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Suns: Is Another Scoring Option Necessary to Jump Over Championship Hump?

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Suns
By Donnie Druin | Last updated 6/3/22

When it mattered most, every notable Phoenix Suns player had drifted into the background.

It was the Luka Doncic show in Phoenix for the Suns' final showing of the 2022 postseason, and none of the stars were to be found. The likes of Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton were merely bystanders to what the Dallas Mavericks had planned that evening of Game 7.

It's a sting that hasn't particularly gone away in Phoenix, and now an offseason that could see Ayton play elsewhere is set to begin soon.

Nobody knows what to expect in the coming months. Booker isn't going anywhere, nor should he. Paul falls into the same boat. Arguments will be made for and against Ayton's presence in a Suns uniform until decision day comes.

Questions on how to improve the team arise. How differently do you stack a roster that nearly won the NBA Finals two years ago before reaching a franchise milestone in regular season wins this year?

The Athletic's Cole Huff believes the Suns can improve by adding another prominent scoring option behind Booker:

"No outcome this season was more shocking than Sunday’s Game 7 between the Suns and Mavericks. This 64-win team suddenly has more questions than answers. History suggests that it becomes increasingly challenging to get over the hump with each passing postseason flame out," said Huff.

"Look no further than the Lob City Clippers and the modern-day Utah Jazz as examples of teams who were championship contenders at a point in time but had the same repeated failures with similar rosters year after year. The pre-championship Bucks and pre-championship Raptors were steering down those paths but ultimately locked in franchise-altering trades to evade the inevitable disappointment.

"If the Suns bypass running it back and choose to try and make improvements by shaking things up, making a trade is presumably the only way to go, given their cap situation. In that case, Devin Booker isn’t going anywhere, and on the heels of the Mavs series, a Chris Paul trade probably isn’t going to fetch much value in return. A sign-and-trade involving Ayton is an option but those are usually tricky, so there’s no telling what that could amount to. The Suns’ best option is to package a first-round pick with one of their expiring contracts (Jae Crowder, Dario Saric, etc.) or good role players (Mikal Bridges or Cam Johnson) to get an upgrade or reliable scoring option to co-exist with Booker.

"The sheer thought of trading Bridges is tough but nothing should be off the table if Phoenix is trying to rebound from this awful ending."

Each player has a particular price tag that could move them, regardless of how good they are. That being said, it's awfully hard to envision the Suns waving goodbye to Mikal Bridges in any facet. Cam Johnson is in the same boat.

Most Suns fans would agree that something needs to change with the current roster, and should the opportunity present itself to add another threat, the Suns need to listen. Paul isn't likely to be traded and a return for him might not warrant much.

However, the need for another strong scoring option in Phoenix's backcourt can't be ignored. The Suns would greatly benefit from a bona fide scorer behind Paul, who simply has too much wear and tear on his tires to uphold those duties this late in his career.

That was magnified in the postseason, and so was Phoenix's need for production behind Booker. Will the Suns be able to count on any of their returning guards to get the job done when crunch time hits? Their last impression suggests otherwise.

Suns Bench Scoring in Postseason

Landry Shamet: 4.3 ppg

Cameron Payne: 4.2 ppg

Aaron Holiday: 3.5 ppg

Shamet and Payne both logged at least 12 games with a minimum of 13 minutes each game in the postseason. To be extremely fair to Holiday, his overall opportunity in the playoffs didn't allow much room for success.

Will Suns general manager James Jones look to run it back with an identical squad next season? He's gone on record to say the luxury tax is no problem and keeping Phoenix's core together was a priority.

The Suns are indeed strapped when it comes to freedom with the salary cap, although a deal that would send Ayton elsewhere could net a juicy return. In that scenario, would Phoenix be content with bringing back JaVale McGee/Bismack Biyombo for larger roles and gaining help elsewhere? The jury is still out on that.

Phoenix could potentially use a mid-level exception to ink another player thanks to their luxury tax situation, although most viable options would want larger contracts.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals furthers the narrative of important bench production, thanks to Boston Celtics guard Derrick White collecting a whopping 21 points off the bench in a comeback victory against Golden State.

Like Huff alluded to in his article, the status of an open championship window is truly never known. The Suns will do their best to ensure they remain at the top of the west heading into next season.

Are drastic changes needed? Do the Suns need to blow everything up? The answer is no, to both questions.

Unfortunately, there's no clear-cut answer for what Phoenix will need to do in order to reach the NBA Finals next season. The Suns don't exactly have a free range to add whoever they desire, either.

Yet when shot-callers in Phoenix plop down on the couch to take in the remainder of the NBA Finals and they see guys such as White and Golden State's Jordan Poole giving major contributions off the bench, perhaps additional help in the backcourt is a greater need after first glance.

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