But is he worth it?
One must ask themselves, though, is Gordon the best the Suns can get with the assets available to them to make such a dramatic move?
Here’s the thing:
By adding Gordon to the Suns, even for the final 30 games or so, they will be a better team. Granted they wouldn’t be better than say, the 10th worst team in the league as they currently have the league’s second hardest schedule the rest of the way and it would take time for Gordon to find his footing in Phoenix, but for the most part, you place an additional player in the lineup that can drop 20 points on any given night and you move Marquese Chriss to the bench (or to Orlando), and this Suns team will be better.
The 10th overall pick could still potentially unvail to the team a nice role player. Heck, superstars have certainly been found later, ie. Devin Booker was drafted 13th overall.
However, for as great of a crap shoot as the draft is, there truly are a couple of franchise changing players available, each with the ability to be a much better player than Gordon is now, in their own primes.
While Gordon might ultimately be an above average power forward in the ilk of Amar’e Stoudemire, DeAndre Ayton appears to be trending in the mold of generational talent at center, already a boy in a man’s body, with yet 2-3 more years before he even stops growing.
Trae Young looks like the second coming of Steph Curry, and in body and style, looks like Curry already. Some have compared him to Allen Iverson as well, probably not quite at Steph Curry’s perch at the top of the point guard ladder, but definitely close enough to untie Curry’s shoes.
There is absolutely no guarantee that the Suns land either of those players, and there is too the chance that Luke Doncic, Muhammed Bamba, and others, could each be gnerational talents as well, stacking the top part of this draft with more talent than any one coming out of collge since 1985.
McDonough, at the behest of Owner Robert Sarver, took the slow and deliberate path to long-term success by building through the draft, and not make a desperate trade or free agency signing, potentially blocking the ability to sign or trade for a star that might fit beter in the rotation. Aaron Gordon could very well be the kind of piece that makes the Suns better.
But at the risk of slipping in the draft and potentially taking a lesser player, is he worth it? What are the subsequent moves? No one in their right mind would argue that Booker and Gordon alone make a team a championship contender. Even if Josh Jackson became Kawhi Leonard incarnate, would that trio win a title?
I have long not been a fan of intentionally tanking to try and snag a player through the draft, however I have been very pleased to see that the Suns did stick to that plan and not make those desperation moves to try and become an 8th place team in the Western Conference, instead seeking that championship combination through development of youth. The Suns and their fans want sustained success, and not a couple of decent years with disappointing endings, ala, 1999-2002.
Next: How the Suns can pull off a trade for a star
Should the Magic be willing to sell low and not accept Phoenix’s first round pick, leaving the Suns with enough movable pieces to be able to potentially move up in the draft should Gordon’s acquisition knock them out of the top-6, and we can talk.
Otherwise, it is in Phoenix’s best interest to wait, get the best pick possible in June, and make a run at Gordon in free agency. There is no reason to rush the process and screw up the plan, with only months before reaching it’s intended conclusion.