The Suns' first-round selection was packaged in the trade that landed Chris Paul with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Thunder received: Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick
Suns received: Chris Paul and Abdel Nader.
Phoenix's second-round pick was dealt to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Torrey Craig.
Pacers received: Jalen Smith, 2022 second-round pick
Suns received: Torrey Craig
However, Durant remains under contract for this summer, as well as the next four. Phoenix also committing $132 million to Deandre Ayton this week and making him unable to trade until at least mid-January only further complicates things.
Hailing from the free agent market rather than the trade block like Durant, these players only need to put pen to paper to land with the Suns. With nearly every other big name free agent already signed as well, most offer sheets will likely only include the veteran’s minimum salary.
Choice 1: Dennis Schroder
Cameron Payne’s falloff last year due to injuries and insufficient play combined with the growing concern over Chris Paul’s health following back-to-back playoff injuries leave the Suns in a curious spot at point guard.
If things pan out well, where Paul dances around the injury bug for the entirety of his 18th NBA season and Payne returns to the player we saw rip teams apart off the bench from the 2020-21 season, the Suns are locked and loaded.
However, if Paul finally starts to act his own age and Payne cannot turn things around, storm clouds will fill the desert. We saw the Suns struggle momentarily last year when Paul injured his hand in February and Payne failed to pick up the slack. Although Booker stepped up well at point guard for a bit and Aaron Holiday had a few nice games, the former plays his best at the two guard spot and the latter is now in Atlanta.
As a fail safe, the Suns would be wise to strike a deal with ball-handler Dennis Schroder.
After a rocky campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers two seasons ago, he was able to tread water last year between his time with the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets. He averaged 10.9 points per game while shooting 43.1 percent 34.4 percent from three.
While those numbers do not exactly sound like any coming from a former Sixth Man of the Year runner up, they’re all better than that of Payne’s from last year.
Choice 2: LaMarcus Aldridge
At this point in his career, LaMarcus Aldridge can take you to the highest of highs on offense, but the lowest of lows on defense. His shot remains smooth as ever to hit jumpers off the pick-and-pop. His strength and touch allow him to still finish inside with ease as well.
However, his slow feet on defense make him a liability if left out on the court for long stretches and against screen-heavy offenses that might force a switch around the perimeter. The Brooklyn Nets noticed this last year, and as they struggled to contain the versatile Boston Celtics on defense in the postseason, they stashed him on their bench.
Needless to say, Aldridge is a lethal weapon under the right circumstance, but an achilles heal when mismanaged. With how Phoenix’s roster is currently constructed though, they likely get the best out of him.
Before anything else, Phoenix’s bigs Deandre Ayton, Bismack Biyombo, and even possibly Dario Saric will likely come before him in the rotation, keeping him off the floor for those long stretches where his slow feet hurt him. This was not the case for him with the Nets last year who relied on him heavily due to their injuries at the center spot.
However, for a few stretches each game, likely when an opposing team throws out their less dynamic scorers, Aldridge can come in and give Phoenix a major scoring boost. Especially if he works with a fellow veteran in Chris Paul, his game should translate well.
Choice 3: Ish Wainright
Although Ish Wainright played for the Suns in their Summer League games this year, the team has yet to give him a standard contract for the 2022-23 season. With his clear fit as a possible returning player from last year and abilities to stretch the floor as a small-ball center, Phoenix should bring him back.
Last year, it was Wainright’s improved 3-point shot that turned him from a bench filler to a fringe rotation player whose contract even became fully guaranteed to get him on the playoff roster.
Wainright began the season last year shooting just 29.0 percent from deep on 1.1 attempts per game. Following the All-Star break though, he shot 35.7 percent on 1.8 attempts per game. That, coupled with his intensity on defense allowed him to play a P.J. Tucker type role for Phoenix when needed.
This summer, that shot only seems to be getting better though, as he went 9-21 from deep in his four Summer League games to shoot a red hot 42.8 percent.
