The 2024 NBA free agency period got underway Sunday to a flurry of early deals, with the Phoenix Suns doing what they could to get stuck into the action. They added some depth to their frontcourt in the opening hours, with Bol Bol coming back on a one-year deal and center Mason Plumlee heading to The Valley on a similar contract.
Armed with only that veteran's minimum, it was always going to be hard for the Suns to go after the kind of players who could really help this roster. With Eric Gordon deciding to head East to the Philadelphia 76ers, the franchise are also now down a key contributor from last year's group.
Which is why it came as a disappointment to see these three players come off the board so early in the process, giving the Suns no chance to try and sign them.
In hindsight it was optimistic to think that two out of these three players could be gotten on the minimum, as both were signed to much more money than that quickly. The hope that playing with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal could be enough to sway some individuals to turn down more money - as it did last season - yet to have the same impact this time out.
3. Kelly Oubre Jr.
In hindsight the prospect of adding one time Sun Kelly Oubre Jr. on a minimum deal this summer was foolish at best. Last season with the 76ers - and despite some off the court issues derailing a promising campaign - he still managed to play just over 30 minutes per game across 68 contests.
During that period he put up an impressive 15.4 points per game, scoring the ball in all manner of ways to help his team win, even if he only shot 31.1 percent from deep on nearly five attempts per game. Ahead of last season Oubre Jr. signed a minimum deal to play with the 76ers, a fringe contender that Oubre Jr. was able to add real value to.
Waking up seeing that Tobias Harris was replaced by Paul George and Kelly Oubre is back pic.twitter.com/jtYoQz75EG
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) July 1, 2024
The hope was that perhaps he could be convinced to do the same for the Suns in 2024-25, coming back to an organization he suited up for 96 times in the past. Instead he easily exceeded expectations in Philadelphia and in doing so bagged himself a new, two-year, $16.3 million deal. Much too rich for the Suns' blood, and it is why the Suns missed out.