What Chandler Hutchison joining the Suns means

So much for the Phoenix Suns axing their two-way spots.

When Phoenix sold its G League squad in a cost-cutting move in July last year, there was concern about just how much the franchise would prioritize player development moving forward. When the Suns waived Ty-Shon Alexander a few weeks ago, despite his harmless two-way contract, that anxious chatter grew louder. Were the Suns really going to abandon youth development altogether as they set their eyes on contending? Was it not possible to compete and continue grooming younger projects for the future? And did all of this mean that general manager James Jones was prepared to completely punt on two-way slots?

As it turns out, the Suns aren’t turning their backs on two-way deals; it just appears that they’re altering their approach with them.

The Suns announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to sign fourth-year wing Chandler Hutchison. While they still had one roster spot available, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reported this is a two-way deal. This means Phoenix still has its normal roster opening, another two-way slot and up to three additional training camp contracts it can dish out.

In terms of how he changes the team’s trajectory for next season, the Hutchison signing is unlikely to have any real impact — much like Alexander’s continued presence on the roster would have had. That’s not really the point though. Alexander’s demotion to coming off the bench for the Summer Suns, and his subsequent departure were worrying because it appeared as though Jones no longer felt the need to continue scoping out G League prospects or raising up youngsters who were still rough around the edges. It felt consistent with his draft (Cameron Johnson, Ty Jerome, Jalen Smith), trade (Chris Paul, Landry Shamet) and free agency strategy (Jae Crowder, JaVale McGee) of targeting a specific player archetype:

1. Experienced
2. Mature
3. Preferably, can shoot.

Now, after adding Hutchison, it seems we’ve got a more accurate answer, and it might just be that the Suns weren’t very high on Alexander. That’s unfortunate, given his age and size, but it’s a more defensible stance than choosing to forgo two-way deals altogether.

Hutchison is a different type of two-way addition. The initial confusion over whether he had signed a normal contract or a two-way deal speaks to that. He may still be young at 25 years old, but with three seasons and three NBA teams already under his belt, Hutchison is more experienced than the typical two-way player.

In 97 career games, the former 22nd overall draft pick has averaged 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.2 minutes a night. He’s shot 44.1 percent from the floor but only 30.9 percent from beyond the arc. He’s a 6-foot-6 wing who can log minutes at either the 3 or the 4, which would theoretically give coach Monty Williams yet another wing to work with (assuming he plays well enough to actually earn minutes). Getting a healthy Abdel Nader back helps the wing rotation, but losing a guy who can play the 3, 4 or even 5 like Torrey Craig still stings. Hutchison certainly won’t fill those shoes, but padding the depth chart with a recent first-round pick who hasn’t found the right situation yet isn’t a bad gamble either.

Hutchison was unable to stick through the Chicago Bulls’ last few tumultuous seasons. Chicago traded him (along with Daniel Gafford) to the Washington Wizards as part of a three-team deal in March. He played 18 games in D.C., then got shipped to the San Antonio Spurs over the summer as part of a five-team mega-trade involving Russell Westbrook, Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma.

The Spurs released Hutchison last Saturday, paving the way for Jones to put one of his two-way slots to good use on an athletic wing whose most notable characteristic to this point is his ability to carve his way to the rim off the dribble. The word “slither” comes to mind on some of these ambitious forays into the paint:

He’s also a pretty animated dunker when he gets the proper runway to take flight:

With that being said, Hutchison only shot 37.9 percent from the field last year, and even though he improved his 3-point touch to 36.4 percent, he still shot an abysmal 26 for 66 at the rim (39.4 percent). The above highlights are only flashes, but they represent the type of potential that warrant taking a flier. You know, like on a two-way contract!

What Chandler Hutchison represents means more than what he’ll actually provide for Phoenix in 2021-22. He’s worth taking a closer look at, and he may even get spot minutes here and there, but the biggest takeaway is that the Suns are not punting on development. They’re just shifting priorities to more experienced players when they decide to take on a new project.