NBA Free Agency 2020: 5 offseason targets for the Phoenix Suns

1. Christian Wood

Christian Wood should have quite a few suitors this summer, and the Detroit Pistons will surely be one of them. But as an unrestricted free agent who may not be too keen to return to a flailing Pistons franchise with no direction, the Suns should definitely be on his radar in terms of potential fits.

Wood, who is only 25 years old and made just $1.6 million last season, is due for a payday. Following the Andre Drummond trade, he emerged as one of the more promising youngsters at his position on the market, averaging 22.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game on 56.2 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Sure, that was only a 13-game sample size, but the volume of 3-point attempts (4.2 per game) and the numbers Wood put up all season long in limited action suggest his breakthrough moment was no fluke. This could be a legitimate breakout waiting to happen, and having two playmakers like Paul and Booker would certainly make Wood’s life easier in that regard.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks projects the market for Wood should be around the $9.3 million MLE, so it might take a deal somewhere in the $10-14 million range to pry him from Detroit or another suitor. That kind of deal would be a slight overpay for a mostly unproven big man, but his athleticism, floor-spacing, rebounding and strength would all be welcome additions to this Suns team on the rise, and he’d have a potential long-term future in the Valley given his age and projected fit.

If the Suns delay the Chris Paul trade and decide to hurl the bulk of their cap money at one upper-tier free agent, Christian Wood is as good as it gets — not only because of the talent or because their pitch just improved with CP3 on board, but because his deal would conceivably still leave enough space to bring back Saric and/or sign a backup point guard like Augustin.