Suns to target point guard, stretch four in free agency

Scott Bordow | The Republic | azcentral.com

Three-fourths of the Suns’ offseason plan is complete.

Hire a coach. Check.

Win the NBA draft lottery. Check.

Draft Deandre Ayton. Trade for Mikal Bridges. Pick Elie Okobo and George King, too. Check.

All that’s left is free agency, which starts July 1. General Manager Ryan McDonough said the Suns will have between $15-20 million to spend, making them one of about six teams with money burning a hole in their pocket.

“We think and hope we’ll add some veterans that will take us from 21 wins to whatever next year,” McDonough said. “… Playing with some veterans will put these guys in position to be successful as rookies and that’s something we value. We were aggressive (in the draft) and we’re going to continue to be aggressive as soon as free agency starts.”

Here’s a primer on how free agency could play out for Phoenix:

Unpleasant phone calls

The Suns will be busy before July 1. Expect them to renounce their rights to center Alex Len and point guard Elfrid Payton, making them both free agents. Ayton’s addition has made Len expendable, and while Phoenix still needs point-guard help, Payton’s inconsistent play last season and, more importantly, his $10 million cap hold figure, likely means he’s played his last game in a Suns uniform.

Letting Len and Payton walk will put Phoenix approximately $10 million under the cap. So how does it get to $15 million? Or $20 million?

That’s where the tough decisions come.

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Center Alan Williams is a beloved figure, both in the locker room and in the Valley, but his non-guaranteed contract for 2018-19 is worth $5.5 million. It’s unrealistic to think Phoenix is going to pay, ostensibly, a third-string center that much money. The Suns have two options with Williams. They could waive him and then try to re-sign him to a more reasonable contract, or trade him to a team that would value what is essentially an expiring contract.

That gets the Suns to $15 million or so. Phoenix could then get to approximately $20 million by not picking up the non-guaranteed contracts of Tyler Ulis ($1.5 million), Davon Reed ($1.37) and Shaq Harrison (1.37). Phoenix will have to make a decision on Ulis’ deal by Sunday.

Although $20 million makes Phoenix a player in free agency, it’s not enough for the Suns to sign a free agent to a max deal. So forget about Orlando’s Aaron Gordon coming to the Valley. And no, LeBron James isn’t signing with the Suns because he and James Jones are friends.

The pursuit

McDonough said the Suns are targeting two positions: Point guard and a power forward who can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting and defend.

The need for a point guard is obvious. Even if the Suns pick up Ulis’ contract, they would currently go into the 2018-19 season with Ulis, Okobo and Brandon Knight, who’s coming back after reconstructive knee surgery. (Coach Igor Kokoskov has said he doesn’t want Devin Booker playing the point except for possibly some late-game situations.)

Power forward? That’s interesting given McDonough’s description seems to fit Dragan Bender. Less so Marquese Chriss, but Phoenix liked the way he played late last season. A trade is a likely possibility if the Suns sign a free agent.

Point guards

Patrick Beverley: Technically, he’s not a free agent; he has a non-guaranteed contract worth $5 million in 2018-19. But the Clippers traded for Kentucky point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the night of the draft and then selected Boston College’s Jerome Robinson, who can play both backcourt positions.

That may make Beverley expendable, particularly after he was limited to 11 games last season because of knee surgery. Beverley fits all of the Suns’ criteria; he’s a veteran who will help the Suns’ young players, he can shoot (38.2 percent from 3-point range in 2016-17) and he’s considered perhaps the best on-ball defender among NBA point guards.

Marcus Smart: A restricted free agent, Smart is a terrific defender, but he shot just 36.7 percent from the field last season for Boston and 30.1 percent from 3-point range. Plus, Smart recently said he believes he’s worth more than $14 million per season, a price the Suns might be unlikely to pay.

Zach LaVine: Chicago’s LaVine isn’t a great defender and was limited to 24 games last season after returning from ACL surgery. But he’s only 23 years old. He's a restricted free agent, so the Bulls can match any offer.

Fred VanVleet: VanVleet was a Sixth Man of the Year finalist for Toronto last season after averaging 8.6 points per game and shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range. He’s a restricted free agent, so Toronto can match any offer.

Dante Exum: Another restricted free agent, Exum could be the odd man out in a crowded Utah backcourt. He’s been saddled with injuries much of his career, but he’s just 22 years old and was the No. 5 overall draft pick in 2014.

Last thing: If Charlotte decides to trade Kemba Walker, the Suns will make a phone call.

Power forwards

Derrick Favors: He’s been linked to the Suns, but if Phoenix wants a four who can stretch the floor, that would seem to disqualify Favors, who shot just 22.3 percent from 3-point range last season for Utah.

Trevor Ariza: Ariza, 32, could play a small-ball forward alongside Ayton. Houston has said it wants to keep Ariza, who’s an unrestricted free agent, but it may not be able to afford to do so. Would Ariza, at this stage of his career, want to play for the Suns?

Jabari Parker: Parker is a restricted free agent, and he’s played in only 150 games over four seasons for Milwaukee because of injuries but, depending on the price, could be a high-reward, low-risk signing.

Luc Mbah a Moute: Houston coach Mike D’Antoni raves about Mbah a Moute, an unrestricted free agent who can guard multiple positions. He’s never been a great scorer, but his defensive ability will intrigue the Suns.

Thaddeus Young: Young can opt out of his $13.8 million deal with Indiana and his defense gives him value, but he’s a career 32.6 percent shooter from 3-point range.

Rudy Gay: Gay, an unrestricted free agent, is a proven scorer (17.9 ppg career average) and his defensive effort reportedly has improved under San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich.

Ersan Ilyasova: An unrestricted free agent, the 6-foot-10 Ilyasova shot 36 percent from 3-point range last season. Philadelphia will try to keep him, but shooters are valuable commodities in free agency.

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