Phoenix Suns: Complete 2017 offseason grades

The Phoenix Suns mostly sat out of free agency, but through the draft and patience, it was a successful summer for #TheTimeline. Here are their complete offseason grades.

In one of the most bizarre offseasons of player movement in recent memory, it probably took a great deal of restraint for Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough to avoid the kind of blockbuster deal he’s been pining for since he first took the job.

With Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas and Chris Paul all changing hands on the trade market, not to mention Gordon Hayward and Paul Millsap departing their teams in free agency, this was the kind of summer filled with disgruntled superstars that McDonough had been waiting for…well, two years ago.

With all those stockpiled assets and all that young talent, the Suns could have mortgaged their long-term approach by trading for someone like Butler or Kyrie, hoping they’d amount to more than rentals and first round playoff exits. Instead, they kept their No. 4 overall pick, added more youth in the draft, largely sat out of free agency and continued to look toward the future.

For a franchise that’s never won a championship entering its 50th season and has missed the playoffs the last seven seasons, patience is a bitter pill to swallow. But with #TheTimeline taking flight, it’s the right path for a rebuilding team that’s starting to assemble quite a promising core.

Though the Suns hardly made any headlines this summer and will likely be one of the worst teams in the West next year, that’s not the end of the world considering this team’s timeline, fledgling talent and an incoming 2018 NBA Draft class that’s loaded in the top five.

Bearing all this in mind, here’s a look at complete 2017 offseason grades for the moves the Suns made, including their draft selections and free agency activity.

Josh Jackson joins

The Suns may have missed their window on a Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster trade when they couldn’t capitalize on the New York Knicks’ temporary bout with insanity, but “settling” for Josh Jackson with the No. 4 pick in the draft was one hell of a consolation prize.

Phoenix had its eye on Jackson throughout the draft process, and when the Boston Celtics took Jayson Tatum at No. 3, the Suns got their guy.

This fiery wing is perhaps the best two-way prospect in the draft, and if he develops a consistent 3-point shot, he could conceivably become the best player in his draft class — a sentiment general manager Ryan McDonough stands by:

"“We thought Josh Jackson was the best player in the draft. People say, ‘Well yeah, maybe he’s the best two-way player,’ but last I checked, the game was played two ways, you don’t just play one. We really like Josh — his talent, we love his fit for our roster.”"

In his one season at Kansas, Jackson averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from deep. Despite Tatum being pegged as the more dynamic scorer, Jackson actually posted better numbers in field goal and 3-point percentage.

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At NBA Summer League, Jackson earned All-Summer League First Team honors behind averages of 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, making his impact felt all over the court despite shooting just 42.5 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from downtown.

His jump shot needs some slight modifications to translate to the next level, but his versatility, defensive mindset, playmaking ability, youth and defense all make him a tremendous fit with Phoenix’s rebuild.

"“When I look at Phoenix, that’s one of the things that really excites me is that they’re young,” Jackson said. “I know that I got a lot of things to learn coming into this league. I know that they still got some things that they need to learn, but being able to learn those things together and come up and group up together, I think down the road that will make our team chemistry just so much better and end up making us a really special team.”"

Jackson will help cover for Devin Booker‘s deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball, while Booker’s scoring ability and shooting range may create driving and cutting lanes for the former Jayhawk on the other end.

Between Booker and Jackson, the Suns now have two pillars to build on, with Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender potentially being the third and fourth. Let #TheTimeline commence.

Grade: A

Drafting Davon

The Suns nailed their first round pick, but their first second-rounder was a bit of a head-scratcher. On the surface, Davon Reed‘s 3-and-D skill-set and his level of experience make him a good fit for Phoenix, but he wasn’t projected to go until the end of the second round by most mocks. With the Suns still holding a pick at No. 54, it felt like a bit of a reach to take him at No. 32.

Still, after watching Reed in Summer League, we had to bump up the Suns’ draft-night grade for this selection by half a letter grade — subsequent injury and all. The former Miami product will never be a star, but he should be a preferable option to a healthy Brandon Knight at the very least.

In his senior season with the Hurricanes, Davon Reed averaged 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range. With a mammoth 7’0″ wingspan, he can also guard multiple positions on the perimeter.

Reed didn’t blow anyone away at Summer League, but he served his role well enough, putting up 14.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Though he only made 10 of his 35 3-point attempts, those numbers should improve with time.

Passing on Oregon’s Jordan Bell or SMU’s Semi Ojeleye could prove to be a mistake down the road, but this 6’6″ wing should be able to carve out a role off the bench behind Booker — assuming he can return fully healthy from a torn meniscus that will sideline him for 4-6 months, of course.

Grade: C

Picking out Peters

Forget about the foot injury that ended his senior season or the fact that most late second round picks never pan out, because if you’re not rooting for the Valparaiso big man after hearing his name called by the Suns, there’s not much else to say:

Peters, a 22-year-old senior, projects to be a stretch-4 and might have been taken much higher if not for the foot injury that prevented him from participating in Summer League action.

In his final season with the Crusaders, the 6’9″ power forward averaged 23.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from downtown on 5.5 attempts per game.

"“With he and Davon, our two second round picks, we feel like we got two of the better shooters in draft, which is obviously another area that we need to improve,” McDonough said."

If not for that injury, Peters would’ve been more widely recognized as one of the best shooting big men in the draft. Whether he turns out to be a second round steal or just another hopeful shot in the dark remains to be seen, but best of luck trying not to root for this guy.

