The Phoenix Suns are in the midst of trying to find a new head coach, but they have all manner of roster issues to solve ahead of next season. Any team that finishes with only 36 wins despite having championship ambitions has a lot to fix, and you can be sure that some big names could be on the move.
Kevin Durant looking like the most likely player to get traded, although the Suns would surely love to ditch Bradley Beal and his no-trade clause if they could. Below that tier of player there are a bunch of individuals who played on minimum deals, and so are hitting unrestricted free agency this summer. The Suns might want to bring some of these guys back, but it might just be out of their hands.
Dallas Mavericks could steal Tyus Jones away to Texas.
Let's be honest, it was a tale of two campaigns for floor general Tyus Jones in Phoenix. He came in and immediately looked like a revelation, taking care of the basketball and teeing up his teammates as the floor general the roster had lacked since they moved on from Chris Paul. Jones took the starting spot of Grayson Allen - and for a couple of months at least - it looked like the right call.
Then came the flip side of the coin - and it showed that when the chips were down and the Suns weren't winning games - Jones was an easy target for opponents to pick on. They would ultimately finish 27th in defensive efficiency - giving up a horrid 117.7 points per game - and the lack of size and physical threat from Jones was one of the key reasons why.
Which is where the Dallas Mavericks enter the conversation. They already have Anthony Davis as their defensive anchor, and they're about to draft Cooper Flagg. Ironically it is this tandem that may also allow the Suns to steal a player from Dallas, but that is a conversation we have already covered here.
Jones is at his best when he's got elite defenders around him, and the Suns failed him in that regard. The Mavericks will also be missing Kyrie Irving for essentially all of the season - he's out with an ACL tear - which has led Robby Kalland of CBS Sports to mention Jones as a target for the Mavericks to see them through that period.
The Suns will be hoping to get under the second apron by getting rid of both Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic, which would be a big boost in their quest to improve their roster. They could then aggregate salaries when making trades - and if they were to also move on from Durant - they would then have the flexibility to go in several different directions.
Depending on how they rebuild their roster, bringing back Jones might actually make sense. If the Suns got a more athletic big man - Nick Richards was an ok start at the deadline - plus the likes of Ryan Dunn getting more run next to Jones, it would make his life easier. That in turn would lead to the point guard doing what he does best, and the Suns once again getting the best out of him.
But with Jones having seen his trade value take a serious hit during the regular season - as well as knowing the Mavericks represent a fresh start and the opportunity to again show what he can do as a starter - he Jones may be as good as gone from Phoenix. Which you would think isn't a bad thing, until you consider the alternative.
There's a reason he was viewed as a steal last offseason for the organization, with the likes of Cameron Payne and Jevon Carter the kind of players they could look to replace him with. Even worse, Jones looks like the kind of veteran who would fit well with the Mavericks for all the reasons he was meant to excel in Phoenix, which would make a direct rival even better. A worrying development.