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Teams that strikeout on DeAndre Jordan just lost their fallback plan.
The Phoenix Suns have agreed to a deal with free-agent center Tyson Chandler, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Not only have the Suns signed Chandler to a multi-year deal, but they immediately tried to leverage the signing by bringing Chandler into their meeting with unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge.
Chandler's deal with the Suns is for four years and $52 million, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. That's a tidy salary for a 32-year-old with an injury history, but the combination of Phoenix's vaunted training staff and a rising salary cap help explain the Suns' motivation.
The list of suitors for Chandler overlapped with those chasing Jordan. As the next best natural center on the market, Chandler stood as a strong Plan B for teams that whiffed on Jordan. The Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers were chief among them, while the Milwaukee Bucks had fallen off the chase.
The Dallas Mavericks, for whom Chandler played in 2014-15, were also believed to have fallen to the periphery.
Even if Chandler isn't able to help Phoenix land Aldridge, he stands as a solid fit in the desert. A lengthy and versatile defender who provides quality rim protection - opponents shot 50.9 percent with him defending at the rim this year - Chandler is also one of the league's best finishers.
He averaged 10.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks this season while shooting 66.6 percent from the floor, and he's second only to Jordan in field-goal percentage since 2010-11 with a 64.8 percent mark.
