Green has been the first guy off the bench to congratulate teammates who have directly been stealing his minutes. He’s never opened his mouth once to complain. Perhaps it’s because he’s a free agent this summer, but Green has been the perennial teammate through it all, and his head coach has noticed.
“Every guy on the team should be that way, they’re getting paid millions of dollars,” Jeff Hornacek said. “We expect all these guys to be ready. You never know when they’re going to get the spark.”
Unfortunately, Hornacek may have hit the nail on the head as to why Green might not be around after this season: getting paid millions of dollars to be a glorified benchwarmer/towel-waver doesn’t compare to getting paid millions of dollars to play a bigger role elsewhere.
At this point, it feels highly unlikely that Green stays in Phoenix for that very reason. His recent heat checks have given the fans something to cheer about, especially since it’s hard to cheer about the youngsters’ flashes of potential with the team struggling to reach 90 points every night.
But those heat checks have come in meaningless games, and the overwhelming air surrounding Phoenix’s 2014-15 season is suffocatingly thick with disappointment.
The only ray of light shining through that depressing smog is this roster’s youth. Unfortunately for the 29-year-old Green, he doesn’t quite fit in with that young vibe, especially since most of Phoenix’s youth comes at his position.
Brandon Knight (23) figures to be Eric Bledsoe’s backcourt mate for years to come if the Suns can navigate through restricted free agency this summer. Knight will probably command anywhere $10-14 million annually with his new contract.
Reggie Bullock (24) is a young 3-and-D prospect who also plays the shooting guard position. Archie Goodwin (20) is Phoenix’s shooting guard of the future, an extremely young talent who could be molded into something special.
Even P.J. Tucker (signed to an extension last summer) and T.J. Warren (21) can log minutes at the two depending on Phoenix’s lineup. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for Green, a veteran who carries himself like he believes he’s a starting two-guard in this league.
Next: Green's Future