Ryan McDonough’s multiple alternatives with the re-build

Overpay Mid-Level Talent:

HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 28: Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against the Phoenix Suns on January 28, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

The next best option is for the Suns to overpay restricted free agents that might grow into stars but aren’t there today. This strategy requires finding young talent with high upside on cash strapped teams and offering them unreasonable amounts of money and years. So, while it’d be fun to throw money at Zach Levine, the Bulls have too much money to match it. But if you can throw it at these guys, you just might be able to bring them in.

A few options:

Marcus Smart- Smart is the 6’4″ 23-year-old heart and soul of the Boston Celtics. He’s a scrappy, mean-spirited defender and could help cover up a lot of Booker’s short comings. He’s the point guard version of P.J. Tucker. Boston is cash strapped after making big splashes the last few years. A big offer probably scares them away. Given his poor shooting this year, there may be even less competition for him, which could be to the Suns benefit long-term.
Jusuf Nurkic- Nurkic is a 23-year-old 7’0″ 280 lbs Bosnian beast. In many ways, he has become the type of player the Suns had hoped Alex Len would be. A skilled passer, mean defender, and general pest. The Blazers are one of the highest payed groups in the NBA and there’s no way they could match a significant offer to Jusuf short of selling off their team for ten cents on the dollar. It’s not likely to happen.
Elfrid Payton- Payton is another 23-year-old 6’4″ point guard. The Magic seem to have constantly been on the verge of giving up on him despite the fact that’s a consistent triple-double threat whose shooting is slowly improving. Orlando has spent themselves into a black hole with really bad contracts and Payton might be the price they pay for that.
Clint Capela- Capela has become a critical part of the Rocket’s team. When they have Harden, Paul, and Capela on the court, they don’t lose. The problem for the Rockets is that they’re already cash strapped and Chris Paul is about to become a free agent…and they want to take a run at LeBron. They can’t afford to match a big offer.

This option has a lot of potential to bust, but it does allow you to likely take a shot at multiple players and make some potential nice upgrades in the short-term.