Knight, Chandler Benching Suggest Suns are Tanking
By Brian Yalung
Made up of young players, there are still some veterans in the lineup. Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight are still around but it seems the two have failed to strike it well with the young guys under the watch of head coach Earl Watson.
The two have received DNP-CD (did not play – coach’s decision) since the NBA trade deadline. Tyler Ulis and Derrick Jones Jr. have taken their place and it may stay that way for the rest of the season.
Watson said in an interview that unless Suns management changes it, his hands are tied, the Arizona Republic reported. The focus seems to be on the young crew, hinting that Phoenix could be in a semi-rebuilding mode that may carry on until the NBA offseason.
Chandler and Knight logged their regular minutes before the NBA trade deadline. It is believed that all that was done to entice other teams to indulge in a potential NBA trade. With no takers, both have been grounded. There is no word if the two will be used in the team’s remaining regular season games.
Looking ahead, both could end up moving in the summer. Chandler, 34, can still be of use to other teams with his rim-protection prowess. The 25-year-old Knight has a lot of playing years ahead with teams likely to consider him.
But one hump exists and this is the contracts of both Chandler and Knight. Knight carries a contract worth of about $43 million for three years while Chandler has is owed $26 million for two years according to NBC Sports.
