Who are the Suns bringing back next season?

Mainstreet

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I thought it would be fun to discuss the Suns roster for next season.

Any thoughts about who the Suns should keep or let go from the current roster?

Suns have eight players with guaranteed contracts next season:

1. Devin Booker
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Kelly Oubre,
4. Deandre Ayton
5. Mikal Bridges
6. Cameron Johnson
7. Ty Jerome
8. Jalen Lecque

These are the players the Suns will need to make a decision about:

9. Elie Okobo (contract becomes guaranteed if not waived prior to July 10th, 2020)
10. Jevon Carter (free agent)
11. Frank Kaminsky (team option $5,005,350) Salary is right.
12. Cheick Diallo (team option $1,824,003) A keeper at his salary and age.
13. Dario Saric (RFA $4,791,212) He will get better offers in free agency.
14. Aron Baynes (free agent) I believe cap hold is around $10 million.

Tariq Owens is on a two-way contract this season.
 
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Mainstreet

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Jevon Carter looks to be a keeper. He can hit the 3 pointer and plays tenacious defense. Point guard skills should improve. I'd like to keep Cheick Diallo as well. Played backup center and power forward at times. And he is on a great salary.
 

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Jevon Carter looks to be a keeper. He can hit the 3 pointer and plays tenacious defense. Point guard skills should improve. I'd like to keep Cheick Diallo as well. Played backup center and power forward at times. And he is on a great salary.

Carter is a restricted free agent also. As a 2nd round pick, his cap hold will be pretty low. It's estimated to be just $1.9 million now, which is also the qualifying offer for him. They can resign him for less than that but it would need to be for multiple years. Even 2 years at $1.5 a season sounds fair. I think anything around $2 million a year for him is fair.

Here's his salary info from Spotrac.com
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/phoenix-suns/jevon-carter-26998/
 
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Mainstreet

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Carter is a restricted free agent also. As a 2nd round pick, his cap hold will be pretty low. It's estimated to be just $1.9 million now, which is also the qualifying offer for him. They can resign him for less than that but it would need to be for multiple years. Even 2 years at $1.5 a season sounds fair. I think anything around $2 million a year for him is fair.

Here's his salary info from Spotrac.com
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/phoenix-suns/jevon-carter-26998/

This makes keeping Carter a no-brainer. The source I used didn't show this.

Do you feel the same about keeping Diallo who is a team option at a low salary?
 

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I thought it would be fun to discuss the Suns roster for next season.

Any thoughts about who the Suns should keep or let go from the current roster?

Suns have eight players with guaranteed contracts next season:

1. Devin Booker
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Kelly Oubre,
4. Deandre Ayton
5. Mikal Bridges
6. Cameron Johnson
7. Ty Jerome
8. Jalen Lecque

These are the players the Suns will need to make a decision about:

9. Elie Okobo (contract becomes guaranteed if not waived prior to July 10th, 2020)
10. Jevon Carter (free agent)
11. Frank Kaminsky (team option $5,005,350) Salary is right.
12. Cheick Diallo (team option $1,824,003) A keeper at his salary and age.
13. Dario Saric (RFA $4,791,212) He will get better offers in free agency.
14. Aron Baynes (free agent) I believe cap hold is around $10 million.

Tariq Owens is on a two-way contract this season.
Okobo is gone. He needs to G League it for a while.
Carter and Cheick stay on the cheap.
I don't think Frank is worth the money for 3rd string.
I like Dario, but it depends on the price and who else we might be after.
Baynes might cost too much for what he brings coupled with his age. But I love what he did for us in his short stint.

But these are all small moves. I wonder if we decide to make a bigger splash and trade Rubio so that we can sign VanVleet. Will Toronto want to pay him? I wonder if he's done being a backup PG/starting SG next to Lowry. He might come a bit over priced but we'd be hard pressed to find a better FA PG at 26 years old. I think he'd be a decent fit next to Book.
 

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This makes keeping Carter a no-brainer. The source I used didn't show this.

