1. T.J. Warren
T.J. Warren has gone from being the forgotten man of the Suns’ young core to the odd man out. How else are we supposed to interpret a summer where Phoenix added Mikal Bridges and Trevor Ariza to a roster that already included Warren, Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, Troy Daniels and Davon Reed on the wing?
In theory, Warren’s contract should be enough to keep him safe. After McDonough gave him a four-year, $47 million extension that kicks in this year, it was fair to assume the Suns envisioned him being part of the team’s core for the foreseeable future.
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However, Phoenix also drafted Josh Jackson last summer, added Bridges this summer and brought in Ariza in free agency. Even if the Suns plan to use Ariza as a full-time small-ball 4, there are only so many minutes available on the wing, a position where the 3-and-D skill-set is so valuable.
Ariza provides that skill-set. On paper, so does Bridges. Jackson certainly wont have the “3” part down for awhile, but he’s already a capable defender, has a higher ceiling than any of Phoenix’s current wings not named Devin Booker and can effectively cut and slash to make up for his lack of a perimeter shot.
Warren, on the other hand, is a poor defender and a poor 3-point shooter. He’s the best cutter on the team and a potent mid-range weapon, but the league is moving further and further away from that kind of old school skill-set. Unless the Suns go all in on small-ball lineups, Tony Buckets just might not be a good fit on this team.
With that being said, he’s still a good, young player at 24. His contract makes him slightly less valuable as a trade asset, but he just averaged 19.6 points per game on 49.8 percent shooting last year. If teams don’t dive too deep into his defense, lack of a 3-point shot or the fact that he hasn’t played more than 66 games in any of his four seasons, they’ll see a promising microwave scorer for their second unit.
That’s quite a lot for a potential suitor to overlook, but Warren would be a deadly weapon on the right team that could cover for his lack of floor-spacing. If he keeps his starting job (or proves himself as a capable sixth man), McDonough would be wise to move him before his contract looks like baggage, freeing up minutes for core wings of the future like Jackson and Bridges in the process.