Earlier this week, the Phoenix Suns opted to shake things up by waiving guard Cole Anthony, whom the team had acquired in a recent trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. The move was a relatively surprising one for a Suns team that is short on perimeter scoring at the current juncture, with both Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks sidelined.
Now, more information is coming to light on a subsequent move that followed the Anthony decision.
“The Suns are converting Jamaree Bouyea to a standard contract from his two-way deal after waiving Cole Anthony, league sources told ClutchPoints,” reported ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel on X, formerly Twitter.
Bouyea has been a pleasant surprise for the Suns this year, averaging 6.5 points and 1.8 assists per game this season, and putting relentless pressure on opposing defenses with his speed, while also providing solid perimeter defense on the other end of the floor.
The Anthony decision ultimately was necessary in order to pave the way for the Suns to convert Bouyea from his two-way deal into a standard NBA contract.
Currently, the Suns sit at 34-26 on the season, and are in contention to secure one of the top six seeds in the Western Conference, which is well above where most pundits thought they would be at this point of the campaign after trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets last offseason.
Unfortunately, the Suns are currently down their two top scorers in Booker and Brooks, who has been a revelation this year in Phoenix, expanding his offensive game while remaining an elite defender.
If Booker and Brooks are able to return to the lineup at some point in the near future, it would do wonders for the Suns' potential ability to shock the NBA and secure one of the top six seeds in the conference.
