Who should the Phoenix Suns target to be their point guard?
With the recent news that the Suns are going to renounce the rights to Alex Len and Elfrid Payton — and the inevitable waive or trade of Alan Williams (and his $5.5 million non-guaranteed salary) imminent — Phoenix will have around $15 million in cap space (potentially even more if they get cute and stretch Jared Dudley’s contract) to toss around at a free agent class that, by most accounts, will be strapped for cash. Cap space has become a scarce commodity once again, as the free agency orgy that hit the summer of 2016 left splurging teams with capped out balance sheets and a ton of sour grapes.
Unlike the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks, who will likely use their surplus space to take on a bad contract and wring a desperate team out of a competent draft asset, Phoenix is motivated to spend their money now. How they go about spending that money is another question entirely.
It is no secret that they are in need of point guard to sustain order for their young core. An interesting argument could be constructed to dish out those duties to Devin Booker on a full-time basis. That would leave a potential starting five of: Booker, Mikal Bridges, Josh Jackson, TJ Warren, and Deandre Ayton, but that likely would not maximize Booker’s talents. Phoenix has been linked to the disgruntled Dennis Schroder many-a-times, but despite the talent, his skillset does not mesh well with Booker. Kemba Walker would be a better (albeit more costly) version of a Schroder trade in my opinion.
Patrick Beverley may be able to be had at a fair price with the Clippers drafting two guards on Thursday night, and would be a seemingly perfect fit next to Booker as a capable secondary ball-handler, shooter, and feisty defender that doesn’t take shit. His attitude alone would be a welcomed jolt for a Suns team that has been in a haze for the better part of three seasons.
Beverley carries a non-guaranteed salary of a little over $5 million for the 2018–19 season— chump change that justifies the injury risks he brings with him.
Shortly after the Eastern Conference Finals, Marcus Smart stated that he believes that he is worth more than $12-$14 million (per year). Although that may be true in the aggregate, the market that he will be presented with this summer may not be able to value him at that figure. He does make some sense for the Suns in similar ways that Beverley does (minus the consistency behind the arc), but it will likely take an offer around $14 million per season for Danny Ainge to let an asset leave the Celtics for nothing.
Investing $14 million per season in Smart would relinquish most of the Suns’ cap space, and tie up over $28 million per season in Smart and Brandon Knight — two players who are not locks to routinely crack a starting lineup. Smart does bring plenty of positives with him: leadership, defense, intangibles, a semblance of playmaking and youth (he is still only 24 years old). Also: Smart very well could sign the qualifying offer with Boston and roll over his free agency to 2019 where the market may be better suited to reward his talents.
If Ryan McDonough is feeling like taking a risk, he could throw an offer sheet at the untapped potential of Dante Exum to try and pry him away from Utah. One front-office executive estimated his value being around $10 million per season, which could be a worthwhile risk or completely outrageous depending on who you talk to. Exum turns only 23 in July, so he would fit in well with the timeline of the Suns’ core, has great length, and showcases real ability in short bursts:
He has also been maddeningly inconsistent, struggles as a lead guard at this stage of his career, and drastically needs to improve his jumper (27.8% from three in 14 games last season). For all of his warts, I believe there is a good player in there somewhere worth gambling on. A change of scenery coupled with a hindering of expectations could expedite his development.
Most likely outcome: Phoenix aggressively tries to trade for Beverley because of his small salary, fit alongside Booker, and bridge appeal.
Beverley, Jackson, and Bridges along the perimeter would be a solid foundation towards getting the Suns up to at least a top 15 defense — a jump that would make their aspirations of fighting for the eighth seed more plausible.
