THE CENTER SCENARIOS
Dream signing: Nerlens Noel (23)
Realistic signing: JaVale McGee (29)
Nerlens Noel is already a solid center in this league. He is young enough to grow with the current core of Booker, Bender, Chriss and Jackson and is the type of big they need. Noel is a career 51% field goal shooter (57% with Dallas last year) and a solid rebounder (8 rebounds per game) who will continue to improve. He resembles a younger Tyson Chandler and could learn a lot from Chandler if he remained on the roster. He plays tougher than Alex Len and brings attitude to match Chriss and Booker. Dallas is most likely going to sign Noel to a max contract this offseason so there probably won’t be a Noel/Chriss backcourt anytime soon.
JaVale McGee is an interesting player. Probably better known for his Shaqtin’ A Fool appearances than his actual play, McGee is actually a decent player. He hasn’t been a starter in the league since the 2011-2012 season so having him back up Chriss or Bender (or whoever plays center) for a couple of years is a decent option. He has been playing for for the league minimum for the past few seasons so financially he shouldn’t be expecting more. Along with that, he is part of the most recent Warriors team that just won the NBA Championship so he also brings playoff experience with him. It’s not the most flashy signing but for a team that’s current focus is win later, but he would be a great addition to the team.
I know some people won’t agree with some of these options. Some are extremely far-fetched while others most probably haven’t been considered. The Suns are currently a team in limbo. On one hand they look like they want to make a splash in free agency. On the other they seem to be content with the team as is. Whatever the case, the next few weeks should be very interesting to watch.