The Phoenix Suns made three transactions on Tuesday, with two new additions to the preseason roster. The franchise has signed Saben Lee and Adonis Arms, while Frank Jackson’s time with the team has come to an end.
Lee and Arms join Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot as the three players making a late push for the Suns final roster spot; 14 players are currently contracted to the main squad, while Ish Wainright and Duane Washington Jr. are signed to two-way deals.
The Phoenix Suns have until 5pm ET on Monday to finalise their regular season roster, with a battle still on for the 15th spot.
The three players are battling time and the front office just as much as each other. Phoenix are still unlikely to use that 15th roster spot, even if they’re down to 13 active players with the absence of Jae Crowder.
Lee, a 23-year-old guard, played 85 games with the Detroit Pistons across the last two seasons. He averaged 5.6 points in 16.3 minutes per game in 2021-22, but struggled with efficiency as he shot 39% from the floor and 23.3% from three-point range. Those numbers simply won’t stack up for a 6’2″ guard who isn’t proving a difference-maker on defense either. Lee was most recently waived by the Utah Jazz, having been dealt by Detroit in their trade for Bojan Bogdanovic.
On the other hand, the 24-year-old Arms went undrafted after two years of college at Winthrop and Texas Tech. The 6’5″ guard averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.8 minutes per game last season. Arms has history in Phoenix having grown up playing high school basketball for Desert Vista.
There’s a multitude of reasons why Phoenix are likely to keep the 15th roster spot open; neither of the three options are likely to produce enough to make themselves worthwhile, and it also limits the team’s future flexibility. The Suns could picture themselves a landing spot for a buyout candidate mid-season, while they could also obtain multiple players in a Crowder deal.
Phoenix take on the Sacramento Kings at Footprint Center on Wednesday, with the matchup providing the last preseason opportunity for players to impress in a game setting.