Ariza another forward in mix
Suns likely to balance roster via moves soon
There’s a lot to digest when it comes to forward Trevor Ariza agreeing to a one-year, $15 million contract with the Suns but let’s start here:
Free agency isn’t over. Ariza’s deal, which can be signed Friday, likely isn’t the last move General Manager Ryan McDonough will make over the next few days. McDonough said he’s in the market for a point guard, and while Ariza’s deal eats up all but about $3 million of the Suns’ salary cap space, Phoenix does have a glut of forwards, lending to speculation that a trade is forthcoming. Part of any deal likely would involve center Alan Williams, whose $5.5 million non-guaranteed contract has to be shed before Ariza signs.
For now, however, it’s all about Ariza and how he fits onto the Suns’ roster and in terms of their salary cap space going forward.
The roster
After the Suns introduced rookies Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Elie Okobo and George King at a June 22 press conference McDonough was
asked about trying to find minutes for five forwards: Bridges, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren.
“We don’t necessarily view it as a logjam, he said, referencing teams like Golden State, Houston and Boston that utilize several wing players.
That said, the addition of Ariza now overcrowds what already was a crowded position. Ariza averaged 33.9 minutes per game last season and it’s unlikely Phoenix is paying him $15 million to be a bench guy who averages 15-20 minutes per contest.
He could start at power forward as a small-ball four between Ayton and Jackson. But that would take minutes away from Chriss and Bender, both of whom need to play to develop.
Conversely, Ariza does give first-year coach Igor Kokoskov something interim coach Jay Triano didn’t have last season; a reliable, defensive-minded forward who can also hit a three. Interestingly, those are the exact attributes that attracted Phoenix to Bridges. It’s not a stretch to see Bridges learning from Ariza in 2018-19 and then taking his minutes in subsequent seasons.
Ariza, who was considered a locker room leader in Houston, will fill that role in Phoenix and he also gives the Suns more flexibility on defense, which fits into Kokoskov’s desire to run a “switching” scheme that should help limit penetration and open 3-point looks, two areas Phoenix struggled with last season.
Still, there’s the matter of minutes. Finding regular playing time for five forwards was going to be hard enough. Six? That’s why most observers expect the Suns to trade one of their forwards – Chriss or Warren are the most likely candidates – in a deal for a point guard.
Cap space
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Ariza deal is its short-term nature. The Suns will clear $38 million in cap space when Ariza, Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley come off the books following the 2018-19 season.
Even if the Suns sign Devin Booker to a five-year, $156 million extension that would kick in next summer they would still have between $15 million and $25 million in cap space. That number could balloon to more than $40 million if the Suns shed themselves of another deal or stretch a contract, perhaps Brandon Knight’s.
Doing so would put Phoenix in position to sign a max free agent in 2019. Interestingly, the free agent market could include point guards Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier.
Summer league roster
The Suns announced their Las Vegas Summer League roster Sunday. All four rookies will be on the roster, along with Jackson, Bender, guards Shaq Harrison and Davon Reed and forward Alec Peters. Interestingly, Chriss is not on the roster.
Phoenix opens up Summer League play Friday with a 6 p.m. game against the Dallas Mavericks.