Suns 5-On-5: Can Phoenix Steal Away LaMarcus Aldridge?

2. Can you consider it a win that Aldridge even gave the Suns an interview?

Bourguet:  Sure! They still give out participation ribbons this time of year, right? No? In all seriousness, it IS good news that Ryan McDonough secured a sit-down with Aldridge. The Suns are one of seven other suitors who can say they’ve done that. Phoenix is still a long shot, but the fact that McD is even sitting down with a big name free agent makes this franchise more relevant in the free agency market than it’s been in quite some time.

Chasen:  Yes and no. In Aldridge’s case in particular I don’t consider it a win. According to David Aldridge of TNT, LMA will be meeting with the Lakers, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, Raptors and Knicks, which is nearly a quarter of the league.

HOWEVER, I think it’s a win in that it is important for the Suns to continue to be mentioned as a potential destination for all of the top free agents, so that maybe stars start to consider it as a top-tier destination. Phoenix is something like the sixth largest city in the USA, yet people still don’t consider it a major market. Maybe that starts to change if they can get a face-to-face meeting with all the major FAs for a couple of years.

Hann: Yes. You keep receiving face-to-face meetings and eventually that one superstar is going to sign on the dotted line, changing the course of your franchise (ala Steve Nash). Yet, it’s hard to truly gauge how much a meeting with Aldridge means. He may simply be making the most of his first go-round of free agency and enjoying being wooed, while he knows exactly who he is signing with by the start of next week.

Sanders: I don’t even think you can consider it a win due to the fact he is talking with a handful of teams. If Aldridge were talking with just three or four teams then I think that would be huge for the Suns, but it seems like Aldridge is giving anybody with the cap space to sign him a shot to make their pitch.

Harris: No, because in my opinion, Aldridge is just trying out all of his options, meaning he’ll check out more teams than expected. Before it seemed like Aldridge will stay in Portland or be playing somewhere in Texas next season, but now that he’s keeping his options open, teams like Phoenix or Toronto are now in the mix. In the end, it really won’t matter if LaMarcus Aldridge almost signs with the Suns.

Next: No. 3