The Phoenix Suns, during the 2023 offseason, added Bradley Beal via trade to build a star-studded trio alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, even though the Suns boast some impressive top-end talent, their depth leaves much to be desired. Thus, the Suns front office took plenty of steps to rectify this situation, adding the likes of Eric Gordon, Keita Bates-Diop, Bol Bol, and Yuta Watanabe, among others, in free agency.

Watanabe, in particular, was a person of interest for the Suns due to his impressive marksmanship, which he showed early on in the 2022-23 season for the Brooklyn Nets. And at 6'9, he also had the size and length to deal with bigger players on the defensive end, making him such a versatile weapon for teams with contending aspirations.

Thus, it's no surprise to hear that Kevin Durant, Watanabe's former teammate with the Nets, played a huge part in convincing the 28-year old Japanese international to join the Suns in free agency. According to Gerald Bourguet, Durant “reached out to help recruit” Watanabe, maximizing the bond they forged back in Brooklyn.

“Once they told me he was one of the guys they were targeting, I hit him up for sure. I love his journey. Just a quiet guy but an extremely hard worker. He loves to play basketball. I enjoy seeing his growth,” Durant said.

At this point, Watanabe will have some competition for minutes at the three and the four, with the Suns also having the option of utilizing Bates-Diop, Nassir Little, Chimezie Metu, and even Ish Wainwright at those positions. But Watanabe laps all those four when it comes to shooting; he shot 44.4 percent from deep last year, and he'll be feasting on the open looks Durant, Booker, and Beal will create for him.

“We hope for big things from him this season, and I love that everybody’s been enjoying the way he’s been playing in practice thus far,” Durant said of Watanabe. “Hopefully he keeps it up.”

We shall see how the Suns distribute minutes for Watanabe, who, alongside Gordon, figures to be the most influential bench players for the team this upcoming year.