2023 NBA Free Agency: 5 underrated deals that could shift NBA landscape

No. 4 underrated NBA free agency deal: Yuta Watanabe to Suns

Contract details: 1 year, $2.3 million

The Suns have compiled quite the list of minimum-contract contributors to surround the triumvirate of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. A few stand out, but Yuta Watanabe feels like the player who has the greatest upside within Frank Vogel’s offense next season.

Watanabe emerged as a reliable bench cog for Brooklyn last season on the basis of his blistering 3-point shooting. He hit 44.4 percent of his 2.3 long-range attempts in 16.0 minutes per game. He also showed a great capacity for cutting and finishing at the rim — his 55.7 percent success rate on 2-point shots is promising for someone billed as a 3-point specialist.

He’s also 6-foot-9. There simply aren’t many big wings who can shoot the ball like Watanabe, especially not available for the veteran minimum. The Suns have plenty of minutes open on the wing; Watanabe is a real candidate to start. He should feast on open threes while defenses are occupied with Phoenix’s gaggle of star creators.

The cherry on top is Watanabe’s built-in familiarity with Kevin Durant, who he shared the floor with in Brooklyn. He’s the exact kind of scrappy bucket-getting role player who will win over national audiences while Phoenix charges toward a deep postseason run.