The Suns may be watching this one from a distance, but the warning signs are familiar. Another former NBA wing is drawing interest, and another team looks ready to talk itself into a comeback story that may not last.
That player is Lonnie Walker IV, who is being viewed as someone who could return from Maccabi Tel Aviv on a modest deal and fill out the back end of a roster. Multiple franchises are said to be interested, and a return to the NBA appears to be only a matter of time for the 27-year-old and former Los Angeles Laker.
The appeal is easy to see on paper. Walker IV’s last full season in the league came in 2024-25 with the Philadelphia 76ers, when he averaged over 12 points per game. But the sample was only 20 games, and that small stretch is part of why this kind of move so often goes sideways.
That’s where the Suns’ old Nigel Hayes-Davis experience comes back into focus. Hayes-Davis spent 27 games with Phoenix last season, a run that hinted at more than it delivered.
The 31-year-old was gone by the trade deadline and later returned to Panathinaikos in Europe. Phoenix has not gone back down that road, but another team is now lining up to make a similar bet.
The difference between a useful presence and a real answer is easy to blur when a roster needs depth. Hayes-Davis proved to be a positive locker-room influence, but not much more than that. Walker IV could offer something similar in the right setting, but the league has already shown why these second chances can be tricky.
Guerschon Yabusele is the latest example. After a strong showing at the Olympic Games for France, he made it back to the NBA, only to leave again for Europe. He is being paid well to do it, more than Walker IV would likely make if he lands another NBA deal, but the broader lesson remains the same.
Once a player is out, getting back in is no simple thing.
Victor Oladipo is another name in that category, though for different reasons and without a European stop. And while some might argue the Suns should take another swing on Oladipo or Walker IV, that misses what happened in The Valley last season, when a youth movement took hold instead.
So if a fringe contender decides to convince itself that Walker IV is the answer, that team may have to learn the hard way.
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