Report: Brandon Knight likely to be traded by deadline

It's been an up and down marriage between the Phoenix Suns and Brandon Knight since the trade that brought the former Milwaukee Buck out west.

After playing nine minutes Thursday in a win over the Raptors, all signs are pointing to a likely trade involving the six-year pro, who could be one of the bigger names moved between now and the Feb. 23 trade deadline, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

This comes as no surprise because of Knight's ever-diminishing role on the young Suns squad. He hasn't surpassed the 30-minute mark in a game since Nov. 30, and is only averaging 23.5 minutes this season - a far cry from the 36-minute average he had last year.

With second-year phenom Devin Booker hitting threes on the wing, and Eric Bledsoe leading the charge on both ends, the Suns backcourt is pretty much set for the future. Knight - a year after signing a 5-year, $70-million deal - seems to be the one on the outside looking in.

The Kings have made it abundantly clear they're looking to add a scoring guard to take some pressure off DeMarcus Cousins and they've been pursuing a trade for Knight since the summer, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

In 33 games this season, the 25-year-old is averaging 13.1 points on 40-percent shooting, with 2.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds over 23.5 minutes for the 10-23 Suns.