The Suns have bought out the last year of 34-year old shooting guard Vince Carter’s contract, saving around $14 million bucks. Carter played in 51 games (41 starts) for the Suns last year and he averaged 27.2 minutes, 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has now played in 925 games (907 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 36.4 minutes, 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Carter will become a free agent now, but the Suns won’t miss him. 23-year old power forward Gani Lawal was also waived today. He played in 1 game for the Suns as a rookie last year and he played 2 minutes and had 1 foul.

The Suns have signed 26-year old shooting guard Shannon Brown to a 1-year, $3.5 million dollar deal. Brown played in 82 games (0 starts) for the Lakers last year and he averaged 19.1 minutes, 8.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has now played in 256 games (16 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.4 minutes, 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Brown is a outstanding athlete and he should fit right in with the Suns due to their running style. This signing also hurts the Lakers, as Brown was Kobe Bryant’s caddy. I really like this move for the Suns.

The Suns have re-signed 39-year old small forward Grant Hill to a 1-year, $6.5 million dollar deal. Hill played in 80 games (all starts) for the Suns last year and he averaged 30.1 minutes, 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He has now played in 948 games (926 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Grant Hill proved last year that he still has a lot in the gas tank, so it was smart of the Suns to bring him back for another year.

The Suns picked 22-year old, 6′10″, 245 pound power forward Markieff Morris with the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Morris played in 38 games for Kansas last year and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots. He played in 109 games in his three years in college and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 8.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Morris will give the Suns some power along the front line, which is something they are in dire need of.

29-year old SG/SF Mickael Pietrus has exercised his player option for the 2011-12 season to return to the Suns. Pietrus played in 38 games (4 starts) for the Suns last year and he averaged 18.1 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He played in 57 games (4 starts) overall for the Magic & Suns last year and he averaged 19.4 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game on only 39.2% shooting from the floor. Pietrus has now played in 496 games (150 starts) in his first 8 years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He will try to provide offense off the bench for the Suns in 2011-12.