Phoenix Suns Free Agent Target: Bryn Forbes

Over the next week, as we prepare for NBA Free Agency on June 30 at 9:00pm AZ time, Bright Side of the Sun will be exploring the market and proposing different additions to the Phoenix Suns roster. Some will make sense. Others might not. But hopefully this year I finally get one right. Why? So I can softly whisper, “I told you so…”

Once upon time, back when Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges were navigating their rookie seasons, the 2018-19 Suns arrived in San Antonio with a 4-23 record to play a struggling 13-14 Spurs squad. With names like DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay and Derrick White, there wasn’t much belief that the Suns would emerge victorious.

They didn’t.

Phoenix lost by 25 points, but it wasn’t at the hands of DeRozan or LaMarcus. It was the 5-of-5 shooting from deep and 24 points by then-sophomore guard from Michigan State, Bryn Forbes. He’s been labeled a “Suns killer” ever since.

The 6’2”, 28-year old point guard isn’t an overly sexy asset. He isn’t known for his playmaking prowess or lockdown defense coming off of the bench. But with a 41.3% from beyond the arc in his career, he does add shooting to a bench unit that could use it.

Let’s spin the ‘ole “what if” wheel, shall we?

What if the Suns somehow move on from Landry Shamet? The man who was brought in to be like the Avengers’ Hawkeye was anything but consistent from deep. Yes, he hustled on defense. Yes, he had some quality – and surprising – dunks. But he posted his worst career three-point percentage and left plenty to be desired. IF Phoenix can move on from him, garnering some assets along the way, the door opens for someone to fill his role.

That someone could be Bryn Forbes.

Despite his stature, Forbes has played shooting guard in 73% of his career possessions, coming off screens for opening looks at the cylinder from beyond the arc.

You may remember Forbes during his time in Milwaukee, as he averaged 3.0 points in the NBA Finals en route to their championship over Phoenix. He became a free agent at the end of the year, signing with the San Antonio Spurs for his second stint. He was then moved to the Denver Nuggets at the trade deadline.

Forbes played in all 5 games for the Nuggets during their 2022 postseason run, which ultimately ended at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in a 4-1 First Round win. Bryn scored 4.0 points on 40/36/80 splits for Denver in 15.2 minutes each night.

The expense for Forbes shouldn’t be high – he earned $4.5M last season – and hopefully neither should be the demand. He is viewed as a quality bench player, and the market will dictate his price, but the opportunity does exist to bring him to Phoenix to assist in shoring up the bench.

What do you think? Should Phoenix take a flyer on a former Suns killer?