NBA Rumors: Suns to Aggressively Pursue Veteran Free Agents After Bradley Beal Trade
The Phoenix Suns already made their blockbuster offseason move by adding Bradley Beal via a trade with the Washington Wizards. They'll now look to fill out the rest of the roster with veterans in free agency, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.
"Expect them to be aggressive in trying to get veterans in the free-agent market. With the addition of Bradley Beal to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the expectation is that there will be strong interest from veterans looking to make an impact on a contender, even while the Suns will only have veteran minimums to offer."
NBA insider Marc Stein threw out a few potential names who could find their way to Phoenix.
"As Phoenix scours the league for quality players willing to play for the league minimum and chase a ring in its supporting cast surrounding Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Nets sharpshooter Yuta Watanabe and Nets alumnus Mike James (Durant's close friend who played this past season at AS Monaco in the EuroLeague) have surfaced as potential targets."
The Suns don't have the salary-cap room to make big moves in free agency given the money they have committed to Beal, Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker. They'll need to get creative to fill out the remainder of the roster, which has plenty of open spots with numerous Suns veterans headed for unrestricted free agency this offseason.
Adding a host of championship-hungry veterans to a star-laden team isn't a new concept by any means.
The Miami Heat did just that in the early 2010s, with players such as Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis making impacts around the big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Miami made four NBA championships from 2011-2014, winning two.
The 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers tried that approach when they attempted to build around Anthony Davis, James and Russell Westbrook. Players such as Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza and Rajon Rondo were brought in to help the squad.
That didn't really work out as a host of injuries and other on-court problems led to L.A. going just 33-49 and missing the playoffs.
The approach could very well work for the Suns, who are betting on a top-heavy, star-powered roster to guide them to the franchise's first-ever championship. Scoring shouldn't ever be an issue with Durant, Booker and Beal leading the way.
The key is whether the new veteran pieces mesh well and provide enough shooting and depth to get this team through a grueling 82-game season plus playoffs. If so, Phoenix could be celebrating its first-ever title.
