The Phoenix Suns trade for Tyler Johnson was a good move

The Phoenix Suns pulled off a trade the day before the NBA trade deadline. It wasn’t an exciting move but it was a good one.

The Phoenix Suns made a trade before the deadline and although it wasn’t a pretty one, it was not a bad one. The team didn’t bring in a flashy play maker or a player likely to be the future at the point guard position. None of what fans were getting excited about in the prospect of Lonzo Ball is true in the acquisition of Tyler Johnson. However, that isn’t the way to look at this move.

This deal makes a lot of sense for several reasons and the front office should get kudos for it, not backlash.

Phoenix Suns

First things first, as much as it’s being dissed as not making sense for financial reasons, it really does. Both players contracts end after the completion of next season, at the latest. The Suns are going to pay $3.7 million more next season for Johnson. That’s more than a reasonable price to upgrade from bench fodder old man Ryan Anderson to a good young guard that can actually play.

Anderson was brought to the valley with the expectation that he could be a solid stretch four next to Deandre Ayton but ended up being a big disappointment. He doesn’t provide defense, is not a strong rebounder and only really has provided shooting through out his career. His shooting numbers were horrible in Phoenix and that doomed him to the end of the bench. Johnson on the other hand, it appears, is coming to the valley without much expectation being set on him. The team turned a player that wasn’t going to play into a player that will play.

Anderson is 30-years-old, shooting 31% from the field and 20% from downtown, while averaging 3.7 points per game this season.

Johnson is 26-years-old, shooting 42% from the field and 35% from downtown, while averaging 10.8 points per game this season.

He isn’t going to be relied upon to bring any thing other than his shooting, ball handling and “blue collar” work ethic. There is no reason he shouldn’t be able to provide that here.

For ball handling, he immediately steps in as being the second-best, after franchise player Devin Booker. This will help take some stress and burden off our best player as well as help, hopefully, cut down the turnovers. He stated he is comfortable playing either guard spot and that’s a plus, especially when Booker is as well.

Does he act like a point guard? Ideally, you would like a whole lot more than 3 assists per-36 minutes from someone at that position. His assist percentage is less than half the rate of Booker. However, could that partially be from other players being isolation guys? Could that have any thing to do with Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow running that position? How about the difference in style between how the Miami Heat play? That isn’t to say he’s a high assist guy but that number could definitely go up, even just slightly, in Phoenix.

He can help get his new teammates in the right spots, and he does like to push the tempo and pace, which will fit in with the Suns style. There is no doubt about the fact that he will have to take on a different role here but he’s already accepted it, will bring some leadership and teach the young players some things that he’s been able to pick up.

Head coach Igor Kokoskov described him as an “unorthodox lefty” and said he can impact the game as a scorer off catch-and-shoot threes but can also attack the rim off the bounce. Johnson enjoys driving and finishing at the rim, similar to Kelly Oubre, and it’s no secret how fans have taken to him.

Tyler has a strong work ethic, is scrappy and can guard point guards, so defensively he will help at the position. De’Anthony Melton has provided some solid work on that end but this move brings in some experience as well as someone that can help teach Melton a thing or two about guarding the more elite guards in the league.

He’s a two-way player, which fits right in to the core that Phoenix has been developing. He will be able to step right in next to Oubre, Mikal Bridges and Josh Jackson in that aspect while helping them hone in on their skills and be the best they can be. Coming from the Miami culture, he knows that is part of survival and will pressure the young guys to ball out.

In terms of statistics, he does not fit the bill as the next great Suns point guard. However, by his words and him being repetitive on that he will now get to be himself, he may just surprise. At the worst, he’ll be able to play some meaningful basketball, something Ryan didn’t do as a Sun. He brings playoff experience and winning DNA as well per Kokoskov, who applauded Johnson for being able to come in as an undrafted player that started from scratch to get to where he is today.

He’s a 37% three point shooter through his career and averaged 13.7 points in 2016-17. Just because he peaked as a Heat doesn’t mean he can’t surprise as a Sun. This move was very smart, turning someone sitting on the bench into a rotation guy at the least. If all goes well, he may be even more than that.