ESPN’s Pelton gives 3 Suns free agent ideas after they didn’t make a trade

At ESPN, Kevin Pelton is part of a group of four analysts that split up NBA teams among themselves and do a fake trade deadline annually, he told 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Burns & Gambo Show on Friday.

Pelton had the Phoenix Suns.

He couldn’t find any deals. He didn’t make any trades.

In real life, the Suns also refrained from making any move. Pelton said he’s “not terribly surprised.”

“Obviously, we heard the talk about Luke Kennard and Kelly Oubre in possible trades this week, but I think anyone who follows this long enough knows that to get a trade, there’s gotta be a lot of different conversations that you’re having,” Pelton said. “The fact that they were having those conversations didn’t necessarily mean something was going to happen.”

He’s turning his attention to this offseason, when Phoenix will have up to $25 million in cap space.

The Suns are one of up to six teams projected to have at least $20 million to spend in free agency, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

“I feel like a better fit alongside Deandre Ayton might be one of the players that’s available this summer,” Pelton said.

With so many contenders working to avoid commitments in 2020 due to the 2021 free agency class highlighted by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Suns might have an opportunity to get a starting-caliber power forward without having to trade for him.

“This could be a really good summer to be a buyer in free agency, because of the fact that there are so few teams with cap space, and then a lot of teams that are wanting to role it over to the summer of ’21,” Pelton said.

Here are three names Pelton brought up on the Burns & Gambo Show:

Jerami Grant

Jerami Grant, the versatile, athletic Denver Nuggets forward, has been a defensive fiend since starter Paul Millsap got injured and Grant entered the starting rotation 15 games ago.

Grant is averaging 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game during that span. He has at least one steal in all but three games and multiple blocks in six games — including a seven-block display in a win over the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 31.

He has also improved as a scorer this season, averaging more than 15 points per game during his starting span. His overall shooting percentage is down, but he’s made 40% of his 3-pointers this season.

However, Grant doesn’t seem like a viable target — Pelton said the Nuggets are planning to bring him back as the full-time starting power forward next season. But doing so would open the door for the Suns to chase another power forward.

Paul Millsap

Millsap is no longer the player he was with the Atlanta Hawks, but the power forward would be an experienced veteran who can still stretch the floor and play solid defense.

Entering this season, Millsap had averaged at least one steal or block per game in every season spanning to 2008-09. He’s shooting 41% from 3, though he doesn’t take as many as he did with Atlanta.

Millsap is a dependable player on both ends of the floor, a four-time All-Star and has 10 seasons of playoff experience.

The injury bug has hit him hard since joining the Nuggets in 2017, though. He only played 38 games that first season, and is now out without a timetable due to a left knee contusion. He has only played 32 games and averaged about 25 minutes per outing.

But his offensive abilities next to center Deandre Ayton would allow the Suns to keep the paint unclogged, and he’s able to defend forwards down low and on the perimeter.

Danilo Gallinari 

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari was one of the predominant names on the trade market over the past week, but the Thunder elected to keep him for their likely postseason run.

But a free agent next year, Gallinari could be one of the premier free agents.

Gallinari is one of six players shooting at least seven 3-pointers per game and making at least 40% of them. His offensive rating since Thanksgiving is second-best in the league behind Kawhi Leonard.

He’s averaging 19.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while helping the Thunder surpass all expectations and be within two games of the fourth seed in the Western Conference, as of Friday morning.

If the Suns want a 6-foot-10 forward who can shoot 3s and spread the floor to let Ayton go to work in the paint, they needn’t look further.

The Suns, who almost certainly won’t be in contention for a star like Antetokounmpo or Leonard, could take advantage of a potentially slow 2020 free agency.

“For a team that’s not probably going to land one of those guys anyway, I think your money is gonna go farther this summer than it’s gonna in ’21 because there’s going to be so many teams with cap space,” Pelton said.

Follow @Logan_Newsman