3 bargain basement point guards the Suns have to consider this summer
By Luke Duffy
There were many problems that dogged the Phoenix Suns during the 2023-24 season, but none was more painfully apparent than their lack of a true point guard. It got so bad that by season's end, the Suns had brought Isaiah Thomas back into the fold to fill out the end of their bench.
It is clear then that the Suns need an actual floor general to set up and execute their half-court offensive sets next season, or else risk another uphill battle to even make the playoffs. Current head coach Frank Vogel did try and tell everybody with his actions during the season how badly one was needed, but the reality is the franchise don't have much money to go and get quality at this position.
Which is why they will have to hit the bargain basement to remedy this situation in the offseason, with three clear solutions ahead of next season.
Even if adding one of these players means Bradley Beal ultimately has to come off the bench, this is still an avenue the Suns simply have to go down. Devin Booker was excellent in running the show during the regular season, but it did stop him from being the electric scorer we have come to expect in The Valley.
Going and getting one of these unrestricted free agents would allow Booker to return to the role he is most successful at, while it may also stop Kevin Durant from getting frustrated with his own standing in the Suns' offense in future as well. It would also have the added bonus of turning Grayson Allen into the Suns' sixth man, a position many feel he was meant to inhabit last season anyway.
3. Kris Dunn
Kris Dunn will always be remembered as the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, taken before guys like Jamal Murray, Domantas Sabonis and Buddy Hield. Now 30-years-old, he has had quite a journeyman career in the league, and has suited up for five different teams.
Staying in the NBA that long is a skill in itself though, and Dunn has averaged over five assists four times in his career and over 10 points on three occasions. Given the Suns won't be able to go and sign a younger point guard to a long-term deal like Markelle Fultz this summer, going after Dunn makes a lot of sense.
He's the best of an underwhelming bunch, and would fit the bill as a player who is a veteran who would know when to get out of the way to let Booker or Durant cook. Defensively Dunn isn't giving you much, and he is a career 32.3 percent shooter from 3-point range.
But he brings a stability and workmanlike attitude to a roster that desparately needs as much of that as it can get. Should Vogel remain as the head coach beyond this summer - and that is not guaranteed at this point - he could also work wonders putting him in defensive schemes that bring the best out of his on-ball tenacity, even though his limitations on that end exist.