The Phoenix Suns may have had their various struggles and setbacks this season, but one player who can certainly hold his head high is Grayson Allen. The 28-year-old guard having started all 66 games he has appeared in to this point, while leading the entire league in 3-point shooting at 47.9 percent.
Truly Allen has been a revelation for the organization - so much so that when Bradley Beal went down with one of his many injuries - Allen has eased the pain by outperforming all expectations placed upon him. It should come as no surprise then that the 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists he has averaged this season are all career highs.
Allen is an unrestricted free agent this summer and sure to be in high demand, but how much can the Suns offer him to stay for the long haul?
There is both good and bad news on that front - but starting with the negative - and the franchise is already paying over $150 million to Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal alone next season. Not only does this have a negative impact on their cap sheet, it severely hampers their ability to go out and sign players this summer.
It is why so many players like Bol Bol (who worked out) and Yuta Watanabe (who did not...) were signed to one-year deals last offseason. The Suns are going to have to work in the same way to fill out their roster again ahead of next season, with the veteran minimum being the front office's best friend to try and get that done.
The new CBA has introduced harsher penalties for teams that continue to go into the luxury tax, and right now the Suns are one of the worst offenders in the league. When you combine all of that together, the idea of getting Allen back in The Valley for 2024-25 and beyond looks like a pipe dream, but there are two words that can help to fix that. Bird Rights.
The Suns own Allen's Bird Rights, meaning they can sign him to a contract above what they would ordinarily be allowed to if Allen was on the open market, and it will have less of a negative impact on their salary sheet. That figure currently stands at four years, $75 million, and that is certainly a deal for Allen to consider.
In 17 games Post-All-Star, Grayson Allen is averaging 15.4 PPG on 71.0 (!!!) TS%
— NBA University (@NBA_University) March 26, 2024
74.5 EFG% on catch & shoot FGA during this span. He is up to 47.9 3P% on 5.8 3PA/g for the YEAR
‘14-‘15 Korver is the only player in NBA history to make a higher % (49.2%) on greater volume (6.0) pic.twitter.com/dINITtpnYv
Really though another team could surely throw more money his way this summer, and the Suns are just going to have to accept that if it does happen. The Orlando Magic for example are a young group on the rise, headed to the playoffs and have space to sign players this summer. They also need 3-point shooting more than anything else around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Allen looks an ideal fit, but the hope is that he has enjoyed his time in Phoenix so much and sees the potential to win big there, that he wants to stick around for his prime to find out. Doing so would still cost the Suns - it could add up to $70 million in luxury tax for owner Mat Ishbia to pay down the road - but Ishbia himself has already expressed a desire to bring both Allen and Royce O'Neale back.
Credit to Ishbia on this, he has continued to put his money where his mouth is, bringing an All-Star game to Phoenix in both WNBA and NBA iterations, while also going out and trading for Durant and Beal. Whether those were the right moves to make will become clear in time, but Ishbia is clearly not afraid of taking a big swing, and backing up the moves with money.
The other fear here is that Allen will never be as good as he has been this season - he wouldn't be the first guy to outplay his role in a contract year - and that he can only regress from here. Re-signing him is still a no-brainer though, as on that deal he'd become one of the best trade assets in the league overnight. Allen is a player Suns fans should want to see back for next season.