The Phoenix Suns have been very active this offseason. They may not have a ton of resources at their disposal following their trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, but Phoenix made some solid additions. The Suns added Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro in the draft and signed Monte Morris and Mason Plumlee as free agents.
Those are nice gets, but they can stand to make another move or two. Cameron Payne and Wesley Matthews should be two more minimum free agent targets the Suns should sign to fortify their roster.
Cameron Payne gives the Suns a scoring punch
The biggest complaint for many regarding last season's Suns roster was their lack of a point guard. It was apparent all throughout the season and especially so in the playoffs. Durant, Beal, and Devin Booker are excellent offensive players, but many of Phoenix's possessions got bogged down by them pounding the rock. They left a lot of meat on the bone on that end of the floor.
Phoenix only had the 10th-best offense in the NBA last season. While that's a good spot to be for most squads, they have to be better there while having three All-NBA caliber creators on the same team. A big reason why was turnovers. The Suns ranked 25th in the league in turnover percentage a year ago. The Orlando Magic were the only playoff team to fare worse in that metric.
A point guard would help remedy that and help the Suns' offense click on all cylinders. Monte Morris will contribute in this regard, but someone like Cameron Payne can help Phoenix too. Payne had a +3.25 assist-to-turnover ratio last season and has a ton of familiarity with Booker and Durant dating back to his previous stint with the Suns.
Payne would re-inject the Suns with some much-needed movement and randomness.
Payne isn't much of a defender but he has shot 36.9% from three for his career. The Suns could do a lot worse than bringing him back on the minimum.
Wesley Matthews reunites with Mike Budenholzer
Someone like Wesley Matthews may be a more realistic option for the Suns to target in free agency. Matthews has been around the block. He is about to turn 38 years old in October and is coming off a season in Atlanta where he averaged a career-low 11.5 minutes per game. Matthews is definitely on the back nine when it comes to his NBA career.
However, that doesn't mean he still can't contribute to an NBA team. His three ball has eluded the last few seasons, but he is a career 37.5% shooter from distance. He may not be able to chase around smaller guards anymore, but Matthews can at least body bigger wings up with his 6-foot-5 220-pound frame.
But perhaps most importantly is his familiarity with head coach Mike Budenholzer. For three seasons in Milwaukee Matthews played for Budenholzer, Phoenix's new head coach after they relieved Frank Vogel of his duties after their playoff loss. He was a contributor to the Bucks' title-winning team in 2022.
Bringing in Matthews would make sense to make the transition to Budenholzer more seamless for the Suns. Phoenix doesn't have much time to waste. They have to win with all they have invested into this team and they have to do it soon. Durant isn't getting any younger.
Matthews may not get a lot of playing time at this stage of his career, but he can be a great locker-room presence for this team. He makes a lot of sense as a free agent the Suns should target.
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