Despite being active at both the trade deadline and through the buyout market, the Phoenix Suns decided against adding another point guard to their roster. Instead they opted to trade for Royce O'Neale and David Roddy - both of which made sense - before going into the market and signing Thaddeus Young.
The Suns might not yet be finished with the buyout candidates available to them either - this former champion would appear to be a solid pickup - but it is unlikely another floor general will be joining for the stretch run. Then again, we recently found solid evidence to support the belief that this version of the Suns don't actually need a point guard.
Yet despite this, the Suns may still be smarting at the fact Jordan Goodwin has left The Valley, and gone on to show some flashes with the Memphis Grizzlies right away.
The 25-year-old was a throw-in as part of the Chris Paul for Bradley Beal trade that went down last summer, and the thought process was that he could actually help this group. They were thin in the backcourt - even more so when Beal missed considerable time with a back issue to start the campaign - and Goodwin can be a tenacious defender out on the court.
He's also a "safe" floor general - and although that might seem like a negative - it was anything but for the Suns. Head coach Frank Vogel needed somebody who would give their all defensively, not do anything crazy with the ball in hand, and most importantly defer to Devin Booker most of the time. Goodwin ticked all of those boxes, yet he was still moved at the deadline.
ESPN Sources: The Memphis Grizzlies are signing guard Jordan Goodwin on a two-way deal. Memphis will waive two-way guard Jacob Gilyard, who had nearly reached his limit of NBA days after making a positive impression in his Grizzlies’ stay.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 24, 2024
Suns fans will have been happy to see him resurface essentially straight away, as he initially earned a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. An organization that aren't going anywhere right now, and who will be without superstar Ja Morant until next season. The pairing made perfect sense, and so far that has been the case.
Goodwin only had to play twice for the Grizzlies - both of which were impressive wins over the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks - and in 26.5 minutes per game they felt the need to upgrade his 10-day contract to a two-way deal.
He even started the game versus the Bucks and had seven boards and three assists to go with 11 points. Which has been the almost worrying thing for the Suns here, with how comfortable Goodwin has looked. In barely any time at all his work ethic and abilities were enough for the Grizzlies to sign him up on a two-way, and waive another point guard in Jacob Gilyard to make it happen.
Goodwin so far in Memphis has been exactly what the Suns could have used if one of Booker or Beal happened to go down with injury. Only Beal is currently injured again, and rather than have a competent backup off the bench, the Suns have looked on as the likes of Bol Bol have stepped up to the plate. Which has been great to see, but does still leave the franchise short of guards.
This is not the first time this season the Grizzlies have managed to take a castaway by the Suns and turn them into an effective role player. Former center Bismack Biyombo was picked up by the Grizzlies and started 27-of-30 games for the team this season, before being waived earlier this month. He was immediately picked up by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But while that might not reflect well on the Suns, the reality is the Grizzlies are picking off the scraps of a contender. That shouldn't worry the Suns - if they had to rely on Biyombo and Goodwn as much as the Grizzlies have - they wouldn't be in the position they are right now. Unlike Biyombo though, Goodwin may yet prove that he could have helped the Suns in his own small way. Only time will tell.
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