The Phoenix Suns have several depth issues that need some resolution if they are going to make a run at the playoffs. These are the top-five potential short-term acquisitions to help with that goal.
The Phoenix Suns are in desperate need of a power forward, a backup point guard, and really – just some buzz of excitement.
Dario Saric is not a starter in the NBA (at least at this point in his career); Frank Kaminsky is nothing to rely upon either; after his great start, Aron Baynes has been, well, Aron Baynes; and while we might hope that Elie Okobo can be a decent backup someday, he cannot be counted on in a playoff race.
Of course, by this trade deadline, James Jones is likely seeking a star player above all others, someone who can group up with Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Kelly Oubre; the kind of player that might actually make the Phoenx Suns a formidable team in the Western Conference – and certainly a tough out in the playoffs this summer.
But if one of those cannot be had in February, Jones too does not necessarily want to hurt the cap flexibility that he has cultivated for this offseason (I wrote about exactly how much he has to play with here) by acquiring a long-term contract that doesn’t fit that “star” category.
That cap space will come in handy this summer via either a free agent signing (although unlikely) or a trade for a player who wasn’t available now, and Jones knows he doesn’t want to mess with it.
Therefore, this list is of players who are potentially available right now, and who would not hurt the team’s long-term flexibility, certainly as they head into this summer.
This also isn’t a “gotchya” type post.
For instance: Marcus Morris is probably available, and is averaging a seriously impressive 19.2 points per game this year for New York – the kind of offense the Phoenix Suns need at power forward.
However, while some people around the league might ignorantly tab Phoenix as a potential destination, there isn’t a chance in the world that Robert Sarver would green light a re-acquisition of Morris and the gigantic headache that he brings along.
So, without further ado: the top-five most plausible soon-to-be free agent power forwards James Jones and the Phoenix Suns can acquire by the deadline.
Bismack Biyombo
Yes, I know: this is not the first player that you thought you would see. However, this is also a very weak class of impending free agents that the Phoenix Suns have to choose from in terms of rentals, and in the end, Bismack Biyombo does feel a tremendous hole for the team.
The acquisition of Biyombo is simple as he would add further defensive presence to the front court, which would help the back court with their own defensive deficiencies.
While he obviously woudn’t start ahead of Deandre Ayton (here is a quick preview: none of the players mentioned here would be a starter barring an unfortunate injury), but having him come off the bench at center would allow a few additional rotations with Aron Baynes at power forward.
Biyombo’s defensive abilities have waned since he first entered the league, but he is still a solid off-the-bench center who could expend every ounce of energy he has grabbing boards while Ayton rests.
Marvin Williams
Again, not a name that you necessarily want to see, but Marvin is a stretch-four that would allow Monty Williams the opportunity to keep Dario Saric on the bench a little bit more in favor of a player who is actually hitting some 3’s this season.
At the moment, Saric is shooting an abysmal 31.4% beyond the arc, a percentage that is far below is career-average and the near 40% that he had been shooting the last two seasons (save for the 13 games with Philadelphia to open 2018-19 which he only shot 31.0%).
On the other hand, Williams is shooting a solid 37.6% on 117 attempts.
Marvin doesn’t necessarily make the Phoenix Suns a playoff team, but what he does add is that shooting touch that the offense so desperately needs from the forward position.
If he could even start while Saric comes off the bench (not that that helps a ton), that alone might get Saric into a better groove as he wouldn’t be playing against the opposition’s best defense (although he wouldn’t always be playing with Ricky Rubio, either).
As I have long believed that Saric is better suited for the bench than a starter’s role anyway, maybe relegating him to the bench will do he and the rotations well.
Reggie Jackson
At any point in the last three years, I would have absolutely hated the thought of the Phoenix Suns trading for Reggie Jackson.
But now, with their desperate need for a veteran point guard, and the fact that not only is Jackson in the final year of an egregious contract,, but the Pistons are just about as close to a tanking team as it gets with their attempts to trade (basically salary dump) Andre Drummond, and their loss of Blake Griffin for the year (who was granted an injury exception).
By losing, Detroit guarantees themselves a better draft pick, and with the way things are going for them – the higher draft pick, the better.
The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, do not need another high draft pick – they need playoff wins.
And while the non-home run hitting Reggie Jackson can’t guarantee that they get there, he may be the best available veteran point guard to back up Ricky Rubio and give them at least the best opportunity to do so.
Derrick Favors
Although he isn’t an outside shooter like Marvin Williams, Derrick Favors brings a level of playoff (and defensive) experience several others in this group do not bring.
Favors is not the kind of player who is going to average 15-20 points a game (although he did average 16+ points per game five and six years ago with Utah), but he is an extremely efficient scorer around the basket and can come off the bench to spell Ayton and provide a solid defensive presence which again, will only help the team remain consistent as they bridge the gap between the starters and reserves.
With Favors’ rebounding and basket-level defense (he is currently averaging 1.6 blocks per game), the Phoenix Suns would basically be adding what they thought they had in Tyson Chandler last season prior to his being dumped off to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Being that he is a lame duck too with free agency pending – and potentially one last large contract on the line (he is 28-years-old) – he can really do a lot for himself by playing at his absolute best as the team makes it’s final push towards the playoffs.
Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson is the only player on this list who not only has playoff experience, but championship experience. While this doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot in terms of the Phoenix Suns becoming a championship contender this season (it wouldn’t), it does mean a lot to the likes of Booker and Ayton as they can pick his mind as to not only what the process was like getting all the way to the pinnacle, as well as working and playing with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving – the two players who truly did the heavy lifting in the Cavaliers winning their lone title.
On the court, Thompson is still a tremendously effective player, averaging a double-double for the second straight season – the only two times in his career.
Granted, he is a full-time starter with the Cavaliers (averaging 31.0 minutes per game – the first time he has averaged over 30 minutes per game since 2013-14), but like Derrick Favors, transitioning him to come off the bench behind Ayton will help solidify an otherwise terribly weak-in-terms-of-depth front court, making the second unit that much more formidable.
At only 28-years-old, Thompson still has plenty of prime left in his game, and as he is playing for another contract himself, his willingness to play hard and do whatever Monty Williams needs of him – potentially being a cog in the piece that helps to claw the Phoenix Suns into the playoffs – will play very well in his likely desire at a long-term contract elsewhere.
While none of these players guarantee a tipping of the scales into the direction of the playoffs for the Phoenix Suns, being that they are all in the final years of their current contracts, James Jones would be able to add depth with any of their acquisitions without potentially giving up too much.
The theory behind the acquisition of any of these five players too is the fact that none of them will be re-signed by Phoenix, so Jones retains his over $30 million dollars in cap space this offseason, continuing to provide him with the flexibility to make a truly splashy move (or moves) come this summer.