Suns guard Jevon Carter makes ESPN’s list of the top 25 NBA free agents

A pro-Phoenix Suns optimist would say that Jevon Carter ranks 23rd on ESPN’s list of the top NBA free agents because he made a huge leap in 2019-20.

A pro-Suns pessimist might look at that list and realize the chances of Phoenix making an expectation-changing move with so few certifiably good free agents are quite low.

Let’s touch on Carter first: He found a niche once Phoenix head coach Monty Williams slid him from a lead guard to off the ball. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound pest found success getting under ball handlers and making effort plays.

But Carter was also quietly the Suns’ best shooter, hitting 42.5% of his threes (backup point guard Cam Payne shot 51.7% but in a limited sample of eight bubble appearances).

Carter only averaged 4.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 16.3 minutes per game, but the 25-year-old did prove he could survive for 20-plus minute stretches when the Suns relaunched their season at Disney World.

As a restricted free agent, the Suns could match any other team’s offer to Carter by extending him a $1.9 million qualifying offer when free agency begins — the dates for free agency remain unset.

How’d Carter land in the top-25?

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton created his top-25 by ranking every expected free agent’s three-year projected WARP (wins above replacement player).

Carter’s 5.4 lands him just behind the Heat’s Jae Crowder, the Lakers’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Nets’ Chris Chiozza. The WARP formula apparently does not project as well on fellow Suns Aron Baynes (unrestricted) and Dario Saric (restricted).

Now for the pessimistic view. Carter lands on the list behind those aforementioned players because the free agent class isn’t deep.

Atop Pelton’s list is Anthony Davis, who has no reason not to re-sign with the champion Los Angeles Lakers.

From there, it’s a massive dip in talent, with Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet No. 2. He’s followed by the Pistons’ Christian Wood, the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram and the Wizards’ Davis Bertans.

Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (No. 6), whose draft rights were held by the Suns and traded before he entered the NBA, is also on the list.

Former Suns include 23-year-old wing Derrick Jones Jr. (No. 9) and point guard De’Anthony Melton (No. 11), the latter of whom was traded by Phoenix to Memphis in exchange for Carter in the Josh Jackson deal last offseason.

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