Phoenix Suns: Regrading the 5 Largest Signings of the Last 5 Years
Phoenix Suns Signing Regrades: Extending T.J. Warren in 2017
While starting his career with the Suns, T.J. Warren operated as a high volume scorer, able to provide some much needed pop amidst a generally unimpressive roster. However, he struggled to say healthy, missing significant time with several different injuries.
Regardless, McDonough still believed in him, extending a four year, $50 million dollar contract extension Warren’s way right before the 2017-18 season tipped off.
With the Suns laboring through Tyler Johnson’s contract around this time, Warren’s extension avoided too much scrutiny, but Phoenix’s decision to trade him two years later clearly illustrate it as a mistake. After inking the deal, Warren proceeded to miss 38 games over the next two seasons, including his final 22 contests on the team.
Eventually, the Suns sent him to the Indiana Pacers, and for them to take on his relatively large contract, they also needed to include that year’s No. 32 overall pick. The Pacers gave Phoenix some extra cash back, but the move clearly came as one aimed at dumping Warren to clear cap space and patch up a wrongdoing.
Next. Regrading the Questionable Josh Jackson Trade. dark
As a team still rebuilding during this time, the Suns should have been trying to acquire more picks, rather than trading them away to move bad contracts. Unfortunately, Warren’s extension forced them to do the latter.