There are a few points to make clear about Jalen Smith’s standing within the Phoenix Suns organization before we can dive into his first few career starts in the NBA in wake of Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee’s stints in Covid protocol.
Last summer, Smith became one of the only cases of a former top-10 pick who didn’t get the third year of their rookie deal picked up by the team. This means the Suns’ final lottery pick for the foreseeable future will be an unrestricted free agent after just two years with the team.
When that unrestricted free agency arrives, the Suns would be able to make him a new offer if they really want to, but they’ll also be dealing with the Ayton negotiations again at that point, and if Ayton receives the full max like he and his camp wanted last offseason, the Suns will then be operating over the cap, further limiting what they’d be able to offer Smith.