Phoenix Suns: Free-agent options to scout in Eastern Conference playoffs

Phoenix Suns (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images )
Phoenix Suns (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images )
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Phoenix Suns (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Serge Ibaka would make a big splash for the Phoenix Suns

Tyler Johnson is going to be a free agent after this season…kidding.

The Toronto Raptors are going to have some tough decisions on their hands his offseason. They have $50 million tied up between Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet, and Serge Ibaka and they will all unrestricted free agents.

VanVleet is taking up $9 million of that 50 now, but he will be looking to get paid. That means both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are going to have to take a decent pay cut in order to stay in Canada.

While it is attractive to chase after someone like Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka is a better fit for the Phoenix Suns. At 7′, Ibaka could play the 4, and while he might not be as pure of a shooter as Cam Johnson, he shot 38.5 percent from behind the arc this season.

Ibaka keeps getting better with age and is averaging a career-high 15.8 points per game this season for the Raptors. While he isn’t the shot-blocking savant now, at the age of 30, as he was early in his career, he is still a solid defensive player and would give the Suns the size in the starting lineup that Cam cannot.

His championship experience wouldn’t hurt either.