Do you feel the same about keeping Diallo who is a team option at a low salary?

If Diallo could be retained for the minimum about 2-3 weeks into free agency then I'd be fine with bringing him back but I hope they can bring in someone with a little more to offer as the 4-5th bigs.

Carter should be a no brainer though. I'm fine with paying him a little over the minimum, like I said something like 2-3 years at around $5-6 million should lock him in. I'd even concede a player option. He should be the 5th guard in the rotation at the furthest down. His defensive intensity makes bringing him back at anything around $2 million a year a good deal.
 

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Okobo is gone. He needs to G League it for a while.
Carter and Cheick stay on the cheap.
I don't think Frank is worth the money for 3rd string.
I like Dario, but it depends on the price and who else we might be after.
Baynes might cost too much for what he brings coupled with his age. But I love what he did for us in his short stint.

But these are all small moves. I wonder if we decide to make a bigger splash and trade Rubio so that we can sign VanVleet. Will Toronto want to pay him? I wonder if he's done being a backup PG/starting SG next to Lowry. He might come a bit over priced but we'd be hard pressed to find a better FA PG at 26 years old. I think he'd be a decent fit next to Book.

VanVleet isn't leaving Toronto. The only way I can see that happening is if he's offered the max by someone and that would be a massive overpay for him. I like him quite a bit but that's in large part because I watched a lot of the Raptors in the playoffs last year during their title run. Those players from that team aren't going anywhere though. I don't think Toronto cares if they suck so long as the rest of that crew is taken care of. They won't suck either because a new core of Siakam, VanVleet, and Powell will be similar to the Leonard, Lowry, Danny Green trio they had. They probably wish they could have Jonas Valenciunus back instead of Marc Gasol but they'll be fine without him.

I also think Rubio plays out his contract here. We won't compete for a title in the next 2 seasons but there is a very good chance they could find a PG for him to mentor and get ready to take over for when his deal is up. That is how the Suns should play it with him. He doesn't have trade value so it's not like there are options out there to move him. No one we have is ready to take over so might as well keep the slow but steady climb going.
 

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I’ve definitely been wrong on Carter in the sense that he’s not terrible. He could very well be in the G League within two years but he plays hard and his rookie shooting numbers were likely a fluke as some here suggested. Unfortunately he looks like a much better option than our 1st round rookie PG.
 

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I’ve definitely been wrong on Carter in the sense that he’s not terrible. He could very well be in the G League within two years but he plays hard and his rookie shooting numbers were likely a fluke as some here suggested. Unfortunately he looks like a much better option than our 1st round rookie PG.

He worked hard on improving his shooting from rookie to sophomore seasons. He said he put up 1000 shots a day to get a better feel for it and get his shot and confidence going. I don't think he'll ever be a good shooter but I think average isn't asking too much. He has the work ethic and that alone should keep him around for a while. He reminds me a lot of PJ Tucker when the Suns brought him in that first season. Just one of those guys that will earn playing time by playing harder than anyone else and doesn't need touches or looks to impact the game. PJ was a bit older than Javon but I could see Javon getting it now while it took PJ a few years overseas before he learned what it took to stay in the NBA, which he showed here in Phoenix.
 
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Mainstreet

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Okobo is gone. He needs to G League it for a while.
Carter and Cheick stay on the cheap.
I don't think Frank is worth the money for 3rd string.
I like Dario, but it depends on the price and who else we might be after.
Baynes might cost too much for what he brings coupled with his age. But I love what he did for us in his short stint.

But these are all small moves. I wonder if we decide to make a bigger splash and trade Rubio so that we can sign VanVleet. Will Toronto want to pay him? I wonder if he's done being a backup PG/starting SG next to Lowry. He might come a bit over priced but we'd be hard pressed to find a better FA PG at 26 years old. I think he'd be a decent fit next to Book.

