Malcolm Brogdon could raise the Suns floor, not their ceiling

Why Malcolm Brogdon makes quiet sense for the Suns.

FOMO. You feel it creeping in? Marcus Smart is heading to the Lakers. Damian Lillard is back in Portland. Chris Paul returns to the Clippers. One by one, the dominoes of NBA free agency continue to fall, each move a reminder that the league never truly sleeps. July has trudged on, not with a bang, but with the steady rhythm of relocation and reinvention. And yet, amid the motion, the Phoenix Suns have stood still.

Even after opening another roster spot with the buyout of Bradley Beal, the silence from Phoenix grows louder. Two vacancies remain, untouched, as we inch closer to the preseason. The clock isn’t ticking loudly yet, but it’s ticking all the same.

I’ve already laid out my case for how the Suns should approach free agency this offseason, and by extension, what we should reasonably expect from the upcoming year. It’s a philosophy rooted not in splashy signings or quick fixes, but in patience and purpose. With that in mind, the remaining free agent pool doesn’t exactly overflow with names that align with this line of thinking.

This isn’t the time to chase headlines or hand out contracts with the hope that a new face will immediately reshape the rotation. It’s not about plugging holes with veterans who expect guaranteed roles. It’s about development; about leaning into growth, discovery, and the long view. Signing someone like Russell Westbrook might address a perceived need at point guard, but it would also short-circuit the opportunity to cultivate internal options and define a new identity. Depth matters, but not at the expense of direction.

With that being said, there is one point guard in free agency who has caught my eye, someone who fits the vision without disrupting the foundation. The role I’m envisioning? The backup. To the backup. A player you can call upon in spot duty, someone who won’t demand minutes but will deliver when they come. Because injuries happen. Scheduled rest is part of the modern NBA rhythm. And when those moments arrive, you want a steady, seasoned hand to guide the ship. Not a project, not a placeholder.

We don’t need a Sabin Lee. We don’t need a TyTy Washington. What we need is a Malcolm Brogdon.

A Veteran’s Value Without the Burden

Malcolm Brogdon is a player defined by experience. Nine years in the league, a former Rookie of the Year, and most notably, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 while with the Boston Celtics. That’s just 2 seasons ago.

Though he began his career as a starter, injuries have slowly reshaped his role. And his availability. Eight hamstring injuries. Six back issues. A torn ligament in his shooting hand. Achilles soreness in 2021. A left ankle sprain that sidelined him late last season. Over the past four years, that familiar red cross next to his name has become a regular fixture.

But when he does play, Brogdon is the kind of presence you can rely on. He’s a stabilizing force. An organizer, not a disruptor. A composed point guard who understands tempo and timing, someone who makes the right reads and rarely tries to do too much.

He’s tough, willing to defend, and while age and injury have dulled some of his lateral quickness, he still plays with grit. Regression has occurred, but even when you dive into his advanced metrics from last season on B-Ball Index, it’s clear he’s still capable of filling the role the Suns need from him.

Most importantly, he brings a brand of quiet, grounded leadership this Suns team has sorely lacked in recent years. Brogdon won’t wow you with highlight-reel plays or athletic bursts, but when the moment calls for composure, he’s someone who can step in and simply get the job done.

Yes, the injury history is part of the equation, maybe even the first thing that gives you pause. But that’s exactly why the role matters. You’re not bringing Malcolm Brogdon to Phoenix to shoulder a nightly workload or test his durability across 82 games. You’re asking him to be the backup to the backup. A steady hand in moments of chaos. A veteran presence who can step in when needed and step aside when not. The hope is he sees the value in that, at 32, not as a centerpiece, but as a stabilizer. A mentor. A locker room adult.

The Price, the Role, and the Reality

So, what do you pay him? He’s coming off a year in which he made $22.5 million.

In a perfect world, he takes the vet minimum. Low cost, low risk, all upside. But if he commands more, and he likely will, you still have room to maneuver. The Suns can offer $5.7 million of their mid-level exception without triggering the hard cap, giving you the flexibility to extend a respectable offer. A two-year, $11.4 million deal isn’t unreasonable. But the structure matters. You’d want that second year to be a team option, not a player one. That way, you’re protecting your flexibility while still showing a level of commitment.

The gamble isn’t on Brogdon’s body. It’s on his impact, on the court in short spurts, and in the locker room on a daily basis. If he buys into that role, and if the price is right, he might be exactly what this team needs. Not to raise the ceiling, but to raise the floor.

Then there’s always the question that looms over any free agent scenario: does he want to do it?

And in Brogdon’s case, that might be the very reason he’s still unsigned. He’s testing the market. Feeling it out. Looking for the right fit, not just in terms of salary, but situation. That fit can take many forms.

Maybe he wants to taste winning again after back-to-back stints in Portland and Washington. If that’s the case, Phoenix might not be his destination. The Suns are in a transitional phase, sitting in a loaded Western Conference, and as it stands today, they simply don’t have the balance or firepower on either side of the ball to be considered a legitimate title contender. This season is about development, not desperation.

Or maybe Brogdon is looking for a chance to contribute consistently. To have a nightly role off the bench, or even start in the right scenario. If that’s what he’s after, again, Phoenix isn’t the answer. Not here. Not now.

He wouldn’t be a key cog; he’d be a stopgap. There aren’t going to be regular minutes available. Nor should there be. Because this team needs to see what it has in Collin Gillespie, a third-year guard who flashed promise last season and deserves a real shot at carving out his place. Brogdon would sit behind both Gillespie and Devin Booker in the guard pecking order. The role, quite frankly, is defined and limited.

But if Brogdon and his camp have tested the waters and found that the opportunities they want simply aren’t there, if contenders aren’t calling and heavy-minute offers aren’t materializing, then Phoenix becomes a viable landing spot. A quiet one, sure, but one with value.

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The Suns are trying to reestablish an identity. Toughness. Grit. Effort. They’re searching for guys who can help lay a foundation, even if they’re not always standing on it come tip-off. Brogdon fits that mold. It’s just a matter of whether both sides can get on the same page about the role, the money, and the mission.

Because if they can, I’d love to have him.

Yes, this has been reaped by Gambo. But a guy can still dream, can’t he? I mean, he is part of the CAA Basketball Agency, the same agency that Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Grayson Allen are a part of.

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