Amidst the first-round of the NBA Playoffs, something the Phoenix Suns have not been apart of since the 2009/10 season, the desert made some noise as they announced the firing of their head coach Igor Kokoskov late Monday night.

Kokoskov had been an NBA assistant since 2000 while also holding head coaching positions for Georgia (the country) and Slovenia.

He led the Suns to a 19-63 record in his first year at the helm, finishing 14 games behind the nearest Western Conference foe. It was Phoenix’s second lowest win total in their 51-year existence

This team was a dumpster fire all season long as they struggled with in-game adjustments and shear motivation, but the Suns have a few promising young players which makes this a crucial offseason.

Phoenix must hit on their draft pick, and the results of the lottery on May 14th will prove to be decisive.

Here is the ideal roster construction for Phoenix come the start of the 2019 regular season.

2019 NBA Draft

The Suns are tied for the best odds to land the first overall pick in this upcoming draft, sitting at 14 percent. If Phoenix does land the number one overall pick for the second year in a row (which would be the ideal scenario), an endless one-month debate will rage about whether or not the Suns should take the consensus number one overall prospect in Zion Williamson, or the not far off in talent and better fit in Ja Morant.

I believe they should take Morant who is an explosive playmaker that can command an offense as well as create his own shot. Morant’s 6-foot-7 wingspan combined with his superb athleticism should translate to serviceable NBA defense immediately with the potential to turn into an All-NBA defensive guy.

Morant would be a perfect fit on this Phoenix Suns team.

Dealing with their Free Agents

The Suns currently have eight guaranteed contracts for the 2019/20 season as well as one player and one team option. That leaves five players on the 2018/19 roster that will be free agents this summer.

We will start with the guys who are 100 percent gone, or at least should be.

Dragan Bender It’s been a porous run for the fourth-pick of the 2016 draft. Bender’s per-36 averages over his three-year stint in Phoenix were not pretty: 10 PTS, 8 REB, 2.4 AST. Bender will struggle to find a home in the NBA.

Jamal Crawford Crawford was a solid minimum level signing for Phoenix, providing solid bench scoring as well as a veteran locker room presence. Though, his time in the NBA may be up, and even if not, he himself will most likely look for one last chance to compete.



The maybe(s) …

Troy Daniels Daniels has spent the last two seasons in Phoenix, playing in 130 games over that span while averaging 18.3 MPG. Daniels is a very reliable three-point shooter and can unlock the 2K ‘microwave’ attribute as quickly as anyone in the league. However, the Suns are loaded with young-wings and are looking for more defense, something Daniels does not provide.



The “should re-signs”…

Kelly Oubre Oubre will be a restricted free agent this summer, giving the Suns all the power and opportunity to resign him. Oubre has said multiple times he wants to stay in Phoenix, and for the right price, I would love to resign him. He averaged 16.9 PTS on 45.3 percent shooting with 4.9 RPG last season. For the sake of this, let’s say the Suns and Oubre agree to a four-year deal worth roughly $12-million a year. SIGNED: 4-years, $52-million

Richaun Holmes Holmes was traded to Phoenix in the offseason and had a solid season backing up DeAndre Ayton. Averaging 17.4 PTS, 10.1 REB, and 3.2 BLK per-36, Holmes played solid defense and brought hustle and tenacity whenever Ayton needed a blow, something that was much needed in Phoenix. The Suns should bring Holmes back for a season or two, if they can manage a good deal. SIGNED: 1-year, $2.5-million



Now, before we look at the impending free agent market, lets take a look at how the Suns salaries will look after the draft and the resigning of Oubre and Holmes.

*Note: the 2019/20 NBA salary cap is $109-million, with the luxury tax threshold set at $132-million.

Devin Booker – 27.3 million

Tyler Johnson – 19.3 million

Kelly Oubre – 13 million

TJ Warren – 10.8 million

DeAndre Ayton – 9.5 million

Ja Morant – 8.5 million (projected)

Josh Jackson – 7.1 million

Mikal Bridges – 4.1 million

Richaun Holmes – 2.5 million

2019 31st overall pick – 1.5 million (projected)

Elie Okobo – 1.4 million

De’Anthony Melton – 1.4 million

This puts the Suns at $106.4 million in salary, giving them not much to work with before going into the luxury tax. With the current makeup of the roster and a disregard to the soft cap, I believe the Suns should target Julius Randle.

Randle will most likely opt-out of his $9-million dollar player option this offseason as he vastly outperformed his contract in the 2018/19 season, specifically with the absence of Anthony Davis.

Last season Randle averaged 21.4 PTS, 8.7 REB, and 3.7 AST per game with an effective field goal percentage of 55.5 percent.

He will warrant a contract that exceeds the money the Suns have to mess with, but I think Randle would be worth it. With the drafting of Morant, the point guard situation should be locked up, and the Suns have always been loaded with wings. Randle could start at the four and provide much needed energy and rebounding.

Here is my ideal roster construction for the 2019/20 Phoenix Suns:

*Key: Bold = 30min+, Italicize = 20min+, Underline=10min+

PG: Ja Morant, Elie Okobo , De’Anthony Melton

SG: Devin Booker, Tyler Johnson

SF: TJ Warren, Kelly Oubre Jr, Mikal Bridges

PF: Julius Randle, Josh Jackson

C: DeAndre Ayton, Richaun Holmes

Well folks, there you have it. If you made it this far, kudos, and go Suns.

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