A look at the free agent market makes you shrug at the shooting guard options.
Our look at the upcoming unrestricted free agents continues. Yesterday, we explored the point guard landscape, a collection of playmakers entering the market this offseason. And let’s be honest: it was less than thrilling. Spoiler alert? The entire 2025 free agency class lacks star power. So…yay.
Today, we shift to the shooting guard position. It’s one the Phoenix Suns have seemingly had locked down for the past two seasons. Remember when we were told this team would be “positionless”? That deploying Devin Booker and Bradley Beal together wouldn’t be an issue? On paper — and in isolated stretches — it sort of worked. But in reality? It never quite clicked the way we were sold.
What happens with either of them moving forward is anyone’s guess. If the Suns choose to run it back with both Booker and Beal, then, truthfully, this position becomes the least impactful on our free agency radar. You don’t typically go shopping when your cupboard’s already stocked, especially with two All-Stars holding down the same spot.
Call it depth. Call it redundancy. But barring a blockbuster shake-up, don’t expect this list to move the needle.
If the Phoenix Suns are indeed keeping both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, then any free agent addition at shooting guard is less about impact and more about insulation. You’re not hunting for a game-changer. You’re looking for a depth play. Someone who can stay ready on the bench and step in when (not if) one of your guys misses time.
In that light, Talen Horton-Tucker becomes a name worth circling.
He’s someone you can stash deep in your rotation. And when Beal inevitably misses a stretch — because that’s part of the Beal deal — THT can give you minutes. He had some solid moments with the Lakers and, most recently, contributed in Chicago. He’s also coming off the best three-point shooting season of his career at 33.6%. That’s not going to set the world on fire, but in this year’s free agency class, “acceptable” might be as good as it gets.
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Then there’s Alec Burks.
His name has been floating around Bright Side circles for years. Trade deadlines. Free agency. Somehow, he’s always in the conversation. Why? Because he can shoot. Plain and simple. If you’re looking for someone to replicate the Damian Lee archetype — a low-usage, high-efficiency shooter off the bench — Burks fits. He’s a career 38.6% shooter from deep and has bounced around the league enough that Phoenix would be his ninth NBA stop. Journeyman status fully unlocked.
So, what’s the plan here? Are the Suns really holding firm with Booker and Beal? Is a Bradley Beal buyout coming? Is a Devin Booker trade even remotely on the table? Or are we staring down the barrel of a full-on reset?
Because if that happens, the equation changes. Suddenly, a guy like Caris LeVert — capable of being a starting-caliber two — might become part of the conversation.
It’s messy. It’s murky. And it might get ugly.
But in the meantime, we keep asking: who on this list makes sense? Who’s worth a flier? Because when your roster is built around stars, the margins matter more than ever.
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