We agree Carter and Diallo are keepers for the money. It seems like the Suns will probably choose between Baynes and Saric. They can't afford both. I guess it depends on the money and what the Suns plan to do at power forward. I do think role playing centers are easier to find than power forwards. Kaminsky will likely be a casualty as will be Okobo.

I'd probably rather spend free agency money on a starting power forward and go with Rubio although VanVleet would be quite a catch. I bet the Knicks would like Rubio in a trade. It's hard to see the Raptors letting VanVleet go though.

If I were going to guess at a move, I wouldn't be surprised to see Aaron Gordon in a Suns uniform. They were reportedly interested at the trade deadline.
 
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Mainstreet

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If Diallo could be retained for the minimum about 2-3 weeks into free agency then I'd be fine with bringing him back but I hope they can bring in someone with a little more to offer as the 4-5th bigs.

Carter should be a no brainer though. I'm fine with paying him a little over the minimum, like I said something like 2-3 years at around $5-6 million should lock him in. I'd even concede a player option. He should be the 5th guard in the rotation at the furthest down. His defensive intensity makes bringing him back at anything around $2 million a year a good deal.

I think Diallo should be a fine depth ball player plus he is young and can still improve. Suns have to fill a 15 man roster to fill. Hopefully they can add more athletes at the 4/5 with a reasonable price tag.

That would be a reasonable deal for Carter if the Suns are believers like we are.
 

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I'd probably rather spend free agency money on a starting power forward and go with Rubio although VanVleet would be quite a catch. I bet the Knicks would like Rubio in a trade. It's hard to see the Raptors letting VanVleet go though.

I've read the Knicks are going to go all in on a Chris Paul trade with OKC. Despite OKC having a good season, they don't want to pay Paul his $110 million or whatever ludicrous amount is left on his contract for the next 3 years. New York wants Paul to jump start their youth movement similar to how he did in OKC and I can see them getting a 7th or 8th seed in the East, depending on what it costs to acquire him.

I don't think Rubio moves the needle enough for them to have interest in him if they strike out on Paul. While he'd be good, he wouldn't improve their club like Paul could, and he won't sell tickets either. If they did strike out on Paul then the Suns might able to dump on him New York but that would be so late in the free agency stage that I doubt the Suns would have interest since there wouldn't be anyone left to go after.
 

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Rubio isn't the problem. I don't remember the numbers but the starting 5 of the latter part of the year with Rubio, Booker, Bridges, Oubre and Ayton have done really well. The priority should be to shore up the bench (and hopefully people who can stay on the court).

I'd love to get Baynes back but he's been out a huge chunk of the year. Similar sentiment with Kaminsky but he doesn't add as much value.
 

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Rubio isn't the problem. I don't remember the numbers but the starting 5 of the latter part of the year with Rubio, Booker, Bridges, Oubre and Ayton have done really well. The priority should be to shore up the bench (and hopefully people who can stay on the court).

I'd love to get Baynes back but he's been out a huge chunk of the year. Similar sentiment with Kaminsky but he doesn't add as much value.

The priority needs to be a starting power forward. THEN shore up the bench.
 

JCSunsfan

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I thought it would be fun to discuss the Suns roster for next season.

Any thoughts about who the Suns should keep or let go from the current roster?

Suns have eight players with guaranteed contracts next season:

1. Devin Booker
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Kelly Oubre,
4. Deandre Ayton
5. Mikal Bridges
6. Cameron Johnson
7. Ty Jerome
8. Jalen Lecque

These are the players the Suns will need to make a decision about:

9. Elie Okobo (contract becomes guaranteed if not waived prior to July 10th, 2020)
10. Jevon Carter (free agent)
11. Frank Kaminsky (team option $5,005,350) Salary is right.
12. Cheick Diallo (team option $1,824,003) A keeper at his salary and age.
13. Dario Saric (RFA $4,791,212) He will get better offers in free agency.
14. Aron Baynes (free agent) I believe cap hold is around $10 million.

Tariq Owens is on a two-way contract this season.

