Free Market Storm: Suns Overseas Taobao and Warriors Team Building Dilemma

On the first day of the opening of the free market, Phoenix Suns official Twitter posted an old yellowed photo - a childhood image of Nigel Hayes-Davis wearing a Sun mini jersey, captioned by "The Return of Destiny Guided" . Behind this warm official announcement is the precise attack of the Suns management on the international player market.

The picture comes from the Internet

The 26-year-old striker spent seven years to write the most inspiring overseas struggle history of modern basketball. From the defensive blue-collar worker in the Lithuanian League to the absolute core of the Turkish giant Fenerbahce, he completed an evolutionary transformation from 31% to 41% from three-point shooting percentage. The dominant performance of 29 points in the 2025 European League Final Four has allowed NBA teams to reevaluate the adaptive value of this once underrated 3D forward.

The Suns' signing strategy has hidden secrets: use the price depression in the international player market to fully guarantee the basic salary to lock in the combat power of the year of the game. Compared with NBA role players who earn tens of millions of yuan in annual salary, Nigel has a significant cost-effective advantage. This operation mode is in line with the idea of the Spurs signing Patty Mills and the Raptors introducing Valanciunas, reflecting the small-scale team's breakthrough wisdom when their salary space is limited.

Pictures are from the Internet

When the Sun Officer pushed forward the high-profile display of Nigel's childhood photos, the General Manager's Office of the Golden State Warriors was in a dilemma. The 21-year-old Kumingga team made a splash, asking the team to clarify its core position in the future. This puts DeRozan's potential trading plan to a deadlock - the Warriors are reluctant to give up potential new stars for the 33-year-old veteran, but the urgency of the championship window forces management to balance the present and the future.

This contradiction reflects the common team building problem in the league: is it betting on unfulfilled talents, or is it a veteran who is ready to reap combat power? Cooming plus the mid-range shooting percentage of 47.6% of the season has shown single-on-shot potential, but 34.6% of the three-point sight still has a gap in space-type four. Although DeRozan's back-to-back singles and key ball abilities are attractive, the defensive end may become the weakness of the opponent.

Image sourced from the Internet

The ripple effect of the free market is emerging: the signing flexibility of the Suns after clearing Bill's contract may stimulate more teams to reevaluate the premium contracts in their hands. When the Cavaliers have a headache to renew Mobley and the 76ers are facing pressure to Maxima’s maximum salary, the "Taobao" strategy in the international player market may become a new direction for breakthroughs. This summer, perhaps more overseas MVPs like Nigel are waiting for the NBA to call.