Former Suns Draft Pick Listed as Underrated Offseason Signing

Suns fans wonder what could have been with Jalen Smith.

The memories of former Phoenix Suns big man Jalen Smith seem distant, although it was just a few years ago when the team took him at pick No. 10 in the 2020 NBA Draft.

After playing just 56 games with Phoenix in his first two years, Smith was dealt in a trade with the Indiana Pacers that saw Torrey Craig come to Phoenix. 

In his fresh start, Smith played much better minutes for the Pacers, and was eventually rewarded with a three-year, $15.1 million deal. 

Fan Nation's Brett Siegel pegged Smith as an underrated signing of the offseason:

Jalen Smith Listed as Underrated Offseason Signing

"Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Phoenix Suns declined their two-year team option on former first-round pick Jalen Smith’s contract, resulting in his value taking a massive hit," said Siegel.

"Smith was then dealt ahead of the trade deadline to the Indiana Pacers where he seemed to find a home during the second-half of the season. In 22 games with Indiana, Smith averaged 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and shot 53.1% from the floor, 37.3% from three-point range.

"Standing 6-foot-10 and being only 22-years-old, the Pacers were able to get a former Top-10 pick that still has plenty of untapped potential for basically nothing. However, with him being a free agent this offseason, it seemed unlikely that Indiana would be able to bring him back since they did not own his rights and since other teams in the league could offer him more money.

"Ultimately, no other teams really showed interest in pursuing Smith, which allowed the Indiana Pacers to re-sign him on a three-year, $15.1 million deal.

"The Pacers are rebuilding right now and the best thing they can do for themselves is to continue building a young core in order to find future success. Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte and now rookie Bennedict Mathurin have all shown flashes of this team’s full potential, which is why keeping and adding Jalen Smith to this core was important for the Pacers to do this offseason."

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