Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Phoenix Suns center Marcin Gortat underwent an MRI on his right foot Thursday morning, which revealed a serious Lisfranc (midfoot) sprain that will keep him on the sidelines for three to four weeks.

Suns just announced that center Marcin Gortat (@mgortat) is out three to four weeks thanks to sprained right foot

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 7, 2013

The injury took place with 34.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter of Wednesday night’s home game vs the Toronto Raptors. The Suns wound up losing the game by a final score of 98-71.

Gortat was averaging 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 61 games up until his injury. He had appeared in every game for Phoenix since being acquired by the team on December 18, 2010, which would be 182 consecutive games.

He’s started every game since March 27, 2011, and is the only Sun to have started every game this season.

Awsome:(((( out for 3weeks!!!!

— Marcin Gortat (@MGortat) March 7, 2013

With the Suns final game taking place on April 17 against the Denver Nuggets, Gortat may not see the court again this season for Phoenix.

How will this affect the Phoenix Suns?

Losing Gortat leaves Phoenix with little to no depth or size in the frontcourt at the moment.

Veteran big Jermaine O’Neal is currently away from the team to tend to his ailing daughter who just underwent open heart surgery, so the only healthy center on the roster is Hamed Haddadi

The Suns are 19 games under .500 with a record of 21-40, so the playoffs are (obviously) very much out of the question.

More pressure will be on the shoulders of guys like guard Goran Dragic and forward Luis Scola to put points up on the board. Phoenix is averaging just 94.2 points a game, which is 23rd in the NBA.

I don’t feel that Haddadi will see any surge in playing time because of Marcin being out, so until O’Neal returns, Phoenix will realistically play a lot of small ball by having someone like Scola or Markieff Morris at the five spot.

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports

Be sure to “LIKE” the Facebook Fan Page for Sir Charles in Charge by clicking here

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

According to a report by Paul Coro of azcentral.com, the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder were in talks over the All-Star break about a possible trade between the two teams.

The deal would send Suns center Marcin Gortat and forward P.J Tucker to Oklahoma City for Kendrick Perkins, rookie Jeremy Lamb and a first-round draft pick.

Little has been made of this rumor since the weekend, so it may turn out to be just smoke and mirrors at this point.

Gortat is averaging 11.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game for Phoenix. His numbers have taken a hit across the board (perhaps in part to Steve Nash not being around anymore), but it was just one season ago where Marcin was averaging a double-double of 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds. His offensive game is also more polished than Perkins, which would give Oklahoma City a legitimate scoring option in the paint to pair with Serge Ibaka.

His contract comes to an end in 2014, which is one year earlier than Perkins, who is owed roughly $17 million over the next two seasons. With luxury tax implications soon coming into fruition, this would be a great way for the Thunder to save a few bucks in the process.

For Phoenix to willingly take on his contract, a first-round pick would surely need to be thrown in to sweeten the pot. The Toronto Raptors currently owe the Thunder a lottery-protected 2013 first-round draft pick, so OKC could promise the rights to that pick to the Suns if need be.

Jeremy Lamb, the #12 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has been rotting on the Thunder’s bench and in the D-League for a majority of the year. In fact, the Suns showed heavy interest in taking Lamb with their #13 pick, before the Houston Rockets picked up right before they had a chance. Little is known of what he can do on the NBA level, but if given an opportunity to play, he could shock a lot of people.

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports