Mike Budenholzer issues blunt take on Suns’ point guard concerns

The only true point guard the Suns employed on the roster throughout the 2023-24 season were Jordan Goodwin, Saben Lee, and Isaiah Thomas. Phoenix traded Goodwin away in the Royce O’Neale deal, Lee can be a blur getting to the hoop but his shooting needs a lot of work, and at this point, Thomas is more of a locker-room presence than an on-court contributor.

Alas, the Suns’ options to fill the point guard position may be limited given that they will most definitely be a team that breaches the second tax apron. This subjects the Suns to a ton of roster-building restrictions, which will make it even more difficult for Mike Budenholzer and company to address this roster need.

What are the Suns’ PG options this offseason?

Three second tax apron restrictions will be especially backbreaking to the Suns this offseason. For starters, the Suns cannot take in more salary than they give out in a trade. And then to make things worse, they cannot combine the salaries of two players. Thus, they cannot, say, combine Grayson Allen’s contract with Nassir Little’s to acquire a point guard that’s making $18 to $20 million (Collin Sexton, for example).

And then, in free agency, it’s not like the Suns could go shopping. They do not have the mid-level exception available to them due to the tax restrictions, which means that they will be restricted to signing players to the veteran minimum to fill the roster.

To that end, they may have a few players they could target to help ease the ballhandling and playmaking burden on the Suns’ trio of stars. A player they could convince to go to the Valley is Kyle Lowry, the 38-year old point guard who won’t command more than the minimum for next season. However, Lowry last played for his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, so he might prefer to stay there.

Lowry, however, cannot shoulder a heavy workload anymore. And for such a top-heavy roster, the Suns will need the point guard they’ll bring in to be capable of suiting up night-in, night-out.

Perhaps another 76ers guard, Cameron Payne, could be helpful for the Suns. Payne was a member of the Suns team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2021, so he has existing synergy with Devin Booker, which can only help.

Other options the Suns could look at are Dennis Smith Jr., Delon Wright, Kris Dunn or maybe even Spencer Dinwiddie. Smith, Wright, and Dunn are near guarantees to be available for the veteran minimum, and they can provide them with strong defense at the point of attack.

But the intriguing option here is Dinwiddie; Dinwiddie has the most shot-creating and playmaking ability out of the bunch, but his stock has fallen precipitously. Could Phoenix be the place where he rehabilitates his career? Will he be willing to accept the veteran minimum?