I guess it depends on who they can get. I would love to bring back Carter, Baynes, Kaminsky, and Saric (in that order of priority). But that is only if they cannot upgrade any of those slots. I do not think upgrading those slots will be very easy. Okobo, Diallo need to go.
 
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Mainstreet

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I guess it depends on who they can get. I would love to bring back Carter, Baynes, Kaminsky, and Saric (in that order of priority). But that is only if they cannot upgrade any of those slots. I do not think upgrading those slots will be very easy. Okobo, Diallo need to go.

Disagree about Diallo. It's hard o find an athletic big man that only gets paid $1,824,003 and averages 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds with a PER of 16.34. Also Diallo was considered a 23 year old project when the Suns signed him. He is not a bad deep bench player.
 

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Yeah, Diallo as a deep bench player is totally fine. Can help step in with spot minutes during injuries but otherwise relegated to the bench. I also think I'd take Saric over Kaminsky. I don't actually have any good explanation why but my eye test tells me Saric is more versatile offensively and puts more effort in defensively.
 

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If I were going to guess at a move, I wouldn't be surprised to see Aaron Gordon in a Suns uniform. They were reportedly interested at the trade deadline.
Aaron Gordon is indeed interesting: great fit, excellent contract, fills a glaring need, and would look great between Book and Ayton. However, I bet Orlando is asking for the moon for a 14 and 7 guy and we aren't budging. Sadly, I think they are going to let him rot and lose him for nothing in 2 years.

If they aren't willing to budge on Aaron I'd make a secondary push to land Isaac since their PF position is so crowded. I love what he'd bring to this team as well. Either Gordon or Isaac is going to start to get frustrated with their lack of minutes at PF. We should take advantage of this.

As to Cheick, he outplayed his contract in spite of his scarce minutes. I was very impressed with him. He has good potential as the backup PF/C. His contract should be peanuts again. I see no reason to let him walk.
 

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I would think the Brass realizes that the team they assembled never took the court healthy. I'm not going to implode if all they add is a draft pick. They where fun to watch for once
 

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I would think the Brass realizes that the team they assembled never took the court healthy. I'm not going to implode if all they add is a draft pick. They where fun to watch for once

For about two or three weeks, and then they reverted back to the form of the previous 4-5 years. They absolutely need to add an NBA caliber starting forward, back-up power forward (assuming Saric won't accept an MLE type deal to be it), back-up shooting guard who can be a scoring spark off the bench, back-up center (assuming Baynes is gone, which I am all but sure he is, and recognizing that Diallo is best suited to be a #3 center or power forward alongside a stretch 4 or 5), and a point guard of the future (recognizing that Carter is best suited to be a #3 point guard who is primarily a defensive specialist).

Okobo needs to be gone. He looks worse and worse with each passing game and even struggles in the G League. His game is clearly better suited to Europe than the U.S. Jerome looks way too slow and unathletic to play in the NBA, especially defensively. Kaminsky also can't defend at the NBA level (or rebound at the NBA level, either) and is way too streaky offensively. Cam Johnson looks like a #3 small forward at best. And Lecque is at least 2-3 years away from being NBA ready, if he ever gets to that point.

Long term, the only real pieces we have in place, assuming none of them demands a trade out of frustration, are Booker, Ayton and Bridges, and MAYBE Oubre, if we can convince him to re-up after next season.

In my opinion, this only further illustrates how ineffective James Jones has been in building up a roster for long term success.
 

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Disagree about Diallo. It's hard o find an athletic big man that only gets paid $1,824,003 and averages 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds with a PER of 16.34. Also Diallo was considered a 23 year old project when the Suns signed him. He is not a bad deep bench player.

I don't think it's that hard to find a Diallo type. We did it late in free agency last summer and the year before the Suns were able to bring in Holmes late also, for essentially nothing. I'd prefer Jonah Boldin to Diallo or kicking the tires on Ray Spalding again. Diallo is probably the least impressive big the Suns have had in the last few years and if he thinks he deserves anymore than the league minimum or a spot in the rotation then they should let him walk.

