Suns waive Reed, Harrison and Arthur ahead of deadline

The Phoenix Suns have officially waived Davon Reed on Wednesday, along with Darrell Arthur and Shaquille Harrison on Monday in preparation to finalize the roster for the start of the 2018-19 season as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Suns were attempting to search out trade scenarios for Reed but planned to waive him if a deal wasn’t struck.

Davon Reed salary $1.3 million is fully guaranteed so Suns don’t save any money by waving him today rather than tomorrow when Crawford signs.

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) October 15, 2018

The NBA deadline for final roster cuts was set for 2 p.m. Monday. Teams were required to trim their rosters to 15 players with two more additional two-way contracts allowed.

Phoenix had already signed rookie second-round pick George King to a two-way deal, and it’s unclear who might fill the second spot.

The Suns entered Monday with 18 players under contract including King, but that number hit 19 with the reported agreement to sign guard Jamal Crawford to a one-year deal.

Reed, Phoenix’s 32nd overall draft pick in 2017, averaged 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 29 percent overall in 21 games toward the end of the 2017-18 season.

Coming off a meniscus surgery to begin his rookie year, he took major steps forward in his recovery this summer. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound swingman was one of the Suns’ best players in Summer League but behind a deep wing rotation played just 13.2 minutes per game this preseason, averaging 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting just 25 percent from the floor.

Harrison averaged 6.6 points, 2.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 23 games last season following a G League call-up. He shot 48 percent from the field and 23 percent from three. A defensive ace at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, the 25-year-old earned the opportunity to run the show for Kokoskov during the Suns’ Las Vegas Summer League.

He struggled in four preseason outings, averaging 7.5 points, 3.8 rebounds to go with 2.3 assists and 2.5 turnovers per game. Harrison shot just 33 percent in the four games but continued to excel on the defensive end, averaging 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in 22.4 minutes per game.

Arthur was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets as a part of the Jared Dudley trade from mid-July. He did not join the team due to an undisclosed medical issue.

The 30-year-old veteran Arthur was originally headed for a buyout at the time of the trade, according to Wojnarowksi.

Arthur, though, was an asset for the Suns on the trade market. His $7.4 million expiring contract would have served as a way for the Suns to match salary numbers coming back to them in a trade.

Projected Suns 2018-19 regular season roster

Point guards

Jamal Crawford

Isaiah Canaan

Elie Okobo

De’Anthony Melton

Shooting guards

Devin Booker

Troy Daniels

Small forwards

Trevor Ariza

Josh Jackson

T.J. Warren

Mikal Bridges

George King (two-way)

Power forwards

Ryan Anderson

Dragan Bender

Centers

Deandre Ayton

Tyson Chandler

Richaun Holmes

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