3 low-cost basement guards the Suns should consider this summer

Many problems persisted for the Phoenix Suns going into the 2023-24 season, but none were more painfully apparent than their lack of a true point guard. The situation got so bad that by the end of the season, the Suns had brought Isaiah Thomas back into the fold to fill out the end of their bench.

It’s clear then that the Suns need a true court general to set up and execute their half-court offensive sets next season, or risk another uphill battle to even make the playoffs. Current head coach Frank Vogel has tried to tell everyone with his actions during the season how much he needs it, but the reality is the franchise doesn’t have a lot of money to get quality in this position.

Even if adding one of these players means Bradley Beal ultimately has to come off the bench, it’s still a route the Suns simply have to take. Devin Booker was great at running the show during the regular season, but that kept him from being the electric scorer we’ve come to expect in The Valley.

Going for one of these unrestricted free agents would allow Booker to return to the role he’s most successful in, while also preventing Kevin Durant from getting frustrated with his own position in the Suns’ offense moving forward. This would also have the added benefit of making Grayson Allen the Suns’ sixth man, a position many believe he was supposed to have last season anyway.

Kris Dunn will always be remembered as the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, ahead of guys like Jamal Murray, Domantas Sabonis and Buddy Hield. Now aged 30, he has had a truly journeyman career in the league and has worn the colors of five different teams.

Staying in the NBA this long is a skill in itself, and Dunn has averaged more than five assists four times in his career and more than 10 points three times. Considering the Suns won’t be able to sign a younger point guard to a long-term deal like Markelle Fultz this summer, going after Dunn makes a lot of sense.

He’s the best of a disappointing group and would fit the bill as a veteran player who knows when to step aside to let Booker or Durant cook. Defensively, Dunn doesn’t give you much, and he’s a career 32.3 percent shooter from 3-point range.

But he brings stability and a professional attitude to a roster that desperately needs it. If Vogel remains head coach beyond this summer – and that’s not guaranteed at this point – it could also work wonders by placing him in defensive schemes that make the most of his tenacity with the ball, even whether its limits in this regard exist. .