When power forward Ryan Anderson was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in 2012, he was the perfect player for the Phoenix Suns: a stretch-four who was a relentless outside shooter, draining outside shots at a 40% clip.
By 2014-15, when rumors begun to percolate around the now Pelicans’ attempts to trade him, Phoenix was a regularly discussed potential destination for Anderson – as was Kevin Love, although that’s a different story altogether.
That season, with Markieff Morris playing the four, Phoenix snuck up on the league and won 48 games – although they missed the playoffs by a hair.