The Suns' summer of maneuvering officially began Monday when Channing Frye opted out of the final year of his contract.
Frye, who would have been paid $6.8 million in the final season of a four-year deal, will become an unrestricted free agent next week and attempt to land a multi-year deal.
The Suns are expected to try re-signing the former St. Mary's High and University of Arizona star with what is widely speculated as a three-year offer that would pay Frye less per season than that $6.8 million but offer the 31-year-old long-term stability.
That would enable the Suns to make a little reduction from this coming season's payroll. It seems like a win-win for Frye, who likes playing in Phoenix, and for the Suns, whose floor-spacing system flourishes with a player like him on the court.
But the rest of the league is skewing toward "bigs" with Frye's shooting chops to create space. With that in mind, the Golden State Warriors -- who now employ former Suns leaders Steve Kerr and Alvin Gentry -- are predicted to take a run at Frye.
Other projected suitors with ties to Frye include the Cleveland Cavaliers, who promoted former Suns talent evaluator David Griffin to the top of their personnel food chain.
With Frye a free agent on July 1, the Suns cannot include him in any draft-night trade package. That wasn't expected to happen, anyway, because it was almost guaranteed Frye would opt out and go for a longer contract, possibly the last of his career.
Although he's not technically a Sun, the team retains his Bird Rights and his cap hold sits on their books at $9.6 million (150 percent of his last yearly pay). While that takes their potential cap space from an anticipated $27 million down to a bit under $17 million, the Suns could get back to the bigger number by renouncing Frye's Bird Rights.
Why would they do that?
With the opt-out bug threatening to bite all over the NBA, several marquee-level players could join the July marketplace.
Although there have been no reasonably deployed rumors linking these celebrity hoopsters to Phoenix, Monday's opening list includes Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Other potential members of the opt-out club are James' Miami mates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade and Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph.
With the Kevin Love trade derby still rife with rumor, Golden State's once-blossoming chances at acquiring the Timberwolves elite-level stretch four now are very slim.
That, of course, could be more reporter-placed posturing, but the T-wolves are said to be insisting the Warriors including hotshot shooting guard Klay Thompson in any deal for Love. And the Warriors reportedly are unwilling to do so.
So, with a floor-spacing big looming as quite important to any offense presided over by Kerr and Gentry, Frye would be a good get.
Golden State currently has more than $65 million committed in salary, with the league reportedly lifting the salary-cap level to $63 million. But the Warriors -- who do not have a first-round draft pick to add to their payroll -- could move salary and attempt to lure Frye with an offer that pays more per year than the Suns are willing to spend to keep him.
The Suns have Markieff Morris ready to eat even more of the power forward minutes should Frye leave. But with general manager Ryan McDonough professing no intention of using a draft pick to directly target a specific, short-term need, having depth at the position -- if Frye leaves -- could get dicey.
And Morris, it should be noted, presented an impressive rise in efficiency when he began shooting less from behind the 3-point arc.
