Bruising center starring in playoffs has to be on Suns' hit list this offseason

The Phoenix Suns are about to embark on some massive changes this offseason, and their hunt for a new head coach is going to get underway shortly. There may be some shuffling of the front office before the search gets underway, but it is among the most important pieces of business for the organization this summer.

Also at the top of the list is the future of Kevin Durant. The 36-year-old looking like everything the Houston Rockets needed and more as they bowed out of the postseason at the first hurdle versus the Golden State Warriors. Durant is going to have his suitors this summer, and the Suns need to ensure they get as much value as possible to surround Devin Booker with.

Thomas Bryant is the backup center they need to bring to Phoenix.

One of the less sexy orders of business for the franchise will be ensuring they have a better center rotations for next season, whether Durant leaves The Valley or not. Nick Richards did an average job after the Suns traded for him at the deadline - and while a lot is expected of Oso Ighodaro - the team is one body short right now. Enter Thomas Bryant.

Bryant is currently playing for the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs, with head coach Rick Carlisle trusting him to play six minutes in that game. For those of you who are quickly going to point out that this is not a lot of run time, you're correct. But it is also the second round of the playoffs against the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and Bryant was on the court. Trust Richards to do that?

Or Jusuf Nurkic? How about Mason Plumlee? Exactly, Bryant is a physical big who can also step outside and make a 3-point shot. He's also currently playing on a minimum contract - words the Suns' front office love to hear - and is an unrestricted free agent next season. You need only look at those spot minutes in a big game to see how much better Bryant would be compared to a Drew Eubanks.

That is not to say the 27-year-old would fix a lot of the Suns' problems, because he would not. He made a costly turnover that led to a Cavaliers 3-pointer in Game 1, and can get taken to the cleaners by an elite scorer like Donovan Mitchell. In his defense however, plenty of better centers also can't stay in front of Mitchell, so there is no shame in that.

Really though Bryant has the right combination of still being young - while also having a lot of experience - and being available at the right price to be a regular season staple for the Suns. He moves better than Nurkic did, while his shooting touch ironically would have worked wonders in an offensive system designed by Mike Budenholzer.

Perhaps a Durant trade changes everything here - but even if that happens - the organization could do a lot worse than Bryant. Yes he's bounced around the league some, but there's enough to like for him to play 20 minutes a night during the regular season as Ighodaro continues to improve. If it's good enough for the Pacers - and it is - then you better believe it is good enough for the Suns.