The opening day of the NBA's free agency was so quiet that the Phoenix Suns might just have ended up making the best move in the entire league.
Adding sharpshooter Luke Kennard on a two-year, $13 million contract to replace the departed Grayson Allen receiving a unanimous seal of approval. The former Los Angeles Laker was far from the only player on the move, with a former Suns big man getting a nice payday from Atlanta.
Jock Landale brought back by Hawks team trying to build a winner
The Australian center bagging himself a cool one-year deal to the tune of $14 million to return to help the Hawks get back into the playoff picture once again. With the Suns making some confusing decisions themselves this offseason, Landale has in some ways ended up being the one that got away.
He would be the perfect backup center for head coach Jordan Ott and this Suns' team, and if he was in the Mark Williams slot and had Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro in the rotation alongside him the Suns would be in an even better (and less injury-prone) place.
Landale had to leave The Valley when he did because the franchise was trying to win and there was no space to pay him for his services.
We all know how that ended, with Bradley Beal seemingly on the payroll in Phoenix for the rest of time. But if the Suns could do that decision over, Landale would have been the ideal backup for the Devin Booker/Kevin Durant era, and would be even more important now.
The Hawks clearly feel like the Eastern Conference is there for the taking, and Landale can be a legitimate help during the regular season. As Suns fans will painfully remember, he outplayed his own teammate and former first overall pick Deandre Ayton the last time they shared the court together in a playoff series.
It didn't quite work out for Landale with both the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies after leaving Phoenix, but he has a contract he deserves for 2026-27 at least.
He might even be a player for the Suns to revisit a year from now, as there is no telling how long Williams will be around and this coming season could come off the rails quickly after the Bridges trade.
A feel good story for a player that fans will always remember fondly.
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