What point guard should Phoenix Suns target in free agency?
By Dave Daniels
The Phoenix Suns are a team on the rise, but who can take them over the top?
After toiling away for the last few seasons, it appears the Phoenix Suns finally have a promising young core of players. Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton have even been compared to the duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant by some. That is going a little too far for my taste, but they are certainly building a solid talent base.
The Suns are looking to add a point guard and stretch big man during the offseason, and there are some interesting players out there.
Suns looking for a point guard and experienced stretch big in free agency but I would be surprised if they make a play for free agents Rajon Rondo, whom NO would like to bring back, or Marcus Smart, who wants upwards of 12 million per year and can't shoot.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 27, 2018
Rajon Rondo had a turnaround year in New Orleans, and Marcus Smart is probably looking to cash in after the Boston Celtics made it one game away from the NBA Finals. Milos Teodosic could also be an option for the Suns if the Los Angeles Clippers waive him. Michael Beasley, Trevor Booker and David West all come to mind as stretch power forwards in Phoenix’s price range.
They’ll reportedly not re-sign Elfrid Payton or Alex Len this summer, and that should clear up about $10 million in cap space. Len shouldn’t be surprised by this move after the Suns drafted Arizona Wildcats center Ayton with the No. 1 pick.
“I’m looking forward to this offseason,” Len said to AZ Central. “I think it’s going to be exciting. It’s the first time I’m actually going to have a chance to go where I want to go.”
It sounds like that was a mutual breakup. It doesn’t sound like a fix to any of the problems at hand.
The Suns don’t have the cap room to go after somebody like Chris Paul at the point guard position, but there are guys out there other than Rondo and Smart. Isaiah Thomas and Shane Larkin will both be fairly affordable this summer, and they bring a lot more shooting skill to the table than other choices.
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Expect the Suns to overpay for somebody, but their main concern should be building a team culture that enables Booker and Ayton to thrive for years to come.