Predicting where each Dallas Mavericks' free agent will play in 2023-24

Frank Ntilikina - Phoenix Suns

After putting together one of his least productive seasons to date, it would be surprising if Dallas retained Frank Ntilikina. The guard will not have a robust market, but there are surely some teams out there who would take a low-risk gamble on the 24-year-old. One such suitor should be the Suns.

Ntilikina would make sense for the Suns for a lot of the same reasons that Markieff Morris would. The team needs depth and defense, and the guard fits both. Ntilikina's strongest attribute has always been his pesky defense, and the Suns could use a player like that in the backcourt alongside the pairing of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Again, he's another player who does not need the ball in his hands, so he wouldn't take touches away from Phoenix's ball-dominant scorers.

Similarly to Morris, the guard could likely be had on an incredibly cheap deal. After failing to carve out a legitimate role for himself in Dallas, Ntilikina will likely be looking to make a name for himself wherever he lands. At 24 years old, the guard still has plenty of room to grow, and in the right role, perhaps some of that potential that had him picked eighth overall in 2017 could be unearthed. At the bare minimum, he'd be a solid defensive-minded guard for the depth-hungry Suns to bring in.