There is no doubt that signing Luke Kennard to a two-year, $13 million contract this offseason represented real value for the Phoenix Suns, but if he doesn't work out, Collin Gillespie could be the outlandish choice to replace him.
Gillespie can do everything Kennard can and more
It is no secret that at 30-years-old, Kennard has failed to truly stick with any one team. He remains one of those players who sound great in theory until you have him on your roster and his limitations reveal themselves.
Kennard led the entire NBA in 3-point shooting last season (47.8 percent), yet the Atlanta Hawks sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers at the trade deadline. The Lakers were then fine letting him walk this summer. There is no doubt that, if the conditions are right, he can be effective as the Suns need a replacement for the long-range shooting of Grayson Allen.
Yet, Kennard is nowhere near the defender Allen was, and there is a solid chance that he could be picked on to the point of being played off the court by opponents. That has happened in the past, and Gillespie is the unexpected choice to step into his spot off the bench should that happen.
Gillespie is naturally thought of as a point guard, and he has done his best work for the franchise in that spot. At this stage, he is somehow one of their longest-tenured players as well, so he is as familiar as anybody with what playing alongside superstar Devin Booker means.
He is a more willing defender than Kennard despite being smaller, and in his two full seasons in The Valley, he has never shot below 40 percent from 3-point range. Gillespie also boasts the aforementioned playmaking ability lost when Allen was sent to the Charlotte Hornets.
Gillespie brought back on new contract to fulfill many roles
Until the Suns make a tough decision on what to do with Jalen Green, taking Kennard's spot may be the best path for Gillespie to increase his own standing in Phoenix. He would surely prefer to be the starting point guard, and Booker would likely love that to be the case too.
But if Kennard is again moved before the season is over, it will create a gaping hole in the rotation for a borderline elite 3-point shooter who can space the court for others.
Gillespie is capable of much more than that, but it is a position he could fill for a franchise that unfortunately does not have the luxury of making massive roster changes thanks to mistakes of the past.
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