About 24 hours ago, the Phoenix Suns’ free agency pitch for LaMarcus Aldridge felt like it would be well-grounded, but ultimately ineffective in luring an NBA superstar to the Valley of the Sun. With the San Antonio Spurs and their championship culture serving as frontrunner, it seemed like the Suns were nothing more than a long shot.
But for those who have lost all faith in Suns general manager Ryan McDonough and the direction this franchise is heading in, the first day of 2015 NBA free agency served as a terrific reminder that the young executive knows what he’s doing.
As first reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the Suns used Tyson Chandler as part of their free agency pitch after secretly signing him to a four-year, $52 million contract. A tad inflated? Perhaps. A tad too long? Maybe. But helpful and impressive in Phoenix’s attempts to seduce Aldridge? You bet.
For Suns, wise move bringing new assistant Earl Watson to Aldridge meeting. Close with LMA, highly-respected. Suns made good impression.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2015
According to the Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro, the Suns prepared a four-part presentation for Aldridge. The first was a one-on-one meeting with owner Robert Sarver (who, for the record, has been far more willing to spend money to make this team better than people have given him credit for. Perhaps it’s time to retire an old narrative after he spent $122 million yesterday and wants to spend even more).
The second group included president of basketball operations Lon Babby and general manager Ryan McDonough, while the third featured head coach Jeff Hornacek and new assistant Earl Watson, a former teammate of Aldridge with the Portland Trail Blazers. Finally, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler headlined the group of players pitching Aldridge.
According to numerous sources, Phoenix’s impressive two-hour pitch made a considerable impression.
Everybody's saying LaMarcus Aldridge's meeting with the Suns went really well http://t.co/vw9r9qp0CL pic.twitter.com/nUeAHXAWWy
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) July 2, 2015
Even if you still resent McDonough for his mistake of bringing in Isaiah Thomas (which, to be fair, was actually another great deal in and of itself) and alienating Goran Dragic in the process, give credit where credit is due: the Suns were more than prepared for their pitch to Aldridge…which is more than the Los Angeles Lakers can say.
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So how did the Suns suddenly catapult themselves into the conversation alongside their rival in San Antonio? Bringing Chandler into the fold was a great move, not only because he’s a veteran leader, but also because he’s so defensively inclined. Aldridge is only a passable defender, so bringing in a more experienced, champion center obviously made Phoenix more appealing.
With Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight both locked in for the long-term, Aldridge will have a plethora of pick-and-pop looks to showcase his skills. Speaking of which, Aldridge would obviously be the face of the franchise here, rather than living in Tim Duncan‘s shadow as the young Kawhi Leonard looks to supplant him in the future — much like Damian Lillard was doing in Portland.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, the Suns sold him on:
Suns meeting with Aldridge went very well. Sold him on 1) face of franchise 2) Roster locked in with EB, BK & TC 3) more special to win here
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 2, 2015
4) And he doesn't want to be 2nd or 3rd fiddle..Not at end of career chasing a championship. Can build towards one
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 2, 2015
How is it more special to win here? Because Phoenix has never won a championship. Because his pursuit of a title would not only allow him to be the team’s No. 1 option, but it’d be something special for a team that’s never gotten there, as opposed to joining someone else’s legacy.
In San Antonio, he’d also have to play at the center position, which Aldridge has not — historically — been keen on doing. In Phoenix, with Chandler and Alex Len on board (who would have a great mentor in Tyson, by the way), he’d get to play his preferred position at the 4.
At the end of the day, no one would be surprised if Aldridge got a good night’s sleep, woke up in the morning and realized, “Wait, what the hell am I doing? I could play for the Spurs, one of the best franchises in the NBA, and win a championship!” It’d be hard to fault him for choosing to play for Gregg Popovich.
But the fact that McDonough and the Suns are suddenly on even ground with the Spurs and their championship culture in this free agency race is a step in the right direction. Even if Aldridge spurns Phoenix and the Spurs break Suns fans hearts once again, the addition of Chandler alone will make the Suns a better team.
Even if the Suns don't get Aldridge, they should be LaMarkedly better next year.
— Adi Joseph (@AdiJoseph) July 2, 2015
From here, the Suns will have to execute either A) a sign-and-trade with Portland that ships away two of the Markieff Morris–Marcus Morris–P.J. Tucker trio along with a future draft pick or two to entice Portland, B) moves that clear out $18-19 million in cap space or C) a sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Tyson Chandler, in which they’d have to give up a similar package to scenario A.
In any event, Phoenix will have major cap space to work with over the next few seasons and they have a young core locked in that’s only going to improve as it develops together. With Aldridge on board, the Suns would be one of the better teams in the West for years to come, especially since Phoenix’s warlock training staff could keep him healthy well into his 30s.
But even if McDonough’s impressive pitch doesn’t land Aldridge, the fact that the Suns even got this meeting means something. The fact that they’re being seriously considered at the top of his list is a positive sign moving forward. McDonough knows what he’s doing and he has a plan to improve this team. It may take awhile to get there, but the Suns still have a bright future.
Next: Suns Agree To Sign Tyson Chandler