What Frank Kaminsky brings to the Phoenix Suns

On day two of NBA free agency, the Phoenix Suns added 7-footer Frank Kaminsky with a two-year deal. Here’s how he fits in on the team.

Shooters, shooters and shooters.

That’s the gameplan Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones has followed in the 2019 NBA offseason.

And it sure didn’t stop in free agency.

The Suns signed Frank Kaminsky to a two-year, $10 million deal on Monday afternoon as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The forward is entering his fifth year in the NBA, having spent the entirety of his young career with the Charlotte Hornets.

Let’s look at the attributes that brought Kaminsky to Phoenix.

Spacing

Easily the number one attraction Kaminsky brings to a team is his ability to shoot from both outside and at the mid-range. The forward is coming off a down year, where he only played in 47 games and averaged a career-low 16.1 minutes per game.

But even better was the fact that Kaminsky shot 46.3 percent from the field and 36.0 from 3-point range last season.

This is exactly the type of production Phoenix was looking for in the Dragan Bender project, but never found.

Kaminsky, on the other hand, immediately provides reliable shooting, someone who can score and work with the team’s second unit.

This is ideal for a Suns team that in recent years has struggled to find decent scorers off the bench and has rotated forward after forward each offseason.

And while his numbers in the NBA have been solid, it would be ideal if Kaminsky could find a resurgence of his electric college career – there is a reason he was a top pick when Charlotte selected him 9th overall in the 2015 draft.

The forward not only shot over 40% from deep his senior season at Wisconsin, but he also led the Badgers to the National Championship game in 2015 (a 68-63 loss to Duke).

Hopefully he can revive that college success and flip that narrative of being a lottery bust now that he is with the Suns.

Bench Depth

Another way Kaminsky fits into the group is the gaping hole the team has at the backup power-forward position.

Although he has spent the majority of his career at center, Kaminsky can work extremely well at the four-position and most likely pairs with Aaron Baynes in the bench frontcourt. It is there that he can get back to playing over 20 minutes a night and contributing on a regular basis.

Kaminsky is also very-similar to another offseason Phoenix Suns acquisition, Dario Saric.

Both are lengthy forwards who can shoot from outside the paint consistently, and having the two of them on the same roster further illustrates what James Jones wants to surround Devin Booker with: bigs who can shoot.

Another plus for picking up Kaminsky was to offset the loss of Richaun Holmes who signed with the Sacramento Kings.

While Holmes played well in his time in Phoenix, his offensive presence was very limited, a place where Kaminsky is more well-rounded.

Overall, Kaminsky should be a great rotation player for first-year head coach, Monty Williams.

Low Cost, High Usage

Even better was the price-tag James Jones got for Kaminsky on day two of free agency.

Yes, the team might have overpaid on point guard Ricky Rubio, but it was a necessity to lock down a quality point guard.

In the case of Kaminsky, bringing in a veteran forward at such a price, was a steal.

Not only will Kaminsky be the 7th highest-paid player on the roster, but the team used the mid-level exception to pay him.

That means Kaminsky will receive $4.77 million this season, then $5.0 million the following year. These are extremely reasonable numbers for a player going into his fifth year in the pros.

For Phoenix, it provides the team with an affordable bench player with high-upside.

At 26-years-old, Kaminsky has a chance to get his career back on track and provide the Suns with two good years of basketball.

Although it hasn’t been the smoothest of journeys for Frank Kaminsky, he will gets lots of opportunities with the Phoenix Suns. The question now is what he does with it.