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Phoenix Suns: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Dragan Bender (right) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number four overall pick to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Dragan Bender (right) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number four overall pick to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Nov 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa high fives fans in the crowd following the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Warriors defeated the Suns 135-116. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Bringing Back The Brazilian Blur

When the Suns agreed to sign Dudley, it was seen as a commitment to providing the team’s young core with a positive veteran influence, landing a capable starting power forward and giving in to the youth movement as the bigger name free agents were never really in play.

With Phoenix set to bring home Leandro Barbosa on a two-year, $8 million contract, McDonough seems to be all in on a youth movement accompanied by nostalgic, feel-good signings of former fan favorites.

Coming off what should’ve been a second straight championship season with the Golden State Warriors, the 33-year-old Barbosa averaged 6.4 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the floor and 35.5 percent shooting from three-point range for a 73-win team.

In the 2016 NBA Finals, Barbosa was one of the Dubs’ most reliable bench contributors, averaging 8.2 points in just 13.2 minutes per game while shooting 18-for-28 from the field (64.3 percent) and 5-for-10 from three-point range.

Though he’s not quite as speedy as he once was during his prime years with the Suns, he could still be a useful reserve for an inexperienced Phoenix team as someone who can play spot minutes, knock down a few threes and entertain the crowd with a throwback burst of speed every now and then.

In what will be Barbosa’s third stint with the Suns, the Blur is returning to a franchise where he enjoyed his best individual years despite not winning a championship until joining the Warriors.

In eight seasons in Phoenix — including the first seven of his career — Barbosa averaged 12.4 points per game on .467/.396/.827 shooting splits. He quickly became a fan favorite, delighting the crowd with his speed attacking the basket, which was always accompanied by his patented hunched over dribbling stance.

Like Dudley, Barbosa is hardly the kind of sexy free agency signing that will get Phoenix back to the playoffs, but the move is encouraging because it reaffirms the front office’s commitment to the full-scale rebuild this franchise has needed since McDonough first took over in 2013.

His mentorship for the younger players will aid Phoenix’s rebuilding process, though his fit on a roster already stacked with guards is a bit questionable with Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Devin Booker, Archie Goodwin, Tyler Ulis and John Jenkins all on the books.

Grade: B-

Next: Overall

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