3 Mistakes Suns Should Avoid This Offseason

The Suns should have learned from the past two seasons with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal that they cannot give up the farm for a star with the way today's NBA is structured.

There's no reason for the Suns to trade everything away for a star like Giannis Antetokounmpo as they try to build around a younger team.

It doesn't hurt to explore some trades and see if they can get a star for cheap, but it does not make sense at this stage for the Suns to give up a lot for a star.

Overpaying for a Role Player

If the Suns truly want to run it back next year with basically the same team, they do not need to be big spenders in free agency especially as they try to avoid the first apron.

Phoenix was already reported to be expected to have interest in San Antonio Spurs veteran forward Harrison Barnes and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade by ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, who added the Suns should have access to their full mid-level exception (MLE) in free agency.

Using the full MLE would mean paying one of these players over $15 million if Phoenix is a
non-taxpayer team, which seems a little steep.

Instead of overpaying for a free agent who may or may not get big minutes, the Suns should give bigger roles to rookies Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach, while adding along the margins in free agency if they truly keep most players.

Phoenix should be careful on how much it spends on incoming free agents, especially after it showed it can have success with players not making a lot of money this season.

Letting Collin Gillespie or Jordan Goodwin Leave

Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin were two prime examples of players who shined this season even while being on minimum contracts.

Now, the Suns have to prioritize bringing them back as they head to free agency, and hopefully on team-friendly deals, after both were big contributors and looked to be building blocks for the culture of the team.

Phoenix can pay both players more than any other team, as it has early bird rights on both, so the Suns have to be ready to beat any offers that come in for the two players, although it feels they can still bring them back on cheaper contracts.