Grant Hill Joins the Phoenix Suns

Yesterday, Grant Hill's agent, Lon Babby, announced he is leaving the Orlando Magic after several injury-plagued seasons to join the Phoenix Suns. Babby said Hill agreed to a two-year deal worth about $1.8 million for the first year, with a second-year player option for about $2 million.

This move was setup by a series of moves that Suns general manager, Steve Kerr, made. The Suns shipped small forward James Jones to the Trail Blazers as part of the deal in which Portland bought the 24th pick from Phoenix for $3 million Thursday. Jones has one guaranteed year left on a contract that pays him $2.9 million and a player option of $3.15 million for the 2008-09 season.

The Trail Blazers had a $3,000,000 trade exception that they moved to Phoenix in this trade. Therefore, the Suns saved just over $6,000,000 in salary owed to Jones over the next two yaears, plus the $3,000,000 in the exception. In the end, moving Jones to the Blazers became more than a $9,000,000 benefit for the Phoenix Suns.

Plus, with the Suns over the threshold, that $3 million would have been subject to the NBA’s dollar-for-dollar luxury tax penalty. By clearing some cap space there, the Suns created a spot for Hill to join the team.

Let's compare the two players numbers from last season:

James Jones (Suns)
76 Games, 7 Started
18.1 MPG
.368 FG%
.378 3P%
2.3 RPG
0.6 APG
0.4 SPG
6.4 PPG

Grant Hill (Magic)
65 Games, 64 Started
30.9 MPG
.518 FG%
.167 3P%
3.6 RPG
2.1 APG
0.9 SPG
14.4 PPG

The two players' numbers are somewhat similar, with Hill playing more minutes per game and scoring more points per game than Jones. At the same time, Jones was on the second-best team in the league, and his minutes were limited with superior players in front of him in the rotation.

Now, lets compare the salaries of the two players:

James Jones
26 years old
2007/08: $2,904,000
2008/09: $3,156,000 (Player Option)

Grant Hill
34 years old
2007/08: $1,800,000
2008/09: $2,000,000 (Player Option)

On the surface, you can see that Hill's numbers were better than Jones' and he will be making less money over the next two seasons. Although Jones' best days maybe ahead of him, and Hill's are most likely behind him, this was a great move by the Suns. In their pursuit of a championship next year, Hill will be much more valuable than Jones would be. Jones fell out-of-favor with Suns head coach, Mike D'Antoni, only playing 171 minutes in eleven playoff games at the end of this season. Additionally, Hill will take over the role of the point man when Steve Nash is out of the game. In previous seasons, Boris Diaw played this spot for the Suns, but Hill should be more efficient.

The signing of Hill was a no-risk deal, which is structured well-enough that if his injury woes resurface, the franchise will not be handcuffed. Phoenix selected Wisconsin SF, Alando Tucker, at pick number 29, who will eventually replace Hill once he ends his career. Tucker is experienced enough that if these problems do come up with Hill, he will be able to step-in and make a difference with his tremendous athleticiscm and ability to play bigger than his height.