The Phoenix Suns are among several NBA teams with an open roster spot, as they have 14 players on standard contracts.
With the Suns well over the luxury tax and having a bill of over $66 million, it makes no sense for them not to add another player.
NBA Rumors: Phoenix Suns Upcoming Roster Move and Who Are the Leading Candidates For Veteran Big Man
So, who could Phoenix needssignneeds?
According to John Gambadaro of Arizona Sports 98.7, it won’t be veterans Mike Muscala or Patty Mills.
Muscala reached a buyout agreement with the Detroit Pistons on February 28. The 33-year-old big man will become an unrestricted free agent on Friday.
Phoenix has several players who can play either the four or five. So, it makes sense that the Suns wouldn’t be interested as they have a more significant need in the backcourt.
Phoenix has five healthy guards, with Damion Lee sidelined for the entire season. The Suns also need a true point guard on their roster. Thus leaving Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, and Eric Gordon to man the position.
Booker has been fantastic at the one. Beal and Allen have done a fair job, though both are better suited to be off the ball.
However, Beal and Gordon are currently dealing with injuries. Beal missed his fifth straight game in last night’s Suns victory over the Houston Rockets due to left hamstring injury management. There is no word on his status for Saturday’s home game against the Rockets.
Gordon has now missed the last two games with a groin injury. He is considered questionable for Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Mills was officially waived last night by the Atlanta Hawks. Mills appeared in 19 games this past season, averaging 11 minutes per game.
Mills is capable of playing the one and two. He is also a career 39% shooter from beyond the arc.
Still, it makes sense that the Suns wouldn’t be interested in Mills, as Gambadaro said.
Mills is 35 years old and has not been a rotational player the last one and one-past seasons despite being on good teams. He is also not a good defender.
While Gambardo doesn’t believe the Suns will be interested in Mills or Muscala, he did offer up a player to take the final roster spot. Gambardo tweeted that there is a “very high” chance that the Suns decide to convert Saben Lee’s two-way contract to a standard deal.
Lee has appeared in 38 games for Phoenix over the past two seasons, including 15 this year. Lee averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 assists, though he has compiled a shooting slash line of .397/ .308/.739. He has scored in double figures six times and posted double-figure assists once with the Suns.
Lee has 125 games of NBA experience, including eight starts. The 6-2 lightning quick point guard excels at getting to the rim and the free throw line. He is also an elite distributor, though he does have turnover issues. Lee is also an excellent defender, and while he struggles from beyond the arc, he makes over 36% of his threes from the corner.
Boston Celtics Not Interested In Muscala
The Boston Celtics are not expected to sign Muscala, who played 20 games for the Celtics last season, according to Brian Robb of Masslive.
With multiple contenders appearing to have interest in Muscala, it’s hard to foresee a reunion in Boston at this point unless the big man is set on securing the best possible chance to win a ring. Several Eastern Conference teams are battling injuries to key big men, which could give Muscala a chance at playing time off the bench for a squad like the [Philadelphia] 76ers or potentially the [New York] Knicks, among others.
Boston would not be able to offer any regular minutes while the team is healthy, and they also added more big man depth already at the trade deadline with Xavier Tillman. However, Muscala’s skillset would probably still be welcome as insurance in Boston’s final roster spot since he provides much more shooting than the rest of Boston’s backup bigs (Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman) in the event of injury to Al Horford or Kristaps Porzingis. Muscala has also spoken highly of his experience in Boston in past interviews.
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