Potential Suns free agency targets

Jun 25, 2012, 9:24 PM | Updated: Jun 26, 2012, 12:44 am

NBA free agency starts in less than a week, and the Phoenix Suns have seven expiring contracts, including face of the franchise Steve Nash, perimeter defender Grant Hill and three year center Robin Lopez.

Whether these players re-sign or not, it is almost guaranteed that there will be spots on the depth chart Phoenix will need to fill.

With Nash’s future in orange and purple an uncertainty and the Suns out of the Deron Williams race, Phoenix may need to look at other options to step in at point guard.

Thursday’s NBA Draft offers some exciting rookie prospects, but nobody knows what Suns GM Lance Blanks will do with the 13th pick.

Arizona Sports 620’s John Gambadoro expects the Suns to look at a couple of players at the position, as well as other free agents who could be Suns targets.

Follow @AZSports

Lou Williams - Point Guard

The six-year pro from Philadelphia averaged 13.3 points and 3.5 assists this season. He's willing to be physical as well, averaging 4.6 free-throw attempts per game and sinking .812 percent of them. Williams didn't start a single game for the 76ers this past season, but he still managed to score 15 or more points in 30 games, showing that he's more of a shooter than a distributor.

O.J. Mayo - Shooting Guard

From Rookie of the Year finalist to second on the depth chart, Mayo's career has flipped on its head over the past three seasons. In fact, Mayo didn't start a single game for the Grizzlies last year. However, he put up respectable numbers for someone coming off the bench, averaging 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Mayo will be seeking big bucks in free agency and will look to be in the starting lineup wherever he goes.

Randy Foye - Shooting Guard

The fifth-year shooting guard from Villanova has played for the likes of Minnesota, Washington and Los Angeles, averaging 11 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Clippers in the past season. Best utilized as a bench player, the 6'4'' Foye would be a good sixth man for a team needing help at guard.

Chris Kaman - Center

Another free agent from New Orleans, the 30-year-old big man averaged 13.1 points and grabbed 7.7 rebounds per game. He also had 19 games with 15 or more points and averaged 1.6 blocks per game. But the biggest criticism against the 7-footer is his defense and his unwillingness to be aggressive on either side of the ball.

Carl Landry - Power Forward

The 6'9'', 248-pound forward from New Orleans shot .503 from the field, averaging 12.5 points per game. He also found his way to the line an average of 4.5 times per game over the course of the season, shooting .799 from the free throw. Landry missed 25 games due to knee problems, so there are worries about him being injury-prone.

Ersan Ilyasova - Power Forward

There are a lot of good things to be said of the 25-year-old power forward from Turkey. Averaging 13 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for the Milwaukee Bucks, he also showed he's a competent shooter, hitting .492 from the field and knocking down 45% from 3-point range. Another fun fact: Ilyasova recorded a double double in 1/3 of the games he played this year. He will want a large contract, and deservedly so.

Goran Dragic - Point Guard

Suns fans should remember Dragic fondly after his 26 points in 17-minute performance against the Spurs in the 2009-2010 postseason. Dragic came into his own this past year, averaging 11.7 points, 5.3 assists and shooting 46% from the field. The point guard also recorded nine games with 10 or more assists.

Raymond Felton - Point Guard

The Trail Blazers point guard averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 assists per game in the 2011-12 season, but it goes downhill from there. His 2.8 turnovers per game were 16th highest in the NBA, there are concerns about him being in shape, and his numbers have decreased across the board compared to previous seasons.

Ramon Sessions - Point Guard

Ramon Sessions decided to test out free agency
instead of exorcising his contract option and
staying with the Los Angeles Lakers. The four-
year pro averaged 11.3 points last season and
shot .443 from the 3-point line. But Sessions
put up marginal numbers against the Nuggets in
the playoffs and disappeared completely in the
series against OKC.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.

comments powered by Disqus

Phoenix Suns

Kellan Olson

Kevin Durant preaches execution over ‘rah-rah speeches’ for Suns

Kevin Durant did not choose to emphasize communication much as a key for the Suns to stay consistent and instead focused on execution.

2 hours ago

Grayson Allen #8 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball during the second half in game one of the We...

Kellan Olson

Suns’ Grayson Allen questionable after re-injuring ankle vs. T-Wolves

Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen is questionable for Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday after re-injuring his ankle.

3 hours ago

Aircorg the corgi predicts the Phoenix Suns to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games....

Haboob Blog

The TikTok corgi is here if you are a Suns fan in need of hope

If you want to grasp at a final hopeful straw regarding whether the Phoenix Suns can extend their playoff run, the TikTok corgi is here.

1 day ago

Devin Booker's playable character in Call of Duty...

Bailey Leasure

Call of Duty teases Devin Booker as new playable character

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker will be available as a playable character in Call of Duty starting in May.

1 day ago

Arizona Sports Video

Video: Empire of the Suns: Reaction to Suns still turning the ball over as of Game 2 of the playoffs

The Timberwolves scored 31 points off turnovers as the Phoenix Suns fell apart in Game 2 of the first-round series. Kellan Olson and Kevin Zimmerman react.

2 days ago

Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns shoots against Jaden McDaniels #3 of the Minnesota Timberwolve...

Kellan Olson

Suns unravel in usual fashion, T-Wolves take commanding 2-0 lead

The Phoenix Suns have made a habit this year of spiraling through self-inflicted mistakes and that continued in a Game 2 loss.

2 days ago