Grade: C+

Bringing back Big Sauce

It took more than a week, but the Suns finally made their first move of free agency by agreeing to re-sign Phoenix native and fan favorite Alan Williams to a three-year, $17 million deal. Only the first year worth $6 million is guaranteed, however.

That last tidbit was odd at the time, given Alex Len‘s unresolved status as a restricted free agent and the fact that Tyson Chandler will turn 35 years old before the upcoming season, but the Suns will get at least one more year of Big Sauce’s trademark hustle, put-backs and unforgettable bench celebrations.

Williams’ infectious humor and sense of team camaraderie were his calling cards until the end of last season, when the Suns’ youth movement (and Chandler being shut down) opened up minutes for him. He made the most of them, outplaying Alex Len to the tune of 11.4 points and 9.1 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game after the All-Star break.

Sauce is a bit undersized at 6’8″, and since he’s already 24 years old, the upside here is limited. But with the team’s center position in flux until one of Len/Dragan Bender/Marquese Chriss proves they can man the 5-spot, this is an extremely affordable deal for a truly elite rebounder.

Williams won’t be expected to grow into a starting role, but according to Basketball Insiders‘ Tommy Beer, he became just the fourth player this century to average at least 17 points and 14 rebounds per 36 minutes for an entire season.

As the Dan Majerle Hustle Award indicates, Big Sauce will simply be expected to leave it all on the court, rack up rebounds in limited minutes and finish around the basket. At less than $6 million a season, the Suns maintained their flexibility while retaining a fan favorite and useful bench piece.

Grade: A-

Contract Sta-Len-mate

Alex Len’s restricted free agency wasn’t resolved until late September, but this wasn’t anything new for the Suns, who didn’t finalize terms with Eric Bledsoe until late September when he was a restricted free agent back in 2014. For a considerably less talented player, it made sense McDonough wasn’t ready to make it rain.

Len’s name is rarely mentioned whenever #TheTimeline comes up, and now that he’s been in the league for four years, his ceiling seems to cave further in with each passing season. He’s already 24 years old, couldn’t surpass Tyson Chandler in the starting rotation despite being a decade younger, has dealt with injury problems and has made little progress in the problem areas of his game.

Furthermore, Phoenix didn’t want to ruin its current cap flexibility, which stands at $14.3 million after Len agreed to play out the 2017-18 season on his $4.2 million qualifying offer. Even something like a three-year, $30 million deal seemed like an overpay that would have left the Suns with an unwanted deal two or three years from now, right when the rebuild should be taking flight.

Related Story: Phoenix Suns - 5 bold predictions for 2017-18

If McDonough could have talked Len’s agent down to something in the ballpark of $5-6 million a year, that would’ve been more reflective of his true worth. However, the former No. 5 overall pick would rather play out the 2017-18 season on his qualifying offer and gamble on being able to earn more money as an unrestricted free agent next summer. That’d make more sense for him than settling for a few extra million this year and being tied to that dollar amount for the foreseeable future.

Playing on that qualifying offer is a risky gamble given how quickly the market dried up this summer, not to mention next summer’s loaded crop of free agents, but his objective is to make as much money as a team will offer. That big offer never came with everyone’s cap space dried up, so the most likely outcome was always Len settling for a team-friendly deal or playing out 2017-18 on his qualifying offer.

Either case would’ve been a victory for the Suns, who avoided overpaying for a player that may be replaceable by Dragan Bender or Marquese Chriss down the road. The qualifying offer gives Len one last chance to prove himself, and if he fails, they can simply cut him loose and focus on the future.

Grade: A-

Overall

Rounding out McDonough’s season was signing Summer League standout Mike James to one of the NBA’s new two-way deals, which allow players to fluctuate back and forth between the official roster and the G League. With Reed and Knight both injured, Phoenix also signed the undrafted Peter Jok to a non-guaranteed deal, which basically amounts to a training camp invite.

All in all though, there wasn’t much activity for the Phoenix Suns this summer. They came away from the 2017 NBA Draft with three new rookies, including one who could become a franchise pillar alongside Devin Booker. To that end, it was a successful offseason for a franchise that’s finally learned to be patient.

The other victory lies in that very virtue. McDonough has been chasing blockbuster trades ever since he arrived in the Valley, and it appears as though both he and owner Robert Sarver are finally committed to a more measured approach through the draft and talent development. As such, their free agency was almost completely uneventful.

It will be awhile before the Suns are back in the playoffs, let alone a Western Conference contender again, but the future is bright.

Phoenix resisted the urge to blow all their young talent and future draft assets on a temporary stopgap star like Kyrie Irving and stayed committed to the vision of finally winning a championship — a vision that, unfortunately, won’t come to fruition until the reign of this Golden State Warriors juggernaut ends.

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In the meantime, it’s smarter to hunker down in the foxhole, let the youngsters grow together and see what the Suns have got. Re-signing Alan Williams was good for continuity and team morale, and Len’s restricted free agency worked out just fine, even in the worst-case scenario where he never pans out and the team cuts ties next summer

It’s impossible to give the Suns a grade in the “A” range due to their lack of activity in free agency. They didn’t really get that much better compared to last season, and there are still a few talented free agents they should consider signing as veteran leaders.

However, the vision is finally starting to come together with the drafting of Josh Jackson and another year under the belts of Booker, Bender and Chriss. By remaining patient and emphasizing #TheTimeline, the Phoenix Suns get the highest grade possible among teams that pretty much no-showed free agency.

Next: 10 young NBA players in need of a breakout season in 2017-18

Final Grade: B+