Report: Suns will target Marcus Smart to lead their young core

Now this guy hasn’t gotten a lot right over the years, but a rumor is a rumor so we will share it here on Bright Side.

Those who have been around a while know that Schultz has predicted a lot over the years that did not come true.

Hustle Award

But I’ve said all along that Marcus Smart would be a smart addition to a Suns team that needs smart players... and veteran contenders for the Dan Majerle Hustle Award.

Marcus Smart would be a quality addition to the roster, similar (in my opinion) to the impact P.J. Tucker had on the team in recent years. But this time from the point guard position.

Smart’s downfall, much like ICMT’s, is poor shooting — a career 36% shooter from the field, including just 30% on threes.

Smart’s positives include bulldog defense, hustle plays, positive point differential when he’s on the floor (+5 per 100 possessions), and imbuing an aggressive spirit by example.

But unlike P.J., Smart also brings a strong level of playmaking to the team. He averaged a career high 4.8 assists per game last year against only 2.4 turnovers per game for a strong 2:1 ratio in 29 minutes per game. He assisted on 23.7% of his possessions last year.

Outsiders love his impact on the team on the whole, across the season and throughout the playoffs, while diehards swing wildly back and forth in a love/hate relationship with Smart. They love his hustle plays, but hate his bad shot-taking.

Should the Suns sign him?

Smart, a restricted free agent, says he thinks he’s worth $14+ million per year. The Suns will have $15-20 million available for offers like this.

On the plus side, he’s only 24 years old and would be able to grow and develop with the young core.

A lineup with Smart as the major free agent would look like this, assuming the Suns make NO OTHER big moves, which would have to be in trade.

Starting lineup

• PG — Smart
• SG — Devin Booker
• SF — Josh Jackson
• PF — Dragan Bender
• C — Deandre Ayton

Average age is 22 years old. All under contract for multi-years except Bender. Smart and Booker would be the big earners by next year ($40 or so million between them on a soon-to-be $110 million salary cap). Long term power forward would still be in question.

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Defense in the starting lineup would come primarily from Smart and Jackson, along with Bender and (hopefully) Ayton. The offense would primarily come from Booker, Jackson and Ayton.

Second unit

• PG — Brandon Knight
• SG — Mikal Bridges
• SF — T.J. Warren
• PF — Marquese Chriss
• C — Tyson Chandler

In the second unit, defense would come from Bridges and Chandler, while scoring would primarily come from Knight, Warren and Bridges, with Chriss lending a helping hand.

That’s five good defenders and five scorers among the top 10 rotation players.

What do you think Suns fans?