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Phoenix Suns: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Suns 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Suns 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 14, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Henry Sims (35) during warm ups before a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. The Nets won 94-87. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Other Signings

After Weems and Price, McDonough busied himself by rounding out the team’s training camp roster, signing players to non-guaranteed deals that will either result in a spot on the roster for the Suns or the Bakersfield Jam.

First up was Terrico White, the 36th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. White’s time in the league has been limited, because in his first preseason game with the Detroit Pistons, he fractured his foot and missed his entire rookie season. White became known for his speed, athleticism and dunking prowess the following summer:

But none of this stopped the Pistons from parting ways with him in 2011. At 25 years old, White is a 6’5″ combo guard who never really got his NBA opportunity after fizzling out in the D-League. He averaged 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 42 appearances for Enisey in Russia in 2014-15.

Next up was Kyle Casey, a 6’7″ small forward with a 7’1″ wingspan who spent the last year playing in Europe. During his college days at Harvard, Casey actually played the center position, but he transitioned to the small forward position for Helios Suns Domzale, the Slovenian team he played for in 2014-15. He averaged 12.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 59 percent from the floor last season.

White and Casey seem like unlikely bets to make the Suns’ final 15-man roster, but Henry Sims and Cory Jefferson might actually have a chance.

In case you’re unfamiliar with fringe rotation players from the Eastern Conference, Sims is a 6’10” center who spent the last season and a half with the Philadelphia 76ers. Last year he averaged 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game, shooting 47.4 percent from the floor and starting in 32 of his 73 games for the Sixers.

As a starter, the 25-year-old Sims averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds. He started in 25 of his 26 appearances for the Sixers in 2013-14 after only playing 20 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The year before that, he played in just two games for the New Orleans Pelicans after going undrafted in 2012.

As for Jefferson, he spent his rookie season with the Brooklyn Nets last year. An athletic 6’9″ power forward, Jefferson averaged 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game in his first NBA season.

He shot 44.9 percent from the field in 50 appearances for Brooklyn, but the 24-year-old’s contract was not guaranteed beyond 2014-15 after being selected with the final pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Neither Sims nor Jefferson will move the needle enough to make the front office more comfortable with a Markieff Morris trade, but at this point, there really isn’t a free agent available that would be a viable replacement anyway.

Grade: C

Next: Overall

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