Phoenix Suns: Top 5 Free Agency Targets
Honorable Mentions:
Leandro Barbosa — With the Warriors all in on their pursuit of Kevin Durant, Barbosa is one of Golden State’s many unrestricted free agents who could be lost in the wind by the time they start trying to rebuild their bench depth.
If that’s the case, why not bring back a fan favorite — even in a crowded backcourt — and let him mentor the youngsters while finishing out his career in the Valley of the Sun, where he enjoyed his best years?
Cole Aldrich — Since the Suns have already been reported as a team interested in Aldrich we’ll include him, but to be honest, this move doesn’t make much sense unless the Suns manage to trade Tyson Chandler.
With Chandler and Alex Len already onboard, Aldrich is probably too good to be a third string center after a career year with the Clippers in which he averaged 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game on 59.6 percent shooting.
Center Cole Aldrich not only will have interest from Clippers to return, but Orlando and Phoenix have expressed interested, source.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 29, 2016
James Michael McAdoo — Another potential pickup from Golden State, the 23-year-old James Michael McAdoo hasn’t gotten a chance to really show what he can do just yet. He’s got experience playing on a championship-caliber team, now he needs the experience that comes with regular minutes.
The Suns are gearing more and more toward a youth movement, and with none of the marquee free agents being interested in Phoenix, young players with potential upside like JMM should be among McDonough’s main targets.
Warriors will not extend qualifying offer to retain F James Michael McAdoo, league source tells @clevelanddotcom. Unrestricted free agent.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 29, 2016
Solomon Hill — Hill isn’t quite as young as you’d like to see from your prototypical unknown upside free agent, but he’s still only 25 years old and may have boosted his value after averaging 7.7 points per game on 57.9 percent shooting from deep in Indiana’s first round playoff series.
That’s an excessively small and unsustainable sample size, but Hill represents the exact kind of low-risk, medium-reward prospect the Suns should be seeking out this summer — for the right price.
Solomon Hill has 4 meetings scheduled for when free agency begins & could have more. The #Pacers are not 1 of the teams.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) June 29, 2016
Maurice Harkless — If Maurice Harkless weren’t a restricted free agent, he would’ve easily cracked the top five on our list. But since the Portland Trail Blazers can (and likely will) match a fair offer for him, it would take an overly generous figure to pry him from a young franchise on the rise.
Harkless only averaged 6.4 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting last season, but at 23 years old, this power forward has plenty of potential.
I think Mo Harkless is the only guy the Suns should throw serious long-term money at. Barnes comes a distant second.
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) June 28, 2016
Andrew Nicholson — At 26 years old, there’s a good chance Andrew Nicholson is a year or two away from bust territory. But the Orlando Magic have never really given him a chance, and now that they haven’t given him a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, it’s open season.
A 6’9″ power forward with four years of NBA experience, Nicholson has never logged more than 16.7 minutes per game in a season. But with all that length and a developing three-point shot (36 percent last year on 2.0 attempts per game), he’s certainly worth a look at the right price.
Next: No. 5