The Phoenix Suns might have three star players and a handful of veterans that other organizations would love to have on their rosters, but that doesn't mean there aren't guys out there that they'd love to add if they could.
The obvious choice on where exactly to fill in a dream addition being the point guard position, an area of concern for the franchise this offseason. While Chris Paul and even Kyle Lowry would be acceptable - and also somewhat realistic - stopgaps to run the show, a long-term solution is something the front office has to address in the coming seasons.
It would take a miracle to get him to The Valley, but Andrew Nembhard of the Indiana Pacers absolutely looks like that guy right now.
To be clear, the Suns have no chance of adding Nembhard at any point in the near future. He has only played two seasons in the league - and once his rookie deal is up in two year's time - the Pacers are sure to bring him back on a beefier deal. If not much before then. The kind of contract that the Suns as currently constructed have absolutely no chance of offering themselves.
But Nembhard represents everything the Suns could hope to get out of that position, and at only 24-years-old he would be a fantastic investment. This year he made it all the way to the Conference Finals with the Pacers, and unlike a lot of younger players actually saw his minutes and production go up in the postseason.
Nembhard going from 9.2 points and 4.1 assists in 25 minutes per night across 68 regular season games (47 starts), to 14.9 points and 5.5 assists in 32.6 minutes, while starting all 17 playoff games that he appeared in. It is not a stretch then to say that Nembhard played a real contirbution in an underdog making it to the last four.
Where it gets trickier for the player though, is the fact that this is Tyrese Haliburton's team. While the Pacers themselves would surely like to pair Nembhard and Haliburton for as long as possible - if he has a third year explosion in 2024-25 - that could complicate things in Indiana.
It is hard to predict the next player who is going to make a Tyrese Maxey level jump to legitimate star, but Nembhard's postseason performance looks like a nice indicator that he could be that guy. Obviously if he went to the Suns in a hypothetical situation, it wouldn't be his team either, and he would always be second fiddle next to Devin Booker.
But the fit next to Booker sounds really good in theory, and the Suns have a rich history of point generational point guards such as Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Even Paul fit into this category. That Nash and Nembhard are both Canadian is a lazy connection to make but you get the point. He would be possibly the best player in the league to add, as Nembhard looks primed to break out soon.
Ending on a positive note, and the Pacers drafted Nembhard 31st overall back in 2022. The Suns have the 22nd pick themselves this summer, and have already been linked with a point guard themselves. So even though Nembhard himself is unattainable, knowing that they can get the next guy up has to be of some comfort to the Suns.