Yuta Watanabe Named As A Free-Agent Target For 1 NBA Team
The Phoenix Suns will have to leave no stone unturned to try and fill out their roster.
They just have six players under contract, and while four of them are stars that could take any team over the hump, they still need to add way more bodies to that locker room.
With that in mind, NBA insider Marc Stein (via NBACentral) reports that the Suns could look to reunite Durant with one of his former teammates from the Brooklyn Nets: Yuta Watanabe.
Yuta Watanabe is a potential target for the Phoenix Suns, per @TheSteinLine
“As Phoenix scours the league for quality players willing to play for the league minimum and chase a ring in its supporting cast surrounding Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Nets… pic.twitter.com/huyron9hcB
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 28, 2023
Watanabe was one of the best three-point shooters in the league last season, and he’s made great strides to become a valuable rotation player over the past couple of years.
He’s got the size to help this team spread the floor off the bench, and he could be willing to agree to a veteran minimum deal to pursue an NBA championship, barring any other team making him a significant offer.
The report also adds that the Suns could pursue Mike James, who had a brief stint with the Nets before heading overseas to play for AS Monaco, citing this close relationship with Kevin Durant as a big reason why he would buy in and pursue another shot at making an NBA roster.
James is a pure bucket-getter, and while neither he nor Watanabe are good defensive players, they definitely fit the profile of low-key players that could be major contributors on veteran minimum deals in Phoenix over the next couple of years.
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