Since drafting Kendall Marshall 13th overall in the 2012 NBA draft, the Suns have signed Goran Dragic to a long-term contract and acquired Eric Bledsoe via trade. That's not exactly a resounding vote of confidence for Marshall as the point guard of the future in Phoenix, and NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper is hearing that the UNC product could be had in a trade.
"They're trying to attach him to pretty much any deal that comes up," said a rival executive. "If you want to talk about any of their players, they include him. He's basically the price of admission to any trade right now."
While it appears that Marshall is on the trade block, new general manager Ryan McDonough downplayed his availability. McDonough suggested that just because Marshall appears to be third on the point guard depth chart doesn't mean he'll receive third-string minutes, since the team expects Dragic and Bledsoe to share the court frequently.
"I wouldn’t say he's available," McDonough said. "Everybody has a price, right? It depends on what that price is…. We view Bledsoe and Dragic as guards who can play together some. It's not going to be Bledsoe or Dragic. Most of the time, it's going to be Bledsoe and Dragic together. You need more than two, obviously. Those guys aren't going to play 48 minutes, and I think Kendall's shown he'd be pretty good in the backup role."
Although Marshall struggled in limited playing time during his rookie season, he doesn't turn 22 until next month, so it's far too early to label him a bust. If there's a team willing to give up an asset or two for him, I have to think the Suns would have interest, given the club's depth at the point.