The Phoenix Suns brought Collin Gillespie back on a four-year, $48 million deal this offseason, and in doing so wrapped up one of the best pieces of summer business by any franchise.
Gillespie the perfect player at the right price for Suns
To have gone out on the open market and signed a 27-year-old who means more to The Valley than anywhere on a team-friendly deal is amazing work by the front office. The cherry on top the fact that Gillespie will gladly come off the bench but could end up being so much more on this roster.
There is definite sixth-man potential, and there is no doubt he is a long-term fit next to Devin Booker. Gillespie is the best pure floor general the franchise has had since Chris Paul (no shade to Tyus Jones), and he would make Booker's life much easier if given the ball-handling duties each night.
Defensively, some question marks remain, but that is yet another reason why this deal worked out perfectly for everyone involved.
The Suns are built on a top-10 defense and have Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea to check into the game, depending on the opponent. Gillespie can get picked on, but he's also tenacious and incredibly willing to hound opposing guards as long as they are not backing him down with ease.
Fans won't want the former Denver Nugget to go anywhere; he truly is the biggest success story for the team this decade. But his new contract is among the best in the league in terms of value and what you're getting for $12 million a year. Phoenix does not have a ton of outs, and that is their own fault, but trading Gillespie in the future to pivot is now also on the table thanks to his new contract.
For now, though, they don't have to think about that.
Gillespie brings valued continuity back to Phoenix
The Suns have spoken many times in the past about continuity being their secret weapon heading into this season, but then decided to ignore all of that and trade for Miles Bridges and his upgraded skill set.
Gillespie acts as a link back to a less successful era, as he began to break through on a two-way deal when Kevin Durant was in town.
He brings that level of continuity to this roster while executing the game plan of Coach Jordan Ott extremely well. With the exception of LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers, it is hard to think of another signing that represents better bang for their buck than Gillespie returning to The Valley.
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