Phoenix Suns NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Leandro Barbosa Hopes to Return Next Season
When the season started, the Phoenix Suns tried to create a balance between youth and experience by giving veterans Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Tyson Chandler, P.J. Tucker, Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley solid minutes in the rotation. However, they quickly abandoned the plan after the All-Star break when it became clear they were going to miss the playoffs.
Since then, the Suns have decided to fully commit to the youth movement and play T.J. Warren, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender and Tyler Ulis more minutes alongside promising shooting guard Devin Booker.
One burning question heading into the offseason is the status of their veterans. Will the Suns move on from their older players this summer? The younger veterans probably still have a place on the team, but what about players who are at the tail end of their careers like Barbosa?
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Barbosa's under contract for the 2017–18 season. However, if the Suns waive him by July 3, they'll only have to pay him $500,000 of the four-million dollars due him next season. This might turn out to be Barbosa's final season with the Suns, but he told Arizona Sports that he really wants to return and retire with the team.
"My main thing is retire as a Suns player, but you never know. This is a business, you know how it goes," Barbosa said during the interview.
"I don't know what's the plan that they're going to figure out. I'll be available, but if not, my mentality is still the same. I want to get better and I have time to do that this summer and I'm happy about that," he continued.
"I'm not young anymore. I'm 34 years old. I still have a little gas to burn, and I'm going to work for that," he added.
Barbosa may not have played his entire career with the Suns, but he will always be remembered as a vital member of the team's run-and-gun glory days with Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.
