Free agents to-be will be auditioning for teams, jobs
The importance of eight upcoming regular-season games for the Phoenix Suns goes beyond returning to action, building chemistry and having a chance, albeit slim, to make the playoffs.
Phoenix (26-39) has several players who can not only show their worth to the team, but improve their stock for free agency, which will reportedly now be in October as the 2019-20 season is tentatively scheduled to resume July 31 in Orlando, Florida.
The Suns have five 2020 free agents who played meaningful minutes this season — Aron Baynes, Dario Saric, Jevon Carter, Frank Kaminsky III and Cheick Diallo.
The Arizona Republic concludes its five-part series examining how these players can use this opportunity as auditions for Phoenix, and the other 29 teams.
Aron Baynes
Vitals: 6-feet-10, 260 pounds.
Free agency: Unrestricted.
2019-20 stats: *11.5 ppg, *5.6 rpg., 48% FG, *35.1% 3PT (*career high).
Beyond the numbers: Baynes came to Phoenix via trade on draft night looking to serve as a backup to Deandre Ayton. One game into the season, Baynes became a starter after Ayton received a 25-game suspension.
Baynes started 28 games and was having a career year as he became one of Phoenix’s more reliable 3point shooters.
Devin Booker hit 36% of his 3s.
Baynes knocked down 35.1% (59-of-168) as he went 9-of-14 from 3 in scoring a career-high 37 points in Phoenix’s 127-117 home win March 6 over Portland. He’s still a defensive presence in terms of positioning for charges and making defensive calls.
In these eight games: Baynes turns 34 in September, but he’s just in his eighth NBA season. The bruising big man missed 22 games due to injuries (hip, calf) in part due to playing more minutes than expected with the Ayton suspension.
Baynes was scheduled to make $5.4 million this season. He should command more in free agency, but would he be willing to play for that amount to join a title contender like the Los Angeles Lakers?
If Baynes can once again show he’s legit from 3, defend in the post and play physical, he can improve his chances of having a team pay him more — including the Suns.
Dario Saric
Vitals: 6-10, 225.
Free agency: Restricted (with qualifying offer). 2019-20 stats: *10.1 ppg., 5.9 rpg., **46.2% FG, 34.1% 3PT (★car★★r low career high).
★★
Beyond the numbers: Saric also arrived in Phoenix via trade and started from Day 1 at power forward. Saric started 50 of the 58 games he played, but Mikal Bridges showed he can play the four as part of Phoenix’s most productive lineup with Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ayton and Booker.
Saric, at 26, is in the prime of his career age-wise. He's got size, can shoot the 3 and post up, but struggles on defense against more athletic fours.
In these eight games: Phoenix can give Saric a qualifying offer of $5 million to make him a restricted free agent. The Suns would then be able to match any offer sheet.
If that happens, how big of an offer sheet would the Suns be willing to match?
FanSided’s Pelican Debrief poses the question of whether Phoenix would let Saric walk if New Orleans offered him “something around $22 million for three years.”
Jevon Carter
Vitals: 6-1, 200.
Free agency: Restricted (with qualifying offer). 2019-20 stats: *4.6 ppg., 1.3 apg., *40% FG, *39.3% 3PT (*career highs).
Beyond the numbers: Carter brought a defensive edge as he’d pick up ball handlers full court, forcing some to pass the ball ahead to avoid being dogged 94 feet.
Sometimes Carter was called for fouls. Sometimes he forced turnovers, but Carter was almost guaranteed to leave his mark on the game.
He also showed major improvement from 3.
After shooting 33.3% his rookie year with Memphis, Carter knocked down nearly 40% of his 3s (46-of-117) this season after coming to Phoenix in a trade.
The Suns searched for a backup to Rubio all season with Carter being one of players called upon to play that role. Carter was part of trade talks right before the trade deadline, but he responded with a three doubledigit scoring games with one coming in a 140-132 win over Milwaukee — 12 points in 32 minutes.
In these eight games: The Suns can sign Carter to a qualifying offer of nearly $2 million, according to spotrac.com, to make him a restricted free agent, meaning they could match any offer for him. Carter has a chance to show he can backup Rubio, be an offensive threat from 3 yet remain that tenacious defender who disrupts offenses.
Frank Kaminsky III
Vitals: 7-0, 240.
Free agency: Team option.
2019-20 stats: 11 ppg., *4.9 rpg., 45.5% FG, 34.8% 3PT (*career high).
Beyond the numbers: Like Baynes, Kaminsky found himself playing more minutes than expected when Ayton got suspended. He started 13 games, but Kaminsky went down with a right patella stress fracture and proceeded to miss 33 consecutive games after a Dec. 28 outing at Sacramento where he didn’t score in seven minutes of action.
Kaminsky was set to come back for basketball activities when the season was put on hold March 11 after Utah Jazz all-star Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. He’s now recovered and is looking forward to returning to the court for games.
In these eight games: Kaminsky showed he can stretch the floor, share the ball, but wasn’t nearly as physical as the Suns needed him to be in the paint. Then again, he was logging more minutes than anticipated.
With the Suns fully healthy, Kaminsky can play his original role going into the season.
Cheick Diallo
Vitals: 6-8, 219.
Free agency: Team option.
2019-20 stats: *4.8 ppg., *2.9 rpg., **65% FG (★car★★r low, career high).
★★
Beyond the numbers: Diallo is an energy guy with scoring ability. He had four double-digit scoring games in February as he shot 67.4% from the field in 10 games that month.
Then again, Diallo was a liability on defense; that greatly played a part in him averaging a career low 10.6 minutes a game. He clearly wanted to play more, but Diallo didn’t seem as much a part of the team as most of the other players.
In these next eight games: Diallo is 23, athletic and can be a spark off the bench. The question is if can he improve as a defender in terms of knowing where to be.