3 best players the Phoenix Suns got on minimum contracts

The Phoenix Suns may have a roster that boasts Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, but they must also be commended for how they have filled out their team. Most fans didn’t give them a hope of adding meaningful depth with those three players, and Deandre Ayton, making so much money.

But to the credit of owner Mat Ishbia, who continues to be aggressive and put his money where his mouth is, the organization managed to round out their roster not only with players who will be able to help this group. But some of these individuals would have been gladly snapped up by rival teams, and for more money as well.

In all a whopping eight of the Suns players who are part of their current roster were signed to minimum deals this summer.

Some are going to flame out badly, while others may never even get a proper chance to stake their claim in the rotation. Then there is Bol Bol, who depending on your opinion of him won’t ever see the court because he can’t defend. Or else is going to be the Suns’ fifth starter and answer a lot of their glaring problems with his unique frame and skillset.

There are three players however, who the Suns will believe can have an impact that will go far beyond the small contract that they have signed. This is most likely to be felt at the defensive end, given that Booker and Beal aren’t known to be high level defenders, and Durant now has to pick his spots.

3 best players the Phoenix Suns got on minimum contracts.

3. Josh Okogie

We’re starting in a place that won’t excite many Suns fans, but that’s exactly why bringing Josh Okogie back for another run at a first championship is so important. The franchise watched Torrey Craig head to the Chicago Bulls this summer, and it would be fair to say that the roster continuity is non-existent here.

Okogie not only represents a link to the past, but he’s actually been the fifth starter for the Suns before. A position that seems to bring with it a ton of contention when trying to decipher who is going to fill that role in 2023-24. It may be that it is still Okogie’s to lose.

We already know Ogokie can start games if required, and is an above average defender who hounds opponents diligently. He managed 18.8 minutes of action during the regular season last year, and that number could hold firm if the Suns come to find out that some of their other minimum adds don’t quite work out.

Okogie brings with him a level of consistency as a known quantity that will be invaluable to the roster. Still only 24-years-old (the same age as Ayton), there is no doubt Okogie could have gone elsewhere and made more money. Instead he’s sticking around to try and help the Suns win a championship.

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It would be great if he could hit more than 33.5 percent of his shots from deep (as he did last season, which was still a career high), and it is not like Okogie doesn’t have his flaws. Bigger wings can back him down, and quick guards can blow by him as well. But on this kind of deal and given his history and familiarity with the team, this was an important player for the Suns to retain.

3 best players the Phoenix Suns got on minimum contracts.

2. Yuta Watanabe

Yuta Watanabe was a fantastic get by the Suns this offseason. So good in fact, that for a long time he was seen as a dream target. One who made a lot of sense, but who the team would face too much competition in trying to secure. Getting him on a minimum deal was a masterstroke.

The upside to Watanabe is obvious, and it is also huge. He has a relationship with Durant going back to their time on the Brooklyn Nets together last season, and Durant seems to be a fan of Watanabe’s as well. Any time Durant likes you and your game, you know you’re onto something good.

Watanabe was also remarkable from deep last season, leading the league in corner 3-pointers made and making a sizzling 44.4 percent overall. Whereas Okogie will be left open a lot by choice, Watanabe will find himself with all the space in the world as a result of sharing the court with Durant, Booker and Beal. Opponents are going to hate it.

Even if he cools off some with his shooting, which is always going to happen over the course of a long season, Watanabe will still make enough shots to force opponents to pick their poison. That shooting touch will open the court up even more for his superstar teammates, and it will lead to some nights when the Suns blow teams away.

Watanabe may not be known as a good defender, and Okogie is the better of the two. But he is very tall and plays on that end with grit and determination. He will be targeted sometimes, but Watanabe is also going to surprise some with how he’s able to stand up for himself defensively. It is amazing he is along for the ride on a minimum deal in 2023-24.

3 best players the Phoenix Suns got on minimum contracts.

1. Keita Bates-Diop

A lot of people were surprised to see the Suns add Keita Bates-Diop straight away once free agency began, and many opponents were jealous of the acquisition as well. When you think of the kind of players who will thrive in the setting the Suns are cultivating, Bates-Diop has to be on that list.

At 27-years-old, Bates-Diop has never averaged more than 10 points in a season in the league, although he did hit nearly 40 percent of his 3-pointers last season, on 2.1 attempts per game. The defensive end is where he is going to make his name however, and he’s already had plenty of standout moments for his former employers, the San Antonio Spurs.

The best case scenario here is that Bates-Diop can replace the departed Craig, and very quickly become a much better version of him as well. This also applies to Okogie, who can start if required, but who would be better suited coming off the bench. Bates-Diop in theory is entering his prime, and has been presented with a golden opportunity here to start and win a championship.

All he has to do is exactly what he’s good at, and nothing more. There won’t be any requirement for him to make many shots outside of the occasional 3-pointer, and the hope is that his young legs will carry the team on some nights during the regular season.

There’s also a belief that once the postseason begins, Bates-Diop can be part of their shortened rotation. He has too much defensive ability not to be used, and like the others on this list, to get him on a minimum deal is superb business by the Suns.

Bates-Diop has his flaws. If he didn’t, he’d have been offered the kind of money to play elsewhere that he simply couldn’t turn down. But this is the ideal situation for him. Help the Suns play elite basketball defensively while he is on the court, and hopefully form a fierce partnership with Ayton. His one-on-one skills defending elite scorers is going to be crucial.