As hard as it may be to believe, if there is one player the Phoenix Suns are going to really miss next season, it is swingman Royce O'Neale.
O'Neale fit with every lineup while spacing floor in Phoenix
Yes, he was often picked on defensively and could never make enough 3-pointers to be deemed truly elite (although the 40.8 percent he averaged with the Suns is the best of the teams he's played for in his career so far).
But he was also the man for every occasion and was deemed the right kind of role player to have alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. During the final season of that failed experiment, O'Neale started 22 of 75 games for the franchise.
Many thought his interest would dip last season as the Suns fell out of championship contention (despite the fact they were never truly in it with Durant in town), but instead, the opposite happened.
O'Neale started 67 of 78 games and was the perfect veteran role model to everybody from Collin Gillespie to Khaman Maluach. O'Neale never complained about his changing role in The Valley or the contrasting fortunes of the team. He just showed up each night and did his job well.
He even formed an unexpected defensive tandem with Grayson Allen, which somehow slowed down Victor Wembanyama last season as well. That was never the point of O'Neale's game, but it was helpful. Offensively, he was always the release valve posted up at the 3-point line if a possession broke down.
O'Neale will quietly thrive with Hornets
It is no surprise the Charlotte Hornets wanted to get him in the building, as they are clearly trying to build a new culture; one that O'Neale will immediately help bring to life.
Gone in Charlotte are Miles Bridges to the Suns and LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Replaced by veterans such as O'Neale, who know what it takes to stick in this league and to win games. The 9.8 points he managed per game last season were surprisingly a career high, and that number is likely going to climb once more.
During the periods of the season when the Suns are losing games and fans wonder why they gave up their continuity for a guy like Bridges, the steady play of O'Neale won't make them feel any better.
His time with the organization was up and a trade was always likely to happen this offseason. But that won't make watching him quietly thrive in a new location any easier, because Royce O'Neale was one of the most professional players the Suns have had on their roster this decade.
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