Phoenix Suns: Fred VanVleet is an attractive free agent
When it comes to point guards, the Phoenix Suns can’t find great ones, so the free agency market might be where they look. It could be expensive, but Fred VanVleet is available.
Fred VanVleet has been a Toronto Raptor his entire career and it seems only appropriate that the Raptors would sign him and make him happy in Toronto. However, the league has seen crazier things happen, especially in free-agency. As a player who has established himself as a fearless combo-guard who is not shy to the game’s biggest stages, he would be great with the Phoenix Suns.
Van Vleet is neither a point guard nor a shooting guard. He is what the league is transitioning toward, a combo-guard able to handle both responsibilities of the one and the two.
Obviously, the main question is, how will he fit in? It would be a challenge for coach Monty Williams to find a way to make everyone happy in this circumstance, but I have some possibilities.
First, in acquiring VanVleet, the Phoenix Suns might look to trade Ricky Rubio. In that case, he would be the team’s starting point guard next to Booker, Oubre, and Ayton and the Suns’ offense begins to look very scary.
Second, Rubio and VanVleet co-exist. Realistically, that would entail VanVleet coming off the bench for the Suns and in a role very similar to Lou Williams of the Clippers, a scoring option and playmaker who can run the second unit, and a player that will be in at the end of close games.
The last option would be VanVleet starting right away and the Suns immediately fixing their long issue of lacking a back-up point-guard, while probably breaking the league’s record for a salary for a back-up point guard.
Regardless, Rubio would be a phenomenal back-up and could still carry a large role while possibly playing alongside VanVleet. What matters here is that VanVleet is a guard that would require a lot of attention from Booker which could open Booker’s game even more.
Next. The Suns could finally acquire Danilo Gallinari in free agency. dark
VanVleet has always been a player that plays with a chip on his shoulder after being unjustly undrafted, and always has something to prove, and I see no better place to prove oneself than in Phoenix.