National Basketball Association

Tyson Chandler's Success Key to Phoenix Suns' Future

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Tyson Chandler is an integral part of the Phoenix Suns’ future, like it or not.

Like an STD contracted in college, the Tyson Chandler contract is something the Phoenix Suns must handle.

Right now the Suns are waiting for the results of the test on Chandler. Just how bad is this? What are the options?

Fortunately for the Suns, the spending spree of the 2016 offseason left plenty of other teams with potentially painful contracts, and the 2017 offseason will surely see similar spending.

Before the 2016-17 season, the options with Tyson Chandler are limited. Trading Chandler now would come at a high price. The Phoenix Suns may even need to pair Chandler with an asset for a team to take him and the $39 million remaining over the next three years on his contract.

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If the Suns keep Chandler, they can either play him as a starter at center, forcing Alex Len into additional work at power forward, or slot Chandler in as the $13 million back-up center.

Even if you’re a believer in the long-term value of Alex Len as the franchise center, there are reason to root for Tyson Chandler to have a big season – especially at the cost of Alex Len.

That last sentence certainly seems counter-intuitive. Why would the Suns want to slow the development of Len at all? It is all about the money and the contracts.

Tyson Chandler having a significantly better season than Alex Len in 2016-17 has two benefits. First, the Suns will have far more trade options for Tyson Chandler if he puts together a strong season.

The NBA cap projection for 2017-18 was recently lowered, but is still increasing to $102 million (still a projection), which would be $8 million higher than the 2016-17 cap at $94 million (no longer a projection).

Basically the cap will be higher and Chandler’s remaining money on his contract will be lower.

Now the real question: why is a down season from Alex Len possibly good for the Suns? The 23-year-old center is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and will be a restricted free agent in the 2017 offseason. That means the Suns have the right to match any contract offer he receives.

This is a long-term play: if Len has a break out 2016-17 season, the Suns will still not be championship contenders (unless he has a Shaq mode he has been hiding). If Len has a breakout season, he will certainly receive a massive offer in free agency, well over $20 million per season.

The Phoenix Suns are built to add a star in the near future to a talented core roster. Alex Len would fit that role at center, but not if the Suns are forced to pay him ‘star’ money – a real concern given the rise of the cap.

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