NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 underrated early signings

1. Ricky Rubio, Phoenix Suns

Terms: Three years, $51 million (per Shams Charania of The Athletic)

Is Ricky Rubio the same caliber of player as the big-name point guards such as Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker and D’Angelo Russell that were available in 2019 NBA free agency? Absolutely not, and no one should argue anything close to that. However, after the Phoenix Suns missed out on Ja Morant in the 2019 NBA Draft, they were left still searching for answers at the position where they have had a glaring hole.

After eight seasons in the NBA, most fans are aware of the deficiencies of Rubio as a player. His ability as a scorer has never developed in any consistent manner, particularly in regards to his efficiency numbers as he’s just a 38.8 percent shooter from his career (32.2 percent on 3-point attempts) and has a career-high field goal percentage of just 41.8 percent in the 2017-18 campaign.

Even still, Rubio still remains an above-average player in regards to his ability to facilitate, limit turnovers and even be a plus-defender on the perimeter. Those are the attributes that make him quite valuable to the Suns. Phoenix already has two young primary scorers in Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton on the roster. What they need is a veteran to set up the offense and get their two young stars involved.

Given that need, Rubio is the exact type of player that could help to start to unlock the potential of the Suns. While he’s certainly not to going to be a superstar in Phoenix, he can be a critical glue guy that helps this franchise start to climb out of the league’s cellar moving forward.