5 former Phoenix Suns the team can re-sign this summer

Although the Phoenix Suns are in the midst of a tough playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, attentions will have already turned to what is a crucial offseason. With three players on max contracts and a cap sheet that will surely make owner Mat Ishbia grimmace every time he sees it, the franchise will have to get creative in signing players to the team.

They did exactly this last summer - with everybody from Yuta Watanabe to Bol Bol signing on to play in The Valley - although they struck out on a number of these players. Watanabe was a massive disappointment, while Keita Bates-Diop and Chimezie Metu didn't do much better either. All three were gone by the trade deadline.

Which is why the Suns may have to look at re-signing a number of players who have already played for the organization to fill out their roster.

As you can imagine, all of these guys are on minimum deals currently, and all will be unrestricted free agents this summer. In the case of most, another team has their Bird Rights, but given the stature of these players, it is unclear if they will be kept around with their current employers. That's just the reality of where the Suns are at right now in the level of player they can sign.

One omission from this list is Chris Paul, who could get cut loose by the Golden State Warriors. If that were to happen, then he'd go right to the front of the queue here, and would be an excellent backup point guard for a roster that badly needs one. Any time you're signing Isaiah Thomas for the rest of the season, you know you could be doing better. Fair warning, this list won't inspire Suns fans...

5. Dario Saric

Forward Dario Saric is one of the better names that is going to appear here, which should tell you all you need to know. Now 29-years-old and having suffered a torn ACL while with the Suns, he is the kind of individual who you find at the end of your bench.

Yet Saric played just over 17 minutes in 64 games for the Golden State Warriors this season, and he even managed nine starts. His career average of 10.6 points per game doesn't seem like much, and yet this could be the kind of low-risk, high-reward choice that really helps the Suns next season.

That's because Saric can create some with the ball in his hands, and offensively he is able to have an impact against second units. In other words, he is actually tailor-made for what the Suns would need him to do. There's no doubt that head coach Frank Vogel would trust him a lot more in tight spots than a younger player like Bol Bol as well.

Defensively there would be question marks, but the idea of this Suns roster was always that they were going to outscore every opponent they came up against. That didn't happen this season - but with Saric's movement and ability to knock down a 3-point shot - as well as being comfortable with the ball in hand, the Suns could do a lot worse than kick the tyres on this one.

4. Bismack Biyombo

The Suns couldn't go in for backup center Bismack Biyombo again, could they? If you watched the team this season, then you'll know that Drew Eubanks simply was not it for the franchise. Tons of enthusiasm on the defensive end, but rarely the kind of game that justified playing him unless you absolutely had to.

Biyombo is a better protector of the paint - and although he barely played with the Oklahoma City Thunder after landing there late in the season - he started 27-of-30 contests for the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the year. More than that, he gave that struggled organization some consistency and veteran play at the center position.

Biyombo was at his best for the Suns when playing alongside Paul, but that is just what the "Point God" was constantly able to do in The Valley. Make limited bigs like Biyombo and Jock Landale look fantastic out there. The reality is closer to the Biyombo who once played for the Orlando Magic, one-dimensional and easy to play off the floor in certain matchups.

Yet he is still only 31-years-old, and he could actually be a viable option instead of Eubanks. Who knows, maybe the tandem of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal could get the same play out of Biyombo as Booker and Paul once did? This isn't a very inspiring choice - but as players come off the board once free agency hits - it may be a safe one that fills a real need for the team.

3. Cameron Payne

Having fun yet? We recently examined a whole heap of free agents the Suns should avoid this offseason, and point guard Cameron Payne made the list. He will always deserve kudos for bringing it in some playoff games for the Suns when many of his teammates did not, but if he's running the show, you'll only ever get so far.

Why then has Payne shown up here? Well there just aren't many backup floor generals who will be available on the minimum this summer, whereas Payne almost certainly will be. Already this season he has played for two contenders in the East in the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, and neither seems particularly excited about keeping him.

A player like Tyus Jones would be a massive upgrade over Payne, and he too will be available this summer. Only he's going to command the kind of money that the Suns simply can't offer, which is where Payne again enters the conversation. As names continue to come off the board, he is going to be sitting there waiting to be signed for little money.

If you're trying to make a case for the Suns to re-sign Payne here - and really it is very hard to - then he is somebody who knows the organization and would have no problem in the role given to him. He's also surely an upgrade over Thomas, who has barely played anyway. If Paul were to become available then Payne would fade into the distance, and yet this looks like a pairing that could happen...

2. Alex Len

Center Alex Len has come to personify an era of Suns basketball that fans would rather forget, but a lot has changed in the 11 years since the franchise drafted him fifth overall. Back then they needed him to be their young hope for a brighter future, as this was before Booker landed in The Valley.

Instead he was absolutely not that - but since leaving the Suns back in 2015 - Len has gone on to carve out a career for himself in the league. Has it been very successful? No, with the highlight being averaging 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. But the fact Len remained in the league and never went back to Europe is actually a victory in itself.

A return to Phoenix under different circumstances could be exactly what Len and the Suns need. He only managed a shade under 10 minutes per night in 48 contests for the Sacramento Kings this season, but Len possesses a bigger and more imposing frame than Eubanks and could serve as a better backup to Jusuf Nurkic.

Unlike Biyombo, there is no doubt that Len has diversified his play since he was last seen in The Valley. That's not to say he's gotten much better - but when compared to somebody like Biyombo who everybody knows what he is going to bring to a roster - there's a chance that Len has a little bit more upside. Not much, but the Suns have to take advantage of these potential opportunities.

1. Kelly Oubre Jr.

Without question the best player on this list, and there's plenty of fans who would love to see Kelly Oubre Jr. back with the team as well. Signed to a one-year, $2.8 million deal by the Phildelphia 76ers, Oubre Jr. started 52-of-68 games played for the team this season. It would have been more, if not for an off the court incident earlier in the campaign.

Oubre Jr. fits checks every box for the Suns, and he is the one former player they should be targeting hard. He's still somehow only 28-years-old, and can be trusted to both start and come off the bench. In the 76ers' opening game of the playoffs against the New York Knicks, he started and played 39 minutes.

Perhaps most importantly of all, he can score at a level that the Suns badly need for their fourth, fifth or sixth option at any given time. Consider that Grayson Allen had a career year by putting up 13.5 points per game, the most of his career to date. He did this by leading the league in 3-point shooting, and was rewarded with a four-year, $70 million deal.

Only he went cold in the Suns' Game 1 postseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, going 0-for-3 and not stepping into those shots with any degree of confidence. Oubre Jr., despite not being a good 3-point shooter at all, averaged 15.4 points during the regular season, and is on a minimum deal. The Suns know how good he can be on any given night, and he'd be a huge addition.