Phoenix Suns: 5 potential free agency targets in 2018

1. Marcus Smart

The Suns need defense and they need a point guard. Marcus Smart would do nothing to address Phoenix’s 3-point shooting woes, but those first two checkboxes have Smart written all over them.

According to Arizona Sports‘ John Gambadoro, who is well-versed in all things Suns, it seems unlikely Phoenix would pursue someone like Smart.

For starters, there’s his obvious, fatal flaw: After four years in the league, this fiery perimeter pit bull still can’t shoot. His 36.7 field goal percentage this season tied his career high, and he’s a career 29.3 percent shooter from 3-point range. He’s never shot 40 percent from the field in his four NBA seasons, nor has he eclipsed 34 percent shooting from downtown.

That alone would disqualify 99.9 percent of players from being considered in free agency, but there’s the additional problem that Smart believes he’s worth more than $12-14 million a year. If the Suns made a play on the 24-year-old, that’s probably what they’d be committing in order to dissuade Boston from matching an offer on its restricted free agent.

There’s risk in committing an annual salary of eight figures to a guy who can’t shoot, especially as your starting point guard. The Celtics might be willing to match it because of his defensive versatility, his importance to their team and their status as a contender, but a rebuilding team like the Suns has to get this right.

With that being said, Smart might be one of the more realistic targets for Phoenix. This team absolutely needs defense, a winning mentality and veteran experience, and despite only being in the league for a short time, Smart brings all three of those things in spades.

Not only would the Suns immediately become one of the league’s most annoying teams overnight, but he’d demand defensive excellence out of his teammates and his hustle plays would make even the ghost of P.J. Tucker proud.

For all the talk about his offensive flaws, the Celtics were actually 1.1 points per 100 possessions better on that end when he played, not to mention 3.6 points per 100 possessions stingier on the defensive end. It may not always show up on the stat sheet for this irrational confidence guy, but Marcus Smart makes big plays and helps his team win basketball games.

Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

There’s a case to be made the Suns’ best bet to address the point guard position might be a lower-risk option like Darren Collison, or on the trade market for Patrick Beverley (my personal favorite), but in terms of free agency, getting a defensive bulldog who fits the Timeline like Marcus Smart makes sense.