Phoenix Suns: 5 potential free agency targets in 2018

4. Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley did not have a good first year away from the Boston Celtics. Despite his reputation as a lockdown defender, the Detroit Pistons’ defense was 4.6 points stingier per 100 possessions when he sat and he shot only 40.9 percent from the floor in Motown — a significant dip from 46.3 percent the year before.

Things got worse after he was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Blake Griffin trade, with Bradley’s numbers plummeting from 15.0 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting from 3-point range in Detroit to 9.2 points per game on 11.1 percent shooting from deep in L.A.

He only suited up in six games, so take those numbers with a grain of salt, but the surgery to repair adductor and rectus abdominus muscles is also concerning too, even if it was only a 6-8 week recovery time.

Bradley has never been a pillar of health throughout his career, and it’s a bit unnerving his team’s defenses perform better when he’s off the court, but that statistical anomaly shouldn’t be enough to prevent a team like Phoenix from looking into his services as a complement to Booker in the backcourt.

Though Avery Bradley is more of a 2-guard, the Suns need a defensive-minded player next to Booker to cover for him on that end of the floor. The ball-handling and facilitating responsibilities could fall to Book as he continues to move toward his destiny as a poor man’s James Harden, while Bradley could handle guarding the tougher defensive assignments at the 1.

Bradley won’t turn 28 until November, he’s a career 36.6 percent 3-point shooter and his market value might be lower after a down year. If the Suns’ other options fall through, this could wind up being a free agency steal, even if he’s not the facilitator or floor general Phoenix really craves.