The Phoenix Suns have elected to shift their futures focus away from the backcourt featuring Devin Booker and Chris Paul and instead appear to be targeting a younger option. After the Suns decided to dump the 38-year-old, 12-time star, rumors began circulating about who would appear in the backcourt alongside Booker.
according to Jake Fisher from Yahoo SportsThe team has already shown a certain level of interest in five different players. The Suns’ headliner appears to be New York Knicks guard Emmanuel Kwekley, who Fisher said has held the Suns in “great respect” since entering the 2020 NBA draft.
Other names on the list from Fisher include Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell, Monty Morris of the Washington Wizards, and finally Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent, who has become a household name in recent months. Any of these last four names seem likely to be a realistic option for the Suns.
Evaluating The Sun’s options to replace Chris Paul
The pairing of the right guard with the duo of Booker and Kevin Durant will be somewhat pivotal for the Suns and their quest to win the championship. While pairing the “right” backcourt player with poker isn’t a daunting task on the surface, the Suns not only need to target a high-volume scorer, but they also need to evaluate whether it makes sense to get a player via trade or evaluate what the class would look like. free agency.
Names like Quickley and Pritchard won’t be restricted free agents until the 2024 season, while Mitchell won’t land there until 2025. Morris is under contract for another season with the Wizards and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024, while Vincent is set to become a free agent this offseason.
Getting Quickley, who averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28.9 minutes this season, will certainly require more in a trading package than other names on the list. Pritchard is out of rotation in Boston, but the Celtics could still receive a decent trade if/when they choose to trade him, and he could be a potent scoring threat if the team chooses to let Booker and Durant handle most of the ball-handling duties.
Morris, Mitchell or Vincent could make more sense for the Suns since all three can score and have been shown to be on the upside with their passing abilities as well. Most importantly, Phoenix may not need to break the bank in order to get it. Morris is coming off the best season of his career from a passing perspective, averaging 5.3 assists per game, and shooting 48 percent or better from the field in each of the past three seasons.
As for Mitchell and Vincent, both could be more expensive for the Suns than getting him from Morris. This stems from the fact that they would have to trade for Mitchell, who is only 24 years old, and Vincent likely landed a larger free agent contract after a solid postseason.
Quickley or Mitchell would be perfect for the Suns
Quickley could potentially be a long shot for the Suns unless they can strike a deal that includes Deandre Ayton heading to the Big Apple. It would make sense to add Quickley to the mix if the Suns choose to use Ayton as a trade piece in a deal for their next starting shortstop, as he’s only 23 years old and could draw some attention off Booker and Durant.
If the Suns have their pick of the aforementioned five-player group, Quickley should be at the top of the list, followed by Mitchell. Both players are young and have the potential to develop into a role alongside Booker and Durant, and either of them will add some firepower to the star duo’s side. The question of what it would take to get either player will be a hit or miss in all of this, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Suns make a deal.