Phoenix Suns: Don’t Hold Your Breath On LaMarcus Aldridge

The Fit

On paper, LaMarcus Aldridge is a great fit for this Suns team. Phoenix needs leadership? There aren’t many better options than a guy who’s led his team to the playoffs five times, and even if there are, even a guy who has been to the playoffs gives him more experience than about 90 percent of this Suns team.

The Suns need a superstar? How about a guy coming off a season in which he averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from downtown?

How about an interior post presence? As much as Aldridge isn’t a great defender down low, he’s an excellent scorer in the post and in the midrange. As for his rebounding, well, did you miss the part where he averaged nearly four more boards per game than the best rebounder Phoenix had last season?

Less than three weeks after the start of free agency, Aldridge will turn 30 years old. That doesn’t exactly mesh with Phoenix’s ultra-young core of Eric Bledsoe (25), Brandon Knight (23), Alex Len (21), Archie Goodwin (20) and T.J. Warren (21). But he’s the kind of superstar piece that can help take this team to the next level.

At the very least, he can take them to the playoffs, giving the younger players valuable postseason experience that will only help them moving forward.

Next: The Finances