Phoenix Suns: 3 Players who Need to Prove Their Worth this Year

Phoenix Suns Players with Something to Prove: Landry Shamet

Landry Shamet‘s place within this league deserves no questioning. His career 3-point shooting rate extends out to 39.7 percent, and he plays solid team ball at the same time. Teams always need sharpshooters, and Shamet truly stacks up with the best of them.

However, Shamet’s value specifically to the Suns remains undetermined at this time.

Set to play for his fourth team across four NBA seasons, Shamet continues to search for proper footing as a pro. His play speaks for itself, but he still cannot seem to find a proper, long-term fit.

This gives way to the question: will Shamet finally find a home with the Suns? Although stellar play from him would normally definitively answer that question, his contract situation complicates things greatly.

Originally selected during the same draft as Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton, Shamet becomes a restricted free agent next year. With Bridges and Ayton as the more core pieces to this team, the Phoenix front office certainly plans to attend to their needs next summer before Shamet’s, should they fail to agree on extensions beforehand.

But even if they Suns do work out those deals now, or manage to lock up both Bridges and Ayton next offseason, that still leaves them with very little cap space to re-sign Shamet.

If Phoenix nimbly manages their finances, they might be able to extend a qualifying offer and eventually a long-term contract for Shamet, but the odds still stand against it. However, if he comes out hot and puts together a much better season, than Phoenix’s front office likely puts in needed the work to try and bring him back.

Playing to finally find some stability, Shamet ending the 2021-22 season as a top five 3-point might get it done.