After playing three seasons with the Denver Nuggets , veteran power forward Paul Millsap is once again set to test the free agency market this summer. Millsap may no longer be in his prime, but with the scarcity of talented players in the 2020 NBA free agency class, he is expected to receive strong interest from teams that are aiming to become more competitive in the 2020-21 season. One of the teams that could go after Millsap this summer is the Phoenix Suns .
The Suns may currently have rising superstars Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, but based on the team’s performance prior to the league-wide suspension, they obviously still need to upgrade their roster in order to end their playoff drought. Adding Millsap wouldn’t put the Suns anywhere near the level of Western Conference powerhouse teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers, but Michael Pina of SB Nation believes that his presence would tremendously change the Suns’ “long-term mindset” in a positive way.
“Millsap just turned 35, and obviously isn’t the same player now that he was back then. But his savvy defensive intangibles, offensive selflessness, and general veteran guile would be embraced by a Suns organization that desperately needs those qualities before it can leap to a higher level. Even though his timeline doesn’t match up with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, slotting him in as Phoenix’s starting power forward next year could do wonders for that team’s long-term mindset.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyHFgm9MfY0
Before Millsap arrived in Denver in 2017, the Nuggets were an NBA team that was in the middle of the rebuilding process. However, things had begun to change for the better when they signed Millsap. From one of the worst teams in the league, the Nuggets started to turn into a legitimate threat in the deep Western Conference. While most people wouldn’t say that Millsap was the main reason behind the Nuggets’ recent success, no one can deny the fact that he made a large contribution to changing the team’s mindset and culture.
If he could make the same impact in Phoenix, signing Millsap in the 2020 NBA free agency would undeniably be worth it for the Suns. However, the problem is if Millsap would still be interested in playing for a rebuilding team. At 35, Millsap is clearly nearing the end of his professional basketball career. If he decides to part ways with the Nuggets this summer, it is highly likely that he would prefer to join a team that would give him a realistic chance of winning his first NBA championship title.