No sooner did I publish an article saying the Phoenix Suns didn’t need an immediate solution to their center depth following the injury to Mark Williams than the team went out and acquired Duop Reath. Timing, am I right?
On the surface, the addition of Reath appears to provide a stopgap at center while Williams works his way back from his torn labrum. Ultimately, however, that might not be what this is. According to Suns insider Duane Rankin, Reath will join the Suns on a non-guaranteed contract as
a training camp invite. So while Phoenix has added another center to the mix, his roster spot is far from guaranteed.
I think that makes this a great move by the Suns because it invites healthy competition into the third-string center role. Phoenix already has CJ Huntley on a two-way contract, and he could fill that role if needed. The expectation isn’t for the third center to play 23 minutes a night, after all. It’s to provide depth when necessary, especially when foul trouble presents itself.
Rather than simply hand that role to Huntley, the Suns are bringing in competition. Huntley still has plenty of development ahead of him after missing Summer League with hamstring issues. Reath, meanwhile, is 30 years old and preparing for his fourth NBA season. And that fourth season matters. Reath is still eligible for a two-way contract. So if the Suns like what they see in him but don’t believe he’s done enough to earn a guaranteed roster spot, there is another path available.
A guaranteed spot would likely require Phoenix to move off Jamaree Bouyea, whose contract doesn’t become fully guaranteed until January 10. The Suns still value Bouyea and would like to keep him within the organization, so there’s no reason to force that decision right now. Phoenix also already has all three two-way spots occupied by Koby Brea, Pat Spencer, and CJ Huntley, which puts more pressure on those players to perform as well.
That’s what I like about this acquisition. It creates competition at the back end of the roster. It allows iron to sharpen iron and reinforces the idea that the best man wins. It’s a shrewd move and another example of Brian Gregory thinking ahead rather than waiting until he absolutely has to make a decision.
And while I wrote previously that the Suns didn’t need to make an immediate move at center, I still believe that. They haven’t really made a decision yet. They’ve created competition. Training camp will determine what happens next, and from there, the organization can decide how it wants to move forward.
