BROOKLYN – Suns general manager Ryan McDonough eagerly awaited Brandon Knight in the hallway with a wide smile and a high five after he delivered the dagger to help Phoenix beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-100 Friday night at Barclays Center.
Knight snatched a defensive rebound with 40 seconds to go in overtime, slowly dribbled up the court and initiated a pick-and-roll with Brandan Wright and six seconds left on the shot clock. Knight got by Jarrett Jack, then used a crossover dribble to create space from Brook Lopez and nailed a fadeaway jumper. The Suns extended the lead to 104-100 and never looked back.
This was the type of moment McDonough envisioned after trading away Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ennis to pave the way for a backcourt of the future with Eric Bledsoe and Knight.
After the game, Knight discussed his adjustment to Phoenix, sharing the backcourt with Bledsoe and his upcoming free agency this summer.
Knight and Bledsoe combined to score 10 of Phoenix’s 16 overtime points. With a predominant small ball approach and two point guard lineups becoming more common throughout the league, Knight believes the two combo guards can eventually form a cohesive tandem.
“It’s going to take time,” Knight told SheridanHoops. “It’s not going to be perfect right away. We’ve got to figure out how each other plays and what he’s looking for when he’s driving and where he likes the ball, where I like the ball and stuff like that takes time. It doesn’t happen seven, eight games in. Sometimes it can take half a season or a full season, but I’m looking forward to playing with him. I think we could be a very good backcourt as far as, not even offensively, but just being able to defend the basketball. I think we’ll be pretty good.”
Knight has averaged 15 points and five assists through eight games since being acquired by Phoenix while the Suns have gone 4-4 during that span.
“This team was kind of in a slump when I got here so it’s going to take all of us to come together and play the way that they know they can play basketball,” Knight told SheridanHoops. “I’m excited to be a part of that process and that turnaround.”
Phoenix is currently the 10th seed in the Western Conference and trails Oklahoma City by 1.5 games for the final playoff spot. With Russell Westbrook playing at an MVP-caliber level and Kevin Durant progressing towards an eventual return, it will be difficult for Phoenix to overtake the Thunder for the final playoff spot.
Therefore, it’s easy to begin foreshadowing what the future will hold for the Suns this summer.
“We’ll see this offseason where things go,” Knight told SheridanHoops. “I’m loving the way things are going right now. Guys are fighting hard. As far as the Suns’ commitment to me, I’ve got to just play it out and I want to play as hard as I can and continue to be myself and things will work out the way they should.”
Knight has a profound amount of leverage heading into restricted free agency this summer.
After beginning the season with four quality point guards on the roster, Phoenix is down to only two in Knight and Bledsoe.
In addition, the free agent market for point guards this summer is as dry as the desert. Dragic and Reggie Jackson are expected to stay with Miami and Detroit after both organizations gave up significant assets to acquire each player. That leaves Rajon Rondo, who has struggled since his arrival in Dallas, as the most high profile point guard expected to be available on the market. The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are the two most common teams mentioned as potential Rondo suitors.
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At 23, Knight has the most upside of any free agent point guard, and he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his prime years.
The Suns didn’t trade away the Lakers’ lottery protected pick, Tyler Ennis, who was Phoenix’s 2014 first-round pick, and Miles Plumlee to see Knight leave.
Several general managers and executives I’ve spoken with peg Knight’s value around a $12 million annual salary. With that in mind, a team hoping to land him in restricted free agency would likely have to offer a full maximum contract to have the best chance to realistically land him. However, it would be a hard sell for Phoenix to not match any offer for Knight after giving up valuable assets to land him at the trade deadline and dealing Dragic and Thomas as well separately.
Milwaukee clearly wasn’t comfortable paying Knight anywhere near that type of price range, which is why they traded him. Meanwhile, they’re 2-6 since the deal as Michael Carter-Williams has averaged 11.6 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game through his first five games with his new team. Ennis has benefitted the most from the trade while getting consistent playing time as a backup for the first time in his rookie campaign. He’s played in eight games with Milwaukee, which already matches his previous total for the first half of the season with the Suns.
This summer, Knight will be the one smiling and high-fiving McDonough after a new deal is struck with the Suns.
Michael Scotto is an NBA columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeAScotto.