Are the Phoenix Suns overvaluing the buyout market?

The Phoenix Suns have returned from the All-Star break with an underwhelming 1-2 record, although they did prove they are now a better team than the Los Angeles Lakers with a second straight victory against them recently. Made all the better by the fact Bradley Beal missed the game as a result of a hamstring issue.

The Suns used a combination of having a better head coach in Frank Vogel, two superstars in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, and a jumbo lineup not seen before to get the better of their Western Conference foes. This bodes well for the coming months, when the franchise will need to find different ways to beat all manner of opponents.

What is also becoming apparent as we enter the final stretch of the regular season is just how much the Suns might have overvalued the buyout market.

This way of thinking is not exclusive to the Suns - but as this is The Valley of The Suns - we will only take their case into account here. At the trade deadline, the organization shipped out four players, three second round picks and a future pick swap in order to acquire Royce O'Neale and David Roddy. A lot to give up, but the four players in question has underwhelmed anyway.

Roddy hasn't really gotten going with the Suns yet, appearing in three games and managing just four minutes per contest. Those are some Bol Bol pre-Christmas numbers right there. O'Neale though has been exactly what the team has needed, starting in the victory over the Lakers and putting up a 20 and 10 and hitting a hugely important six 3-pointers.

Attentions then turned to the buyout market, with the Suns only able to sign players who were making up to $12.4 million this season elsewhere before being bought out. This ruled out ideal candidates such as Spencer Dinwiddie, with the Suns settling on Thaddeus Young to add to their rotation.

Yet Young has only appeared in one game so far - although admittedly it take some time to clear waivers - and right now it is unclear where he slots into this rotation. In theory he gives the team another big to slot next to Durant when Jusuf Nurkic is either on the bench or is unplayable because of the matchup, but that may not happen as much as previously thought.

Nurkic had one of his best games of the season in bullying Anthony Davis inside versus the Lakers, and really he is having his best and most consistent run of games in the last six years right now as well. Alongside the towering center and their "Big 3", the Suns have to make room for O'Neale, Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon and Bol.

The duo of Josh Okogie and Nassir Little will see spot minutes, while Saben Lee has seen some game time recently and is a point guard. An area where this roster is lacking outside of Booker. With all of that in mind and the Suns looking excellent offensively at times throughout the season, where does that leave Young?

Related to this question is the fact the organization still has the ability to sign one more buyout guy. Another wing would make sense, but are any of the available ones going to do that much of a better job than the combination of Okogie and Little? Too often fans get caught up in the name of the player available, instead of taking into account the stage of their career that they are at.

Yes sometimes players are bought out to pursue a championship as a favor to an agent or to get them out of town - but if you're hitting the buyout market - there's generally a reason why. So names like John Wall might sound appealing because of what we know about them (and because of the Suns' possible need for another guard), but the reality is usually so different.

Which is why players like Joe Harris - who the Suns couldn't sign even if they wanted to because of the money he's making this season - remain out there, unsigned and looking to land on another team. Harris led the league in 3-point percentage not so long ago, and there is always a need for another deep threat when you're trying to win at a high level.

Yet nobody has gone and added him to their roster, despite only being 32-years-old. All of which is to say, head coach Frank Vogel already has the players at his disposal that are going to take this team as far as they can go. He's done a wonderful job with Nurkic and Bol, and there's no reason the likes of O'Neale and even Roddy can help some too.

Thaddeus Young and another buyout veteran - which the Suns will surely go and get - isn't going to move the needle for this group. Which is why fans and the front office alike need to stop getting so caught up in these players, because of the minimal impact they are going to have, and generally do have on a fringe contender like the Suns.