If you read the headline, you might be a bit confused. LaMarcus Aldridge, one of the hottest commodities in NBA free agency right now, has been meeting with teams incessantly since the free agency period officially began at 12:01 a.m. EDT July 1. Among those favored are the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs but the Suns? They might not even be a blip on the radar, but after adding Tyson Chandler and re-signing Brandon Knight