against Tristan Thompson — the offensive rebounding beast that Boston would need to overcome if they were to have any chance of knocking off Cleveland in the East.

Trading for Chandler would help a ton in that regard, and though he doesn’t stretch the floor in any capacity, Horford does, shooting efficiently from the midrange and spreading the floor the three-point line (albeit on 33.3 percent shooting after going 34.4 percent from deep last year).

With Horford playing the 4 and Chandler holding down the boards, Boston’s 18th ranked defense might be a lot stingier down the stretch in tight games. Amir Johnson is a versatile, hard-working defender, but Chandler would address a more specific area of need.

As for the first-rounder being sent away, Boston would have options. The Celtics’ roster is getting awfully crowded, but not too crowded to exclude another incoming top-five pick in 2017. The Celtics have all of their own first-rounders to work with though, plus Brooklyn’s 2018 first-rounder and a 2019 lottery-protected first-rounder from the Los Angeles Clippers. Perhaps the Clippers pick would be a fair compromise for both sides.

The Suns could use a veteran defender like Amir Johnson to take pressure of rookies Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender, but he wouldn’t take developmental minutes away from them either.

The potential stalwarts to such a deal would be Ainge targeting a more high-profile star, Boston refusing to give up a first-rounder for an aging veteran, or Phoenix not even looking to deal Chandler despite Len’s need for starter’s minutes.

Nov 30, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) against the Atlanta Hawks at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Hawks 109-107. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. Portland Trail Blazers

The Celtics make sense as a potential Chandler destination, but according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the one team we’ve actually heard to be interested in him is the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Blazers could clearly use Chandler for the leagues 29th-ranked defense and 26th-ranked rebounding unit, especially since the objective this year is to make the postseason. Despite their 16-23 record, Rip City currently occupies the eighth playoff spot in the West.

After spending millions of dollars in free agency to invest in internal growth, the Blazers won’t be looking to blow things up. Rather, they’ll be looking to tweak the roster, most likely with defensive-minded veterans just like Chandler.

Mason Plumlee is an exemplary passing big, but no one is sold on him as a rim protector, rebounder or defensive anchor. Chandler could teach him a thing or two and help tighten up the roster leading into a final playoff push.

Even better, GM Neil Olshey would only be giving up the injured Festus Ezeli and Ed Davis — a backup who is steadily being phased out of Terry Stotts’ rotation — in terms of actual players.

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There would be a 2017 first-rounder from Cleveland that McDonough would push for, but that pick will probably be 27th, 28th or 29th in this year’s draft. Unless Olshey was planning on packaging it with Portland’s own first-rounder to move up in the draft, it’s not all that valuable for a team that already has plenty of youth to worry about developing.

The Suns would net a first-rounder, Davis could spell the rookies without stealing their minutes, and Ezeli, once he’s finally healthy, could be a very useful rim protector. If he returns to full health, he could either back up Alex Len for the foreseeable future or, in the event the Suns pass on Len’s restricted free agency, take his place as the starter.

Either way, the Suns accomplish their goal of adding a future first-rounder, even if the two players might amount to little more than a backup and an injured reserve.

One potential obstacle to a deal would be Olshey not wanting to surrender a first round pick for a first round playoff exit, but it’s worth noting that this franchise wants to grow internally, which is something that happens in the playoffs regardless of the outcome.

We should also mention, as we have already, that the Suns might not look to deal Chandler — unless it’s to a contender — after he encouraged the front office to resist trading him over the summer.

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