The Phoenix Suns should re-sign Joe Johnson for one-year

Coming off of a Big-Three Championship winning shot, the Phoenix Suns should re-sign “Iso Joe,” Joe Johnson.

The Phoenix Suns should finally  be nearing the end of their seemingly endless rebuild, thus they should too tap into the most recent era of franchise success by bringing back Joe Johnson on a one-year, minimum deal, to backup Devin Booker.

The ending of Johnson’s tenure in Phoenix could not have been worse. The Suns were coming off of their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 11 years and they projected to be NBA Championship contenders for many years in the future with Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amar’e Stoudemire all running Mike D’Antoni‘s beautifully fast-paced offense.

However, Johnson apparently hated being the fourth wheel in the offense’s system, and one year after Suns owner Robert Sarver spurned a fair extension offer, the first cheap and terrible move of his long-time losing saga as the franchise’s owner, JJ was finally traded to the Atlanta Hawks where he became the All-Star he so longed to be.

Johnson’s move potentially ended the Suns’ opportunity to win a title, a stretch that generally lasted through 2010, and of which has not been seen since.

However, while now the Suns are finally back on the verge of being a decent and competitive franchise again, one of the positions they are particularly lacking is backup shooting guard, where Johnson would fit perfectly in.

There is no way that “Iso Joe” would sign a contract longer than one-year for the veteran’s minimum, thus making his acquisition very manageable for a franchise that is still looking to build for the future and not sign expensive players who cannot contribute for the long-term.

He too would be additional veteran depth that General Manager Jones has stock-piled this summer, a still decent outside shooter and always solid scorer in general, to play with the bench untin for the 10-15 minutes a game that Booker is on the bench.

However and most importantly, not only would Johnson’s signing (and then playing out the regular season) potentially bridge the last era of winning with the new one, but he could also help close the old wounds that for many Suns fans have never fully sealed; playing out one last season with the Suns as a of good will for a fanbase who has never truly gotten over his loss.

Sure, fans will never fully  forgive him for demanding that the Suns did not match the Atlanta Hawks’ extension offer, but let’s be real: that entire situation was Sarver’s fault anyway, and fans of the franchise cannot honestly say that they wouldn’t do the same thing given the circumstances.

So by playing out one-year, likely the last of his career, Johnson could remind fans of the kind of player that he once was (very successfully) for the franchise in his younger years, and at least give those fans an opportunity to properly  say goodbye, the way so very few players get to – see Dan Majerle.

The Phoenix Suns would not have to give anything up other than a single roster spot and the veteran’s minimum to sign Joe Johnson. His signing too would help to heal those open wounds, and bridge Johnson’s past to the franchise’s future.