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Phoenix Suns' Shannon Brown got the shaft last spring, getting benched in favor of a trial run with Wesley Johnson. Brown went weeks without playing, and only then would get a quick hook.
But if the remainder of the season told us anything, it told us that any combination of that orange-colored potpourri was going to get the same results. Play the vets with a veteran coach, go 13-28. Play the kids with a rookie coach, go 12-29. One game diff.
Now the offseason hits and the Suns have some early decisions to make. The Suns had a chance to absorb larger contracts to get a draft pick by sending back a non-guaranteed one in its place, but did not get any deals completed on that end. The Suns simply absorbed Malcolm Lee's 884K to move up one slot.
Now the Suns have to decide quickly whether to keep (and guarantee) or release three guys in the coming hours of the weekend.
Shannon Brown ($3,500,000, only 50% guaranteed if waived within 36 hours after the end of the draft)
With the drafting of Archie Goodwin, the Suns have at least replaced what Brown gave the Suns, but in a different (and better) way. Both are energy players who like the ball in their hands to score, but Goodwin takes it to the rim and absorbs contact while Brown dribbles into contested jumpers.
It appears there's just no need, or minutes, for Shannon Brown on the Suns anymore.
Hamed Haddadi ($1,397,500, only $200,000 guaranteed if waived on or before June 29th)
Like Brown, it appears that Haddadi's contributions to last year's Suns team has been at least replaced if not bettered by 20 year old rookie Alex Len.
Both are extra long and extra raw, able to make a difference defensively but unable to be trusted in 2013-14 for more than a few minutes at a time. With Haddadi, that was due to lack of conditioning. With Len, that's inexperience.
The Suns won't give Len 30+ minutes per game from the start, but they will give him as many minutes as he can handle. Between a starting (stopgap) center and Len, there's no room for Haddadi except through injury.
***UPDATE***
The #Suns waived Hamed Haddadi. Doing so today allows them to pay him $200K instead of guaranteeing a $1.4M salary for next season.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) June 29, 2013
P.J. Tucker ($884,293, fully unguaranteed if waived on or before July 1st)
This one's the easiest, in my mind. Tucker's defense and tenacity is so valuable for his contract that he has to be brought back. He's already been invited to play a couple of Summer League games, so that tells me the Suns will not waive him.