NBA Rumors: TJ McConnell's Great Playoff Run Has Star-Studded Team Interested

Some players like to show up and earn their pay for 82 games, and then there are others that really earn their keep in the playoffs. This spring, TJ McConnell is showing he's a master at both, as he has exploded into the spotlight with his play off the bench for the Indiana Pacers.

McConnell continues to take on a huge role for the Pacers this postseason, especially with Tyrese Haliburton out of the Indiana lineup.

His play, in fact, seems to have the Phoenix Suns with renewed interest in trying to swing a trade with the Pacers for the dynamo point guard this offseason. Phoenix was point guard-challenged all season, preferring to try to let Devin Booker and Bradley Beal play out of position as the lead playmakers, too often taking them out of what they do best. The Suns are making it a priority to land a starter at the point who is a true 'one'.

McConnell has done a bit of everything for the Pacers, but certainly is a true point guard. He averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 assists in the regular season while in the playoffs, he's stepped it up to 11.6 points while maintaining 5.1 assists.

TJ McConnell drives down the lane to beat the first quarter BUZZER 🔥pic.twitter.com/syww3AFzOH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 28, 2024

The 32-year-old has one year left at $9.3 million on his current deal. “Executives view McConnell as one of the best reserves in the league,” writes NBA insider Jake Fischer. “His value contract, in addition to his endless battery, most notably drew trade inquiries from the Phoenix Suns throughout this past season, league sources told Yahoo Sports.”

To add a little intrigue to all this, McConnell is a big fan of, and stylistically similar to, the most legendary Suns point guard of all-time, Steve Nash.

Clearly, the Pacers wouldn't be too keen on letting him go. However, with the emergence of Andrew Nembhard, particularly in these playoffs, as a secondary point guard behind Tyrese Haliburton, perhaps McConnell could be considered a trade piece by the Pacers this summer.

What the Suns would have to offer, of course, is another question altogether. The Phoenix roster is notably shallow after the Big Three of Kevin Durant, Booker and Beal.