The Phoenix Suns counted heavily on the 2017 Nba Draft this offseason, merely making one single move during free agency, which was signing their own player to a new contract.
Although the Suns were inactive during the offseason, they were one of the teams furiously in pursuit of Kyrie Irving. They offered Eric Bledsoe, Dragan Bender, and a future first-round pick but did not satisfy the Cleveland Cavaliers. It appears the Suns wanted to definitely improve the roster through trade rather than signing free agents.
The lone free agency move
After a much-improved sophomore season where he averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds on nearly 52 percent shooting, Alan Williams earned a three-year, $17 million deal to remain with the Suns.
He became a key contributor late in the season when Phoenix shut down Tyson Chandler. In fact, in the month of March, he averaged a double-double after rarely playing earlier in the year.
Williams should see more minutes and a redefined role this season, which will enable him to produce more and increase his averages.
The 2017 NBA draft
Through the 2017 NBA draft, the Suns drafted the player they really wanted in Josh Jackson, who will most likely become the team’s starting small forward. Compared to Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard, Jackson is an athletic wing player with tremendous size and quickness. While his jump shot is not entirely great, Jackson is a top-notch defender with terrific intangibles.
Obviously, his shooting is something he will need to work on throughout his career, and if he does, he surely could become the next Kawhi or Butler, two players who also came into the league with poor outside shooting.
In the second round, the Suns selected Davon Reed with the 32nd overall pick and Alec Peters with the 54th overall pick.
While Reed has already been signed to a contract, Peters has been dealing with a right leg stress fracture and hasn’t earned a contract yet after missing all of Summer League.
One other minor move the Suns made, in parallel with their youth movement, is waiving veteran guard Leandro Barbosa.
The Suns are convinced that Devin Booker could be a star player, and I would agree.
With Booker, Bledsoe, Jackson, and couple of other young players, Phoenix’s rebuilding process is going well, which is why they really didn’t need to add other free agents.
Roster outlook
PG: Eric Bledsoe/Tyler Ulis/Brandon Knight*
SG: Devin Booker/Elijah Millsap/Davon Reed
SF: Josh Jackson/T.J. Warren/Jared Dudley/Derrick Jones
PF: Marquese Chriss/Alan Williams/Dragan Bender
C: Tyson Chandler
Coach: Earl Watson
Offseason Grade: B-
