The Phoenix Suns made a sharp-value move this offseason when they signed Luke Kennard to a two-year, $13 million contract. But if that deal doesn’t hold, Collin Gillespie is the unexpected name that could slide into Kennard’s role.
Kennard brings one thing the Suns badly need: shooting. He led the entire NBA in 3-point percentage last season at 47.8 percent, and he was brought in to help replace the long-range production of Grayson Allen.
Still, there’s a reason Kennard keeps bouncing around. He’s 30, he hasn’t really stuck anywhere, and teams have been willing to move on from him when the fit gets shaky.
Atlanta dealt him to the Los Angeles Lakers at the trade deadline, and the Lakers let him go this summer.
The concern is that Kennard’s defensive shortcomings could become a problem fast. He’s not close to the defender Allen was, and there’s a real chance opponents could target him enough to push him off the floor. That’s where Gillespie comes in.
Gillespie is usually seen as a point guard, and that’s been the spot where he’s done his best work for Phoenix. He’s also one of the team’s longer-tenured players now, which gives him a built-in comfort level alongside Devin Booker.
Even though he’s smaller, he has shown more willingness on defense than Kennard. And over his two full seasons in The Valley, he hasn’t shot below 40 percent from 3-point range.
He also brings back something the Suns lost when Allen was sent to the Charlotte Hornets: playmaking.
For now, the Suns still have to sort out what they want to do with Jalen Green, and Kennard’s spot remains tied to that bigger picture. Gillespie would probably prefer to be the starting point guard, and Booker would likely welcome that too. But if Kennard gets moved again before the season ends, the Suns would have a clear opening for Gillespie to take on a bigger bench role and fill the gap with shooting, defense and ball movement.
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Luke Kennard Fixes One Suns Problem But Exposes Another
Luke Kennards arrival gives the Suns something they badly needed, a proven floor-spacer who can punish defenders the moment they help off the ball. Signed as a free agent, he should ease some of the spacing problems that have hung over the offense, and his reputation as one of the leagues most dangerous catch-and-shoot threats makes him a natural fit for a team trying to open the court around its scorers.
Luke Kennard can help Phoenix stretch defenses, but the bigger question is how much room the rest of the lineup will give him to work with. The coaching staff now has to figure out the best way to deploy him alongside the other pieces so his shooting actually changes the geometry of the offense rather than becoming a standalone weapon on a roster still searching for enough shooting around him. [Read more 🡒]
Suns May Have A Defensive Lineup Built For Tough Matchups
Jordan Ott may have found a lineup he can lean on when the games tighten up and the matchups get tougher. The Suns already finished ninth in defensive rating last season, and the idea now is to build on that identity with a group that can pressure the ball, switch more cleanly and make life harder for opposing scorers.
Goodwin, Booker and Brooks give Phoenix a perimeter base that can compete on the wing, while the frontcourt mix adds size and activity behind them. If Ott goes this direction, it would give the Suns a more defense-first option to turn to against elite opponents, with the kind of length and toughness that could change the tone of a possession. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Trade Buzz Around Darius Garland Just Hit A Real Snag
The Darius Garland speculation that briefly connected the Suns to the Clippers has already run into a wall. After Los Angeles drew NBA penalties, Phoenix was floated as a possible landing spot in the rumor mill, but a Suns insider said there have been no discussions between the teams and doesnt expect any in the near future, cooling down a storyline that had gained traction only because of the circumstances around the Clippers.
For Phoenix, the bigger priority appears to be internal rather than opportunistic. The Suns are preparing to give Jalen Green every chance to show he can fit alongside Devin Booker this season, with Dillon Brooks also part of the mix as the team looks at its current core before chasing outside help. Amid all the trade chatter, that development track has become the more immediate focus for the front office. [Read more 🡒]