The Phoenix Suns missed out on one-time trade target Jonathan Kuminga to the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving Miles Bridges a golden opportunity to land an extension from his new employers. They now need a long-term solution for the position, and Bridges has the ideal offensive game and stout frame to fill a role next to Dillon Brooks like Kuminga could have.
Suns will need Bridges to fill forward role long-term if he succeeds
While the Suns could have landed a younger (and less proven) forward in Kuminga at several points in the last year, they are now faced with the prospect of having to pay as much money as they can to keep Bridges if he becomes a crucial component of their team.
Bridges is entering the final year of his current deal, and with the Suns past the first apron, it is much easier to bring their own players back versus going to the open market to try and land new additions.
They just did this with Dillon Brooks, and at only 28 years old and having averaged over 20 a game in three of the last four seasons that he played, Bridges has every chance to be the Suns' second-leading scorer. Achieving this would leave the organization with no choice but to pay him the maximum amount they are allowed to retain his services.
That would not have been the case with Kuminga, who has already been cut loose by both the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks and was worth a punt. That void has been filled by Bridges, but at a greater cost.
The Suns gave up Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, and that precious 2033 unprotected first-round pick to acquire his services, and they would be foolish to let him walk in a year, having parted with all of that to get him, especially without a replacement like Kuminga in town.
Suns backed themselves into corner just like with Mark Williams
Phoenix gave up a pair of firsts for center Mark Williams last offseason and then signed him to an extension this summer to the tune of three years, $38 million. That's a much more team-friendly deal than what Bridges would command, and a deal they had to do or risk losing the asset for nothing.
At a time when scoring forwards who can hold their own physically are important pieces in trying to win a championship, Miles Bridges arrives in The Valley with all the leverage. If he plays well, he is guaranteed another contract and will make himself more valuable than Dillon Brooks in the process.
If he plays great and keeps himself out of trouble, he could play the rest of his career with the Suns.
All because they failed to land Kuminga and then couldn't sign him this summer. A real sliding-doors moment for the Suns this could turn out to be.
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