Suns May Look to Deal Marcus Banks to Ease Luxury Tax Woes

It is tough to get playing time in the NBA when you play behind a two-time league MVP. That is why the Phoenix Suns' backup point guard Marcus Banks rarely made it on the court last season. It's tough to imagine such a good defensive player having difficulty getting playing time.

The Phoenix Suns are in an interesting position this offseason. They are trying to cut salary to avoid the NBA's luxury tax. With big money owed to Shawn Marion, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, avoiding the luxury tax is a difficult task. The Suns took the first step in cutting salary by trading away a first round pick on draft night. They followed that up by dealing Kurt Thomas to Seattle for a future second round pick.

The Suns have become one of the league's most entertaining teams by playing a fast paced, run and gun type of game. Marcus Banks doesn't seem to fit in on that kind of team. Banks is known as a very good defensive point guard, but doesn't contribute much offensively. He would do much better on a different team. Here are some potential suitors for Marcus Banks:

Indiana Pacers- The Pacers have about a $4 million trade exception they could use to acquire Banks. They are also in need of a point guard, with Jamaal Tinsely's play declining in recent years.

Cleveland Cavaliers- The Cavaliers should be looking to get some talent around Lebron James. A player like Banks would really help lessen the defensive burden placed on James and let him expend more energy on the offensive side of the court.

Miami Heat- The Heat are looking to bounce back from last year's embarrassing playoff loss to the Chicago Bulls. One area that they must improve is point guard play. Jason Williams can still do some good things on the court, but needs a solid backup. Marcus Banks would help the Heat defensively and be more effective in their half court offense.

Los Angeles Lakers- The Lakers have always been interested in Marcus Banks. They even traded for him in 2004, but had to return him when the trade had to be amended. In recent years, the Lakers have suffered from abysmal point guard play. The recent signing of Derek Fisher, however, makes it unlikely that the Lakers would pursue Banks.

Marcus Banks is a solid point guard that's worthy of playing time in the NBA; he simply needs a new team, one that better suits his talents. With the Phoenix Suns looking to cut salary and a number of teams looking to upgrade at the point guard position, he figures to find one.