The great attraction: The Phoenix Suns and Aaron Gordon

For two years now, the Phoenix Suns have been on the hunt for additional star talent to place next to Devin Booker.

General Manager Ryan McDonough has focused on attempting to bolster the lineup the cheapest and least efficient way possible, through the draft. Make no mistake, he has the backing of much of the Valley of the Suns, and there is some definite and legitimate positive outcomes that can be had by drafting a player who quickly becomes a star, having him under control at an extremely affordable rate, and keeping him around for the long-term considering his youthful age.

The problem with this method is that the draft only comes around once a year, teams generally only have two shots at selecting a star (their individual first and second round selections), and the odds of finding a difference maker are incredibly slim – otherwise every team would be flush with superstars, would they not?

That being said, McDonough has never closed the door on making a trade for a star, so long as the price was right. He never wanted to mortgage the future for the acquisition of a player at the end of his prime but was always willing to trade for someone under the age of about 25 to place alongside his core of players around that same age.

Time and time again over the past two years stars have become available (Kyrie Irving last summer and Blake Griffin last week), and time and time again the Suns have either passed on the trade opportunity or been outbid by other teams. No doubt the past few years have seen many very good players become available, or at least been open to be traded by their respective teams, at a rate that is unfamiliar to NBA fans.

Yet, here they come, and there they go, with the Suns standing pat.

At some point, something has to give, right?

Maybe, maybe not. And I’m not quite so sure that this recent rumor is for the Suns either – please allow me to explain why: