The Phoenix Suns have numerous decisions ahead of them this upcoming offseason, including multiple restricted free agents, unrestricted free agents, and players with trade value. The following series will examine those decisions as our writing team presents both a point and a counterpoint for each.<\/p>\n
Man, I drew the short end of the stick on this one, didn\u2019t I? This is the topic in our point\/counterpoint series that nobody wanted to touch. Why? Because it\u2019s not an easy argument to make. It\u2019s the basketball equivalent of going to Costco at noon on a Sunday. You know it has to be done, but you still don\u2019t want any part of it.<\/p>\n
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That said, part of our job here at Bright Side of the Sun is providing holistic perspectives on the different paths available to the Phoenix Suns. The goal is to give you, the reader, a broader understanding of the options sitting in front of this organization. Yesterday, Bruce Veliz laid out the reasoning for why Phoenix should re-sign Collin Gillespie, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.<\/p>\n
Today, I\u2019m here to explain why the Suns should let him walk. Let\u2019s see if I can actually pull this off.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll start by acknowledging that Collin Gillespie turned into a player the Phoenix Suns gambled on and actually hit on. That feels increasingly rare these days. Watching him grow and develop into someone worthy of these conversations has been genuinely enjoyable.<\/p>\n
Phoenix isn\u2019t the only organization that recognizes what he is now. Teams around the league are going to have interest in him this offseason, especially because he\u2019s entering his fourth year in the NBA and could still be viewed as a value signing on the right contract.<\/p>\n
So you have a desirable asset that opposing front offices are absolutely putting on their boards as a target this offseason. Why would the Phoenix Suns let Collin Gillespie walk?<\/p>\n
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The only real reasoning I can come up with is one of two things. Either the Suns don\u2019t view him as part of their long-term plans, which I don\u2019t believe is true, or he becomes a little too expensive for their comfort level, which I\u2019m also not entirely convinced happens.<\/p>\n
My guess is he lands somewhere in the $12 million range annually, and maybe that becomes the sticking point. Phoenix could find itself prioritizing staying below certain tax thresholds while also deciding that Jordan Goodwin<\/a> is a bigger long-term priority.<\/p>\n Honestly, the bigger factor might not even be Phoenix. It might be Gillespie himself.<\/p>\n I think Collin is a bench player. A damn fine one, but in the Suns\u2019 current ecosystem, that\u2019s where he is best served. I think continuing to roll out three-guard lineups with Dillon Brooks<\/a> at power forward is the wrong direction next season. Gillespie makes the most sense as the second-unit leader. If that role and fit aren\u2019t something both sides agree on, then he could absolutely look elsewhere.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n This ultimately comes down to what he wants. There are going to be teams willing to give him the Tyus Jones<\/a> treatment, not financially, role-wise. More minutes. More opportunity. A cleaner path to starting.<\/p>\n The ball is really in Collin\u2019s proverbial court. Does he want to remain a backup in Phoenix for at least another season as the Jalen Green<\/a> experiment continues to unfold? If the Suns and Gillespie can\u2019t align on role and fit, then he walks. Not because Phoenix necessarily wanted him gone, but because he wanted something different.<\/p>\n The only other scenario where the Phoenix Suns let Collin Gillespie leave is if another team simply offers more than Phoenix believes he\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n