The Phoenix Suns made the first blockbuster trade of the summer, adding Bradley Beal to their roster for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, four pick swaps, and (not joking) every second round pick they were legally allowed to trade.
With Beal joining Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, Phoenix is trying to bring back superteams, but as many teams have found out, the hardest part is filling out the rest of the roster. After exploring Deandre Ayton trade options and not finding the market they hoped, the expectation is now for him to be back next year, as they hope he can be the needed frontcourt presence and rim protector their star trio needs as an anchor. If he’s not being moved for multiple players, Phoenix has an awful lot of roster spots to fill.
As of this moment, they have seven players under contract — Beal, Booker, Durant, Ayton, Cam Payne, Jordan Goodwin, and Isaiah Todd — and can pick up a team option on Ish Wainwright to make it eight. That still leaves seven roster spots and a pair of two-ways open, meaning Phoenix is going to have to get creative and really do their work on the veteran minimum market since they are already well into the tax.
On Monday, we got a report offering an example of just how wide a net they will cast to try and fill out the roster, as Chris Haynes says they’ll bring Jabari Parker and Stanley Johnson in for workouts this week.
Phoenix Suns will host a free agent workout on Wednesday featuring notables Jabari Parker and Stanley Johnson, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/cp8f2sZvwq
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 26, 2023
Parker did not play in the NBA last season, most recently suiting up for 12 games in Boston during the 2021-22 season — in total he’s played in 63 games since the start of the 2019-20 season. Johnson played in 30 games for the Spurs last year, and is two years removed from a solid stint with the Lakers in a similar situation to what Phoenix finds itself in now.
We will see exactly how this summer shakes out for the Suns, but expect to hear some names you might not have thought about for awhile as they look to cobble together a roster around their stars.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/phoenix-suns-workout-jabari-parker-stanley-johnson-roster-needs/
