New Suns guard Brandon Knight ‘could definitely’ see himself in Phoenix long-term
Feb 24, 2015, 9:26 PM | Updated: 9:27 pm
Brandon Knight acknowledged he hasn’t really had much time to get his bearings since being traded to the Phoenix Suns last Thursday.
“For me it’s just about finishing the season strong and then regrouping and then finding my way individually from there,” he told Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Tuesday. “But right now it’s just about helping the Suns and doing my best to bring the organization, lift it up any way that I can and try to make a playoff push.”
Knight was acquired just before the deadline in a three-team trade that saw the Suns part with center Miles Plumlee, point guard Tyler Ennis and a protected first-round pick owed to them by the Los Angeles Lakers.
In Knight, the Suns got a 23-year-old guard who was averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game in Milwaukee. In two games with the Suns, he’s averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 assists.
The question, though, is not so much about how good Knight is or even how good he will be because most agree the former eighth overall selection still has plenty of room to improve.
No, the question is about whether or not he will be in Phoenix beyond the final couple of months in this season.
Knight is slated to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and part of the reason Milwaukee was willing to move him is the Bucks were unable to get him to sign a contract extension. Now, it will be up to the Suns to come to an agreement with Knight, who is now on his fourth team since being drafted in 2011.
“We’ve got a lot of good talent, a lot of good pieces here,” Knight said. “I could definitely see myself being here long-term. (They have) a good coaching staff, as well.
“But we’ve just got to see what happens. I can’t really focus on that right now. I’ve got to focus on these games and getting through these next couple games and trying to get us in the playoffs.”