For the upcoming season, the Phoenix Suns will undoubtedly recruit a point guard, but this contentious free agency need to be avoided at all costs.
The point guard position is one that the Phoenix Suns will absolutely target for improvement throughout the offseason. The squad suffered numerous times during the season from not having a backup, and their playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was a prime example of this.
Although both Bradley Beal and Devin Booker are excellent players, neither is a primary ball handler, therefore the club lacked a reliable player to mediate disputes when things became heated. It was more difficult than it should have been to win games when you factor in Beal’s injury problems. Throughout the season, head coach Frank Vogel even made an effort to highlight the roster’s imbalance.
The Suns won’t have much money to remedy the situation this summer, but they absolutely need to avoid even thinking about adding Patrick Beverley to the mix.
At 35 years old, Beverley has outlived whatever prime he had in the NBA. He is one of the most controversial players in the entire league. He participated in both the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks regular season, somehow wearing out his stint with both teams over around 70 games.
Even though their best player Joel Embiid was hurt, the 76ers were in freefall, yet they still had no issues letting Beverley join the Bucks. When the club lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, he embarrassed himself in front of the fans. In addition to doing this for no apparent reason to a reporter, he also apologized for tossing a basketball toward Pacers supporters.
Patrick Beverly tells female reporter from ESPN that she cannot interview him since she doesn't subscribe to his podcast. pic.twitter.com/sRFHiZJaSK
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 3, 2024
So why would the Suns care about Patrick Beverley’s expertise at all? Because, to put it simply, they are desperate. This is the same team that had Isaiah Thomas on the roster near the conclusion of the season and will have to assemble a rotation with minimum contracts this offseason.
Beverley signed a minimum deal to play with the 76ers last season, but he is an unrestricted free agent now. He will undoubtedly be available, and coach Vogel (if he stays with the team) might consider utilizing Beverley’s aggressive style to develop him into a valuable player on the defensive end of the floor. That would be a grave error.
The fact that the Suns would probably be better off giving Thomas another shot rather than stomping all over Beverley says volumes. If nothing else, after joining The Valley after a previous stint with the team, Thomas was well-liked by his colleagues, the coaching staff, and the supporters.
Fans around the league don’t feel the same way about Beverley, and Booker, Beal, and Kevin Durant don’t need any additional controversy or talking points surrounding this team for the upcoming season. Rather, what the Suns require is a floor general who can discreetly assemble the costly components and bring the team closer to contention.
.@getnickwright goes through Patrick Beverley's NBA journey from Houston to Milwaukee: pic.twitter.com/0zPqr6671W
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 3, 2024
Beverley is not the guy to accomplish this, and in his career to date, he has averaged just over three assists. Not exactly the kind of table arrangement this team actually needs, as that total has somewhat decreased to 2.9 assists in 71 games during the playoffs. Although his 37.1 percent 3-point shooting is only mediocre, the Suns do not require a point guard with that kind of shooting ability.
Their desire is for peaceful stability and the capacity to sense when to step aside when their stars begin to burn. The Suns’ ability to pay Beverley is all that makes him appealing, and if that’s your best selling point, you know it’s a horrible idea. The Suns must keep looking away for a solution while the offseason progresses and Beverley stays put.