Stephon Marbury thinks Suns should target All-Star they could have drafted

It is hard for rival fans to feel sympathy for the Phoenix Suns. Not only do they have franchise cornerstone Devin Booker - who is having himself a moment after a successful Olympic Games in Paris - but Kevin Durant also calls The Valley home.

Throw in Bradley Beal, a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer and a remade bench unit, and the Suns are in an envious position. Perhaps not as good as owner Mat Ishbia has boldly proclaimed in the past, but better than many other organizations in the league.

Stephon Marbury has other ideas though, and wants the rich to get richer in the form of adding another All-Star to the party.

Marbury - whose legend appears to grow as time goes on - recently spoke with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson on Scoop B Radio on a wide range of topics, and the conversation eventually turned to the Suns. Speaking of what they need to get over the top, Marbury mentioned that a scoring point guard like Tyrese Haliburton is the answer.

"They need a scoring point guard. They need a guy that can get them going but can really go too. Like the kid that plays for the Indiana Pacers? Tyrese. He didn’t play in the Olympics that much this year. But if he gets stronger? Oh my God, he will be off the hook!"

It's unlikely Marbury is trolling here - in fact he might not even realize - but the Suns actually had the chance to draft Haliburton back in the 2020 NBA Draft. "I like him with Phoenix. If he plays with Phoenix, I think he’d definitely be different because he’s definitely different because he runs the ball up the court, he knows how to handle the ball."

Instead they opted for Jalen Smith and the rest - as they say - is history. Not 12 months later the Suns were in the NBA Finals, and the addition of Haliburton for that run could have been the difference between winning it all and finishing as runners-up. Not that Haliburton is too concerned by this, he got his own team in the Indiana Pacers and just won an Olympic gold medal this summer.

Marbury probably doesn't understand how the NBA's salary cap works too, as the Suns cannot simply go and get Haliburton. He's a max player and they already have three on their roster in the form of Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal. About the only realistic way to make this happen is to trade Durant for Haliburton, and even that is unlikely.

Durant will be 36-years-old by the time next season starts, while Haliburton is only 24 and has already been an All-Star. He also possesses the skill which is wanted most in today's league - 3-point shooting at an elite level - and is a ridiculously good passer. He would be amazing to get to Phoenix, even at the expense of Durant, but it is not going to ever happen.