The point guard the Suns should target is staring them in the face

There is no doubt that getting an established point guard is the most important piece of offseason business that the Phoenix Suns have to attend to. New head coach Mike Budenholzer stopped short of saying it was necessary to get one at his introductory press conference some weeks back, opting instead to say the team needed to learn to play with and without one.

That still means that they actually need to have at least one on the roster though, after the disaster that was the Devin Booker and Bradley Beal experience of splitting the duties between them last season. Not that either player had a bad season - but with Booker a more natural scorer and Beal limited to just 53 games - the two struggled for consistency together.

To remedy this the Suns will have to enter the free agency pool armed with only a minimum contract to go and get somebody - and Kris Dunn is undoubtedly that guy.

Already the organization have been linked with both Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry as high level point guards who could be gotten with the minimum this offseason. Which is probably true - either would surely consider playing in The Valley - but both are a lot closer to 40 than they are 30.

Adding either of them then would represent a significant risk - as although they'd likely come off the bench and would only be required to play 20/25 minutes each night - they would also have to be healthy come the playoffs. A scenario that is far from guaranteed, with Paul in particular prone to picking up injuries at the worst possible times.

Back to the 30-year-old Dunn, and he would be the shot in the arm that the organization needs at that position. He is absolutely not a star, and so would have no problem constantly deferring to his more well-known teammates. In eight seasons in the league, Dunn has averaged over six assists twice, and over five dimes each night on two occasions as well.

Clearly then the passing is there, although it would be fair to say that defensively he's not making this group any better. To be fair, neither are Lowry or Paul at this stage of their careers and although both were certainly better defenders than Dunn in their day, that is no longer the case. Another reason to consider him.

Dunn last played for the Utah Jazz on what was a two year, $3.3 million deal, so the minimum is absolutely a contract he would sign to play for what it is hoped will be a contender. Dunn's time is Utah wasn't bad, but he didn't rebuild his value in such a way that he is now out of reach for the Suns. He's not even on the level of a Tyus Jones around the league for example.

Back to what he can do on the court, and Dunn shied away from the 3-point shot earlier in his career. He's only averaging 1.7 attempts throughout his career to date, but his time with the Jazz saw more consistency with the shot. Whereas in five of his first six seasons in the league he shot 32.1 percent or worse from deep, with the Jazz it reached the much more acceptable 39.5 percent.

In fact in 2022-23 on 1.6 attempts each night, Dunn was a ridiculous 47.2 percent from beyond the arc. That obviously wasn't sustainable and it wouldn't return if he landed in Phoenix either, but it is further proof that he is capable of helping the Suns in several different and important ways if they go and get him.

Which they should, because they're not going to get better value at the point guard position this summer. Still young enough to improve even slightly, while also having enough experience in the league that he can comfortably set the table and settle everything down for this group. Kris Dunn on the Suns makes too much sense, and they have to make him their top priority.