The Phoenix Suns may have added a number of intriguing young players this offseason, but one veteran who joined their ranks who is now being forgotten about is forward Nigel Hayes-Davis. The 30-year-old getting another chance in the league having not been seen in the NBA since the 2017-18 season.
Hayes-Davis will fill an important role in Phoenix, simply because of how many question marks exist over some of their younger players. Will fellow forward Oso Ighodaro kick on in year two? Is Ryan Dunn a starter calibre player in this league? What if 18-year-old center Khaman Maluach is even more raw than when we last caught a glimpse of him at Summer League?
Hayes-Davis almost signed for Hapoel Tel Aviv.
It all could have been so different for Hayes-Davis - who previously played nine games combined for three NBA franchises including the Los Angeles Lakers - as he almost signed for Hapoel Tel Aviv. That's according to their owner Ofer Yannay, who recently claimed that -
"We were sure we were bringing Nigel Hayes-Davis. We were sure it was happening. He had an option to go to the NBA, and he basically said, ‘I’ll try to get a contract in the NBA, and if I don’t, I’ll come to you". We now know that Hayes-Davis secured that contract with the Suns, hoping for one last chance to impress in the league having not been seen in seven years.
This is undoubtedly a blow for Hapoel, as they get ready to make their EuroLeague bow this year having already added a former Sun to their roster. Vasilije Micić may only have played for the franchise five times - and he was never going to be kept around because of the Suns' cap space issues before trading away Kevin Durant and ditching Bradley Beal - but he was on the team.
👀🗣️Hapoel Tel Aviv’s owner revealed that the club tried to sign Nigel Hayes-Davis, saying the move would make his team unstoppable pic.twitter.com/dkiOu7l34g
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 25, 2025
We know that European basketball is a step below that of the NBA, but it is a gap that is always closing. For a team like Apoel who have big ambitions for this season to be pushing hard to sign Hayes-Davis is exactly why the Suns also went after him in the first place. He is going to be the surprise package in The Valley, a veteran who will make Devin Booker's life easier.
The departure of Durant and no high-level point guard currently on the roster means there is a lack of creation throughout the rotation, and Hayes-Davis will be able to fix some of those issues. Beyond Booker and Jalen Green, Hayes-Davis looks like the next best option at creating a shot for himself. That is also going to help the likes of Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale get open looks.
Another underrated reason for adding the former EuroLeague Final Four MVP is how he can be the perfect older head for first year head coach Jordan Ott. Unlike outspoken future Hall of Fame guys like Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, Hayes-Davis is going to do all he can with this chance and his experience abroad is going to be relied upon heavily for this younger group. A brilliant signing.