The Phoenix Suns might be getting linked with Ja Morant right now, but the most likely course of action this offseason is running it back around Devin Booker.
It is why Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie remain top priorities, while all of the players currently on their roster will need to take a step up next season if the Suns are to even make it back to the playoffs.
Ryan Dunn deserves one final chance to impress
It is going to be a make or break campaign for forward Ryan Dunn. Through two seasons in The Valley he has struggled for consistency, particularly with a 3-point shot that was hot entering the league and only looks more like a mirage the further removed we get from it.
But it is in the best interest of the Suns to give him another chance to prove himself, particularly given what we have just seen from the New York Knicks back East. They have two tremendous defenders in Mikal Bridges (break out those old jerseys) and OG Anunoby, who work brilliantly around Jalen Brunson.
The Suns have Dillon Brooks to pair with Booker, but if Dunn could turn into even an average version of what Bridges once was in Phoenix it would be a massive boost for their rotation. That would include developing some kind of go-to offensive move, his lack of scoring in the playoffs hurting his team massively.
But you can’t just throw in the towel on a 23-year-old former first round pick, especially when in theory so much of what he is supposed to do well fits with the vision head coach Jordan Ott has for this group.
If you’re more cynical on the future of Dunn, then you can at least admit that bumping up his non-existent trade value through improved play also makes sense. It’s not like any better alternatives are going to present themselves through free agency, which is yet another reason to stick with Dunn for that bit longer.
Should a tempting trade offer come up that has Dunn included in the package then the organization have to do it, and his two seasons in Phoenix have been frustrating to say the least. Oso Ighodaro having overtaken him for minutes and a bigger role in the rotation despite his own limitations.
But as Bridges has shown in New York, when two-way forwards pop they can be the difference between competing and contending, and the Suns don’t have anybody close to that player profile on their roster currently. Which is difficult for coach Ott, because the Suns want to win games and Dunn has not always helped make that happen.
He deserves one final chance to prove himself before a difficult conversation needs to be had.
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