He is relatively young but this was his 4th year in the league. New Orleans gave up on him for a reason. He has potential but is far from consistent and doesn't regularly do anything well, which makes him a fringe rotation player at best, IMO. To be a rotation player, a player needs to be able to provide something regularly. Whether that is rim protection, strong defense, good instincts on the glass, an automatic midrange shot, something.

Diallo plays hard but playing hard hurts him as much as helps, based on what I saw last year. It's tough to think of specific examples because it's been so long since we've seen him but he would end up out of place on defense or too far from the basket on offense to where the defense could ignore him entirely. He also has bad hands, not Len bad but they weren't good. Compare him to Carter, both play all out but Carter didn't make at least 1 or 2 plays a game where you wondered why he was on the court.
 
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Mainstreet

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Aaron Gordon is indeed interesting: great fit, excellent contract, fills a glaring need, and would look great between Book and Ayton. However, I bet Orlando is asking for the moon for a 14 and 7 guy and we aren't budging. Sadly, I think they are going to let him rot and lose him for nothing in 2 years.

If they aren't willing to budge on Aaron I'd make a secondary push to land Isaac since their PF position is so crowded. I love what he'd bring to this team as well. Either Gordon or Isaac is going to start to get frustrated with their lack of minutes at PF. We should take advantage of this.

As to Cheick, he outplayed his contract in spite of his scarce minutes. I was very impressed with him. He has good potential as the backup PF/C. His contract should be peanuts again. I see no reason to let him walk.

I think you are right Orlando was asking for the moon on Gordon at the trade deadline. Maybe they will lessen their demands this summer. I've always thought they would want to keep Isaac. I like him as well.

As far as Diallo, it's hard to find a big man that can give a team minutes at his salary. If the Suns can find another Richaun Holmes for a million, bring him in too. That was a steal. The Suns will likely need to add a few players this summer and they will have room.
 

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One year 1Suns? give the man a break sure they need all that and more but it will take at least 3 years.

In that one year, he added zero long term pieces. At that rate it will literally take forever.
 
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Mainstreet

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I don't think it's that hard to find a Diallo type. We did it late in free agency last summer and the year before the Suns were able to bring in Holmes late also, for essentially nothing. I'd prefer Jonah Boldin to Diallo or kicking the tires on Ray Spalding again. Diallo is probably the least impressive big the Suns have had in the last few years and if he thinks he deserves anymore than the league minimum or a spot in the rotation then they should let him walk.

He is relatively young but this was his 4th year in the league. New Orleans gave up on him for a reason. He has potential but is far from consistent and doesn't regularly do anything well, which makes him a fringe rotation player at best, IMO. To be a rotation player, a player needs to be able to provide something regularly. Whether that is rim protection, strong defense, good instincts on the glass, an automatic midrange shot, something.

Diallo plays hard but playing hard hurts him as much as helps, based on what I saw last year. It's tough to think of specific examples because it's been so long since we've seen him but he would end up out of place on defense or too far from the basket on offense to where the defense could ignore him entirely. He also has bad hands, not Len bad but they weren't good. Compare him to Carter, both play all out but Carter didn't make at least 1 or 2 plays a game where you wondered why he was on the court.


I'm thinking Diallo will be at the league minimum next season or close to it. The Suns already brought in Boldin and let him go after one 10 day contract. Ray Spalding didn't show me much when he was here. The Suns already have Diallo on a very reasonable contract. I can't see them letting him go unless they absolutely need to spend the $1,824,003 somewhere else. The Suns had a lot of disappointments this season but I never considered Diallo one of them. He is still young and learning the game.
 

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I would think the Brass realizes that the team they assembled never took the court healthy. I'm not going to implode if all they add is a draft pick. They where fun to watch for once
The ability to stay healthy is just as important as skill.

The Suns are not going to take the next step . . . until they take the next step.

The status quo has got to go! :)
 

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