More than 50 years into their existence, the Phoenix Suns are still yet to achieve the ultimate success. They have, however, been a consistent presence in the playoffs for large swathes of that time – the 2010s being a notable exception – and a number of free agency signings have helped to either take them or keep them in the upper echelons of the Western Conference standings. With that in mind, these are ten of the best free agent signings in Suns history.
10. Rodney Rogers (2000)
After a first round playoffs exit in the shortened 1998-99 season, the Suns reliable Clipper Rodney Rogers to complement their roster, and though his stay with the team was relatively brief, he certainly made his time in Phoenix count. In his first season there, Rogers shot what was comfortably a career-high 43.9% from long range and averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists off the bench en route to the Sixth Man of the Year Award – the first time a Sun had ever won the award. He couldn't replicate that effort in the seasons to come and lasted just another season and a half in Phoenix, but he was a solid bench player in his time there.
9. Channing Frye (2009)
Four seasons into his career, Channing Frye's worth on an NBA court was seemingly dropping, with his lack of size and traditional center attributes seeing his contributions gradually drop to the point where he played just 11.8 minutes per game for the Blazers in his fourth season. Then Phoenix stepped in. Signing Frye as a free agent, they recognized his somewhat unorthodox talents for his size and turned him into an outside shooter. He went on to shoot 43.9% from long range in his first year with the team. Ultimately he'd go on to play for four seasons in Phoenix, averaging double figure points in each of those seasons and shooting 37% or more in three of them.
8. Goran Dragic (2012)
After playing the first three seasons of his career, Goran Dragic headed to Houston for a couple – the second of which saw him finally blossom into more than just a back-up point guard. In 2012, the Suns brought him back as a free agent, and that development only continued. He averaged a career high 14.7 points and 7.4 assists in his first season back in Phoenix, then jumped that up to 20.3 points the following year on better than 50% shooting from the field and 40% from three. His second stint in Phoenix only lasted a little under three years, but it was during that period that he developed into a legitimately good NBA player.
7. AC Green (1993)
After the Suns lost the 1993 NBA Finals in six games to Jordan's Bulls, they signed a former member of the Lakers' team they had beaten in that season's first round of the playoffs in AC Green. Green wasn't a superstar, but he was an able complement to Charles Barkley in the front court on both the offensive and defensive end. His first of three seasons with Phoenix was his best; he averaged 14.7 points and 9.2 rebounds in it, and though his production waned he was a valuable contributer to a solid playoff team for a couple of seasons.
6. Danny Manning (1994)
Danny Manning signed with the Suns a year after AC Green, adding further to an already stacked lineup. With him averaging 17.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his first season, the Suns worked their way to a 36-10 record when he unfortunately tore his ACL, ruling him out for that season and a large chunk of the next. He would never again replicate that sort of production, but he still played four more seasons for the Suns and averaged around 13.4 in the first three of those.
5. Raja Bell (2005)
In 2005, the Suns signed Raja Bell in a move which would bring them an elite shooter, brilliant defender and on-court leader for the next four seasons. Bell shot over 40% in every season with the Suns, including 44.2% in his first and an incredible 46.8% in his last, and formed a formidable defensive duo with Shawn Marion. Bell's time in Phoenix is also widely remembered for a hard foul on Kobe Bryant in the 2006 playoffs which saw him ejected and suspended for a game, but his stint in Phoenix provided the franchise with a whole lot more than that.
4. Grant Hill (2007)
Grant Hill's career didn't reach nearly the heights of which he was capable as a result of injury, but while he was nowhere near the player he was early in his career when he signed with Phoenix in 2007, he was at least uncharacteristically durable during his time there. Signing with the team as a 34-year-old, he played 70 games in his first season there and then 80 or more in each of the next three. He accepted his position as more of a role player in his time with the Suns, ultimately playing a major part in a team which went to the Conference Finals in 2010 and twice winning the NBA Sportsmanship Award while there.
3. Cliff Robinson (1997)
Filling the shoes of Charles Barkley was never going to be an easy task, but Cliff Robinson did an admiral job of it during his four seasons in Phoenix. Though he unsurprisingly didn't reach the heights of his MVP-winning predecessor, the 6'10” Robinson was a really good player for the Suns, providing high-quality defense and consistent scoring – he maxed out at 18.5 points in his third season there and never averaged less than 14.5 in a season. Though the team only once made it past the first round of the playoffs with Robinson there, he helped to ensure they remained a consistent presence in the postseason in the post-Barkley era.
2. Tom Chambers (1988)
After a really first solid seven years in the NBA, the Suns jumped on Tom Chambers once he became a free agent, signing him in 1988 after three consecutive ninth place finishes in the Western Conference. His impact was immediate. In his first season, Chambers averaged a career-high 25.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, while the following year that jumped up to 27.2 points per game on over 50% shooting. He helped take the Suns to the Conference Finals in both of those seasons after three consecutive years of missing the playoffs. His contribution dropped off a little thereafter and he averaged under 20 points in each of his final three seasons with the Suns, but he was still a solid contributor and helped to ensure the team didn't drop out of the postseason at all during that time. His final season with the team saw them make the NBA Finals, though by that time he was averaging only 12.2 points per game. Still, Chambers five seasons in Phoenix was an unequivocal success, and one of the best free agency signings the team has ever made.
1. Steve Nash (2004)
Could the number one spot have gone to anyone else? After spending the first two seasons of his career with the Suns, Steve Nash headed to Dallas and became one of the better point guards in the league, but it was when he returned to Phoenix that he became one of the best of all time. In eight seasons he averaged double-figure assists seven times, with the one exception being when he averaged 9.7 per game, while he also put in close to 20 points per game on over 50% shooting. During his second stint with the Suns, Nash was a 6x All-Star, 5x member of the All-NBA First or Second Team, and 2x MVP. Need I say more? One of the greatest to ever don the Phoenix jersey, or any jersey, Nash is by some margin the best free agency signings in the history of the franchise.
Follow Us
Subscribe