How Does Phoenix Suns' Newly Signed Chandler Hutchison Fit With The Team?

The Phoenix Suns have announced the signing of Chandler Hutchison after he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs.

The Suns made the announcement Tuesday via their team website and official Twitter account. Multiple sports journalists, including The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin and Evan Sidery, reported that Hutchison was signed on a two-way contract. International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

Though the 25-year-old forward may not have been the free-agent signing some Suns fans had hoped for during the offseason, they still have plenty to be excited about when it comes to Hutchison's addition to the squad.

The Suns' frontcourt currently has Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges and Abdel Nader, a highly potent lineup that can play both sides of the ball effectively.

Hutchison will play a tertiary bench role with the Suns that can be a plug-and-play option should one of their rotation players miss time during the season.

Suns general manager James Jones used a two-way contract slot to bring Hutchison to Phoenix, and he is taking a level-headed gamble on him similar to the Cameron Payne situation prior to the start of the NBA Bubble during the 2019-20 season.

The former Boise State standout is a highly athletic forward who plays similar to former Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. as he can penetrate the defense, score points in the paint and finish through contact while hitting the occasional three-pointer.

Through 97 games in his career, Hutchison averaged 5.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 18.2 minutes per game.

While those numbers do not necessarily jump out, Jones’ gamble on him should pay off down the road when the team decides to rest some of their starters once they manage to clinch their playoff spot.

If used and developed correctly, Hutchison has the tools to become a bench contributor who will prove invaluable to the Suns’ success this season.

Hutchison was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 22nd pick in the 2018 NBA draft but failed to make an impression with the Bulls’ front office and was traded to the Washington Wizards in March. He then landed in San Antonio via the trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Spurs had no plans for Hutchison as they already have a ton of talent at both forward spots.

An opportunity to play for last year’s runner-ups to the title should help push his development in the right direction, and Suns fans should be excited to have him on a much deeper roster.