It’s official: Tyson Chandler is the newest member of the Phoenix Suns. And as president of basketball operations Lon Babby joked, the Suns didn’t even have to lock him in a room to get the deal done.
On a four-year, $52 million contract, Tyson Chandler was nearly the ace in the hole for general manager Ryan McDonough as the Suns pursued LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency. But the San Antonio Spurs broke Suns fans’ hearts once again when Aldridge chose to join Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich in Texas, leaving Phoenix with Chandler.
That being said, Chandler just so happens to represent the veteran presence and interior toughness the Suns badly needed last season.
“I think we have just increased our character, our leadership, our professionalism by leaps and bounds,” Babby said as the team introduced Chandler in a press conference at US Airways Center Thursday afternoon. “He is of significant physical stature, but even greater stature, I think, as a man and as a human being and a person of character.”
The Smoking Cuban
Chandler, who will turn 33 before the 2015-16 season starts, is an NBA champion, a former Defensive Player of the Year, an NBA All-Star, a Third Team All-NBA member and a three-time NBA All-Defensive team member. He’s always been an exceptional defensive anchor and rebounder, holding career averages of 8.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game on 59.1 percent shooting.
With the Suns being one of the youngest teams in the league, adding Chandler’s experience and locker room savvy will be a great benefit to a Phoenix squad that went 4-12 in games decided by three points or less last season — not to mention four losses coming on game-winning shots.
“The thing about winning is it’s a full-time job,” Chandler said. “It’s not just on game days, preparation has to start every day in practice. We have to be locked in, we have to be serious, really pay attention to the details. It’s just kind of giving that focus in our locker room, making sure everybody’s engaged.”
.@tysonchandler visites #SummerSuns practice, spoke w/everyone for a little bit, including Tucker, Booker and Len. pic.twitter.com/UBRug2zNdj
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) July 9, 2015
Entering his 15th season in the league, Chandler has pretty much seen it all. But McDonough says the fit was about more than his experience, which is why the Suns reached out to him as soon as free agency started.
“Last year, we struggled with our rebounding, we struggled against some of the more physical guys in the post, and really in terms of our leadership and experience,” he said. “The more and more we started thinking about it, going into free agency he pretty much checked every box we were looking for.”
Chandler said the feeling was mutual. He and his wife were impressed after the meeting, with Chandler citing the way they both felt comfortable with head coach Jeff Hornacek and the “family atmosphere” he was promoting. The two sides quickly agreed to a deal.
☀️✌️
— Tyson Chandler (@tysonchandler) July 9, 2015
“When I walked away from the meeting, I was sold,” Chandler said. “So I felt like there was no point of going through the ringer and continuing while players were jockeying, I knew where I wanted to be. I also wanted it to be done early because I wanted other guys to see how committed the Suns were and have the opportunity to bring guys here.”
From there, the Suns set their sights on Aldridge, surprising him in their free agency pitch by including Chandler — the kind of defensively oriented center that Aldridge would enjoy playing with at the 4.
Unfortunately, the Suns were only second best in the LMA sweepstakes, losing him to the Spurs in the end. But Chandler said he wasn’t deterred by his decision to join the Suns after Aldridge had made his choice.
“When I made my decision, I made my decision solely on myself and looking at the roster and seeing what I can do with this team,” he said. “Of course when you’re going after guys, you want to win at everything, but there wasn’t much disappointment because I understood what I could bring to this team.”
Chandler: "I felt like I could put in those little things that could help [Phoenix] get over the hump." #WeArePHX
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) July 9, 2015
Defense, rebounding, veteran experience and locker room leadership are all the qualities that Chandler is being pegged for in terms of what he has to offer such a young team. Hornacek believes that on-court teaching role will be a great benefit to a relatively inexperienced roster.
“He’s seen everything, and that’s where he’s gonna be a big help for our team is to show these young guys different situations and be able to talk them through on the court,” he said. “As coaches we can do preparation, on the court we can yell things out, but when the players and teammates are out there talking to each other on the court, that’s what makes a team good.”
Hornacek also mentioned that depending on their opponent, the Suns may try to get Chandler and Alex Len on the floor together so their relationship will flourish even more. Out of anyone on the roster, Len is the player the Suns are hoping will be impacted the most by Chandler’s presence over the next four years.
Looks like the newest Sun will be wearing No. 4. Welcome to Phoenix, @tysonchandler! pic.twitter.com/m0C606Kovo
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) July 9, 2015
At only 22 years old, Len is coming off a solid sophomore season where he made great strides once he was inserted into the starting lineup. He only averaged 6.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, but his potential as a rim protector and stretch-5 has Phoenix very excited about the future, even if he’ll now be coming off the bench behind Chandler.
“Alex is a sponge; he wants to learn everything,” Hornacek said. “That’s why he’s on Synergy all the time, that’s why he’s been in the gym since the season ended working on his stuff. All the little vet tricks that Tyson pulled on him over the last couple of years, Alex is going to love learning from him on all those things.”
Chandler said he’s particularly looking forward to mentoring Len and helping him develop.
Tyson Chandler: "I felt it was a place I can really come and mentor." He particularly mentioned looking forward to working with Alex Len.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) July 9, 2015
“I ran into Alex yesterday and we had a good conversation and like coach said, it just seems like he wants to be a sponge,” he said. “I didn’t know initially how he would take it, and it’s very exciting for me because since Day 1, that’s been huge on my priority list to make him the best player he can possibly be and help him along the way. I think we’ll both benefit from it.”
With his prime past him, Chandler could have held out to try and sign with a contender. But based on his health last season (he averaged 10.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in 75 games for the Dallas Mavericks) and the Suns’ renowned warlock training staff, Chandler believes he’ll have the opportunity to foster and grow with young, promising players like Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight.
“Me as an athlete, I’m looking forward to playing with a lot of young talent,” he said. “I felt like it was a place that I could come and really mentor and help and try to take this team to the next step. This team has been right on the brink of making the playoffs the last couple of years and I feel like that’s the first step is just trying to get into the playoffs and building from there.”
McDonough: "Most of the Western Conference teams played musical chairs and ended up with other good Western Conference teams."
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) July 9, 2015
The Suns won’t have it easy playing in the loaded Western Conference. But after the Mavericks missed out on DeAndre Jordan and the Portland Trail Blazers lost four of their five starters from last season, the Suns should be in the running with teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz and possibly the Sacramento Kings for the last couple of playoff spots out West.
After trading away Marcus Morris, Danny Granger and Reggie Bullock to the Detroit Pistons for a 2020 second round pick, the Suns freed up some cap space, which they’ll use to sign Sonny Weems, add Ronnie Price as backup point guard and bring in stretch-4 Mirza Teletovic for frontcourt depth.
With newfound depth, experience and a leader in Tyson Chandler, the Suns very well could be a playoff team in 2015-16, provided they can stay healthy. On a new-look roster, Chandler is optimistic about where this team is going and the impact he can have on the younger players in the locker room.
“I try to pick my times, especially with young guys, you don’t rile them too much,” he said. “But I think it’s very important that you set a culture from Day 1, and that’s what I plan on doing.”
Next: Suns Agree To Sign Mirza Teletovic