FanPost

Possibilities for the Suns through free agency and more...

This is just a list of potential possibilities and my commentary on which moves would yield the best results...

Point Guards:

We don't need any more point guards. In fact, I would love to flip Telfair for a second round pick and trade Aaron Brooks for a first. Marshall and Nash are solid enough to lead us through a season and I want Marshall to get as many minutes as possible and live with the growing pains of a rookie point guard.

Now, if we do not resign Steve Nash, then we keep either Brooks or Telfair, depending on the possible returns for both players. If we do keep Nash, we trade both and maybe bring back a cheap 3rd point guard to compete in practice so Nash can rest. I would love to pick up a guy like Dowdell or another hungry young player that will push Marshall to be the best he can be. But all in all, keeping Telfair would not be the worst thing in the world.

Possible Trade Targets for Telfair: Any point guard depraved team that needs a better backup, like the Magic, Lakers, Kings, or the 76ers. We could definitely get a 2nd round pick back, or maybe the rights to an international hidden gem. Either way, the risk is better than wasting a roster spot on Telfair.

Possible Trade Targets for Brooks: Obviously Brooks is better then Telfair. Any of the above teams, as well as Toronto, the Clippers (assuming they get rid of Mo Williams), and the Nets, could be a good fit. I would love to nab a first round pick for him, and package him with a Warrick, Childress, or Frye to unload a bad contract if possible.

Shooting Guards:

As of right now, we have no "true" shooting guards on the roster. Obviously this is where we need the most help.

I would not be against bringing both Redd and Brown back, but only if our other options do not work. Here are some options:

1) Obviously, bringing Eric Gordon in would be the best option, but I don't know how feasible that would be. Signing him would definitely bolster our position group for the future and then signing Redd as a backup would suffice.

2) O.J. Mayo is my third option. He is a talented player and would be a fine addition to our starting lineup. Him and Nash would be near-lethal together. He is not a sixth-man and the Grizzlies failed by trying to make him one. He is still incredibly young and we could then sign a veteran to back him up, a la Redd.

3) One of my favorite pick-ups would be bringing Barbosa back. He was an exciting and speedy player who could improve our shooting and chemistry. Plus he could play point guard in a pinch and eliminate the need for a 3rd point guard. He is only 29 and will come at a decent price; he could provide some solid years while we draft a replacement in future drafts.

4) If all else fails, we could try and snatch Landry Fields from the Knicks or Marco Bellinelli from the Hornets. Fields played really well before Carmelo got there and could find that stroke again in Phoenix. He would provide solid play off the bench and help Marshall a lot with his athleticism. Bellinelli started lighting up the scoreboard later on in the season. He is a knockdown 3-point shooter and began showing some game off the dribble. Both could come cheap and outplay their contract easily.

Small Forwards:

As of right now, we have Dudley and Childress on the roster. Dudley is an animal and one of the fan favorites, but I would prefer him coming off the bench and igniting the second unit with his shooting and hustle. Plus, he would easily become Marshall's safety valve. But if this happens, we need to find a starting small forward.

The small forward and shooting guard position can be interchanged, so we could very well pick up another beefier shooting guard to play the position. But assuming we take only true small forwards, here are some options:

1) Number one option is easily Nicolas Batum. He reminds me of Grant Hill, and who better to replace Grant Hill than his younger clone? He is a heady player that would allow Dudley to slip to the bench. He is a good cutter and a decent rebounder as well. Not much needs to be said to advocate for this pick.

2) I am not as high on Gerald Wallace as the rest of Bright Side, but in a slim Small Forward free agent class, he is the second-best option. He is an aggressive driver that could play either off the bench or in the starting line-up. The Nets will try and resign him, but there is a possibility we can sign him. He is a great rebounder as well. The only issue is his health. With such an aggressive style of play, you are bound to get hurt. We would have to sign another young small forward in case of an injury.

3) A very underrated option would be Carlos Delfino. I have always liked him since his Detroit days and he is quietly putting some quality numbers in Milwaukee. He's been averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds a game, and that's playing with the Black Hole formerly known as Brandon Jennings. He is a solid option that is nothing to sneeze at. He might be better off playing with Marshall off the bench rather than in the starting lineup.

4) This option is more used as a pairing with Gerald Wallace. Terrence Williams is a restricted free agent that seems like he could flourish with our pass-first point guards. He is an athletic freak who has never reached his potential. He averaged about 7 points a game in his career but he could be a solid backup with any of the above options. This would also allow Dudley to switch between Shooting Guard and Small Forward as Gentry sees fit.

Power Forwards:

Currently on our roster we have Channing Frye, Markeiff Morris, and Hakim Warrick on our roster. I could live with the front office not touching this position group if they upgraded our wings. But this is a list of the best options possible, and that is what I will give you:

1) Josh Smith is the best available choice here. Btu signing him would require getting rid of our other power forwards. This would have to be a sign and trade with Atlanta. Maybe a Gortat, Morris, Warrick, and a second rounder for Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia. It would be sad to part with Gortat but to acquire a talent like Smith, it may be necessary.

2) Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Bass, or Carl Landry would be our second best bets here. They are all proven studs that could take our team to the next level. Again, this might require parting with some assets, but it may be worth it.

3) If rebounding is still a need after our upgrades at shooting guard and small forward, we could pick up Kris Humphries or Anthony Randolph. One is a proven double-double player while the other is purely potential at this point. Both, I feel, could succeed at a fairly decent price. We would still have to get rid of at least one forward for this to work though.

4) What about bringing back Louis Amundson as a backup? He was the definition of hustle when he was here and one of the huge assets to our dynamic bench. No reason to let him pass by. He would be very cheap as well.

Possible Trades for Channing Frye: I am not sure how many teams would want him, but he has been a knockdown shooter for us, even winning a handful of games for us. I believe we could swap him for a late first/expiring contract to a team like Charlotte, Sacramento, or Washington that are dreadful from beyond the arc.

Possible Trades for Hakim Warrick: I actually think he could succeed next to Kendall Marshall, but there might be a market for Warrick out there. He is extremely athletic and we might be able to flip for him for another player like him. Maybe to Charlotte for Tyrus Thomas? Or to Boston for a second rounder? We wouldn't get a great return on him, but we need the space more than the player.

Centers:

Marcin Gortat is a very good center. Him and Nash are beautiful together, but we still need a backup for Marshall.

1) I would prefer to resign Lopez. He knows the system, started playing out of his mind late in the season, and would come cheap. Plus, he is developing a mid-range game that could bail out Marshall.

2) If for some reason we do not resign Robin, I like Chris Kaman. He is a solid player but will likely want a huge payday. If not though, he would be an upgrade to Robin Lopez.

3) If neither of those options work, or we want another backup to Lopez, we can pick up Ryan Hollins, Kwame Brown, or Hamed Haddadi. None of these players are world-beaters but they are solid players that could give us good minutes in spurts.

Overall/Conclusion:

Here is my realistic rotation:

PG: Steve Nash / Kendall Marshall / 3rd point guard

SG: Leandro Barbosa / Marco Bellinelli or Michael Redd

SF: Jared Dudley / Terrence Williams

PF: Josh Smith / Channing Frye

C: Zaza Pachulia / Robin Lopez / Ryan Hollins

I am not sure on the cap situation with the above team but I believe that team could have a decent playoff run.

Well here is my list. It took me some time to compile and sort through so I would appreciate all feedback, whether positive or negative. If you have any other options, please let me know in the comments so we BSotSers can discuss it. Also, give your lineups that you think could do better.

Thanks for reading through all 1700 words of this Fan Post.

- AZBengal18