The Phoenix Suns' attempt to acquire Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Luke Kennard has reportedly hit a standstill.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the problem with the trade is that the two sides are unable to agree on the protections of the Suns' first-round pick that would have been included in the deal.
Detroit's discussions with Phoenix on a Luke Kennard trade have reached an impasse, league sources tell ESPN. Sides unable to agree on protections for a Suns first-round pick that would have been in the deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
The rest of the supposed deal would include point guards Elie Okobo and Jevon Carter, as well as the aforementioned first-round picks.
Phoenix has been in trade rumors all day, as the team has reportedly been listening to trade offers for starting small forward Kelly Oubre Jr.
As for Luke Kennard, the third-year player out of Duke is enjoying a breakout season for the Pistons. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is second on the team with a career-high 15.8 points per game, while also contributing 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds and shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from deep.
Kennard's 3-point proficiency would be a big help for a Suns team that ranks 24th in the NBA in 3-point percentage. Rookie forward Cameron Johnson is the only player on the team shooting 37 percent or better from beyond the arc with at least four attempts per game.
For the Pistons, Carter is a defensive-minded guard that is putting up 3.9 points in just 14.1 minutes per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three.
Okobo is a second-year guard out of France that is averaging 4.3 points and 2.2 assists per game in 12.9 minutes a contest.
At 20-30 on the season, the proposed Suns first-round pick would likely be in the 10-15 range.
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