Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw on the Block: Phoenix Suns' Trade Rumors

Leandro Barbosa has been in the league for five seasons. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2003 draft and then his draft rights were traded to the Phoenix Suns. Throughout his five year career with the Suns he has averaged 12.7 points and 2.8 assists.

He is known as one of the quickest players on the court and can blow by any defender off the dribble. The Suns tried to force him into a backup point guard position, but he was noticeable uncomfortable. He is a natural shooting guard and not good at creating shots for other players. He is under contract for this season for $6,100,000.00

Barbosa is a great player driving to the basket with the ball and has even developed an outside shot over the last two years. His only problem this year was he stopped doing what he did best on the court.

He lost his confidence throughout this last season and began settling for three point shots and jump shots on a consistent basis. His defense has also been criticized this season as well. He is one of the fastest players in the league, but has trouble keeping up with other guards defensively.

This hurt his overall performance and inevitably decreased his playing time. He could be a great player under the right leadership.

Barbosa is known by Phoenix Suns fans for his disappearing act in the playoffs. He is a great player that shows flashes of greatness and potential but is very inconsistent and cannot be relied on in critical game time situations.

Boris Diaw has also been in the league for five seasons. He was originally selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the 21st overall pick in 2003. He played ok his first two seasons in the league before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2005. Throughout his career he has averaged 8.4 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. He was named the NBA's most improved player in 2005 -2006 season.

He carries a hefty contract at $9,000,000.00 each year for the next four years with a player option the final year.

Boris Diaw is a natural basketball player that can play any position on the court. He has a large frame and is good against players in the post. He has a good 15 to 20 ft mid range jump shot and can take larger players to the hoop off of the dribble.

He is well known as a great passer. He is almost too unselfish at times and passes up shots he should take. He has also been criticized by Phoenix fans for being lazy and show a lack of hustle while on the court.

He was Mike D’Antoni’s favorite player and he had total confidence in him. This showed in the last two games of the first round of the playoffs when the Suns decided to have their entire offense run through Boris Diaw at times.

Both of these players have show great potential and under the right leadership could potentially be NBA all-stars.

The Suns desperately need a backup point guard to relieve Nash of some of his duties as well as a dependable perimeter shooting guard they can also rely on for defense. A young backup center to help Shaq might not be a bad idea either.

The important thing the Suns need to do is look to rebuild while still staying competitive for the next years.

There are rumors the Suns are looking to trade up in the draft or potentially pick up another early round draft pick.

With this being said, how much trade value could each player carry and what should the Suns do to be a championship contending team next year?