Suns’ Brandon Knight suffers torn ACL, could miss the season, per report

Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight has suffered a torn ACL and could miss the coming 2017-18 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 25-year-old guard was picked No. 8 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, but the Suns are already his third team. He hasn’t played more than 63 games in any of the past three seasons, dealing with various injuries and ailments. However, none have been as severe as an ACL tear, which threatens Knight’s return at all. At the very least, Knight likely won’t return until after the All-Star break.

After averaging a career-high 19.6 points per game two years ago with Phoenix, Knight struggled last season. He averaged only 11 points per game while shooting just under 40 percent from the field, also recording a career-low 2.4 assists per game. It looked like there was a path for Knight to bounce back this season, but the injury derailed any chances to do that.

For the Suns, this is an unfortunate blow. Phoenix has been rumored to be in the market as a third team in a Kyrie Irving or Carmelo Anthony trade, taking on assets in exchange for a veteran like Eric Bledsoe. One reason Bledsoe was likely seen as expendable was Knight, however, and now his absence for most of the season could potentially change the mind of the Suns front office. For now, that’s just speculation, especially since the Suns haven’t been definitively linked in any deals. However, it’s a possibility that Knight’s injury has bigger ramifications.

Knight’s injury opens up a larger role for Tyler Ulis and perhaps second-round pick Davon Reed, whom the Suns selected with the 32nd overall pick last month.