Valley of the Suns
Fansided

Ranking The Phoenix Suns’ Top 10 Free Agency Targets

By Gerald Bourguet

Nov 15, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) reach for a loose ball in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) reach for a loose ball in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 11
Next
Phoenix Suns
Jan 13, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21) is defended by Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) during the second quarter at US Airways Center. Phoenix won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Kevin Love

In a perfect world, the Phoenix Suns would find a way to earn Kevin Love’s undivided attention this summer. A lot of people are down on Love right now after his stunning 2013-14 numbers (26.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 4.4 APG) dropped drastically in his first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers (16.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.2 APG).

But Love was taking on a tertiary role and if anyone questions that this guy is an offensive superstar, again: 26.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG and 4.4 APG only a season ago. Love is a superior option to Aldridge not only because he’s only 26 years old, but also because his three-point shot is more established.

Live Feed

NBA: Way-too-early deep dive into the consensus top-5 championship favorites
NBA: Way-too-early deep dive into the consensus top-5 championship favorites /

Sir Charles In Charge

  • NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting shooting guards for 2023-24 Sir Charles In Charge
  • New Suns owner offers goodwill gift to fans FanSided
  • NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season Sir Charles In Charge
  • NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24 Sir Charles In Charge
  • NBA Christmas Day games: Full schedule and how to watch FanSided

    • The pick-and-pop was a highly underutilized element of Cleveland’s offense, but that wouldn’t be the case in Phoenix. His ability to spread the floor as the team’s star stretch-4 would open up driving lanes for Bledsoe and Knight. If Love felt underappreciated or unfairly criticized playing with LeBron James, he’d probably be pretty open to automatically being the face of the Phoenix Suns franchise.

    Love is not a great defender and he never led a team to the playoffs once with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But his teammates up north were consistently terrible or injured, and since when do the Suns care about defense? This franchise has historically tailored its roster to high-powered offenses and a run-n-gun style anyway.

    An excellent rebounder, scorer and perimeter shooter, Love is the best fit (on paper) the Suns could find in free agency. Without a star to attract other talent, no NBA team can contend for championships. Kevin Love in Phoenix would be a dream come true in that vital first step, even if he’s got his fair share of flaws on the court.

    Unfortunately, it’s hard to see him leaving a situation where A) he can get paid an extra $20 million+ and get an extra year on his contract and B) has the luxury of another easy run to the NBA Finals by virtue of playing with the best player in the world in the lowly Eastern Conference. Love would be a dream acquisition, but it’s one that every Suns fan might have to wake up from in the next few weeks.

    Next: 5 Reasons Devin Booker Was The Right Pick For The Suns

    More from Valley of the Suns

    Home/Suns News