Phoenix Suns don’t need to make a big splash in free-agency to be good

While acquiring a big name in free agency brings excitement, the Phoenix Suns should focus all of their attention on making their bench deeper.

Fred VanVleet, Montrezl Harrell, and Serge Ibaka are just a few free-agent players available this off-season that the Phoenix Suns could potentially pursue. While these names all carry weight and potentially excitement, the Suns should not go after any of them unless they come at a bargain.

Continuity and consistency are undervalued in today’s day and age. Many of us go after the shiny object only to get bored with it two days later. For a young basketball team, the Phoenix Suns should focus on bringing back the team they already have intact, and making their bench deeper.

The Phoenix Suns’ best move might be not making a big move at all.

By keeping intact the current members of this roster, it allows the Suns to continue the growth they have exhibited this past season. They can continue to learn each other’s tendencies, which should translate to better play on the court. Knowing what your teammate is already thinking in a fast-paced situation is key to winning more ball games. It also allows James Jones to continue his evaluation of the young talent on this team so he can make more educated decisions for the future as Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, and Deandre Ayton get closer to their primes.

Adding a big-name free agent this off-season would cost the Suns a lot of money. Money that will handicap the team in other areas, primarily the bench. For this team to continue to grow, and change the culture, they need to keep winning.

I know, call me Captain Obvious.

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The best chance they have at continuing to win is by having one of the top benches in the league.  If you have most of your cap space dedicated towards only three players you simply cannot afford to have much depth on the bench. So unless those big three are like what we saw in Miami with Lebron, Bosh, and Wade it is not the best way to operate this team right now.

Additionally, while Booker and Ayton are a good one-two punch – as much as I hate to say it – they are not one of the top duos in the league. While they are very good players and are continuing to grow, they still need a lot of help. Having a strong, deep bench is the most important factor to win more games.

Look at the Toronto Raptors for instance. They just lost Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers, and they have not skipped a beat. Lowery and Siakam are a great duo, but much like Booker and Ayton, they are not one of the top duos in the league. The Raptors win because their roster is deep. They beat teams because their 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th best players are better than most other teams.

For the Phoenix Suns to continue the success they recently have shown, they need to focus not on bringing in a big name, but by mimicking the Toronto Raptors. This is exactly why they should not go after the big splash in free agency and should focus all of their attention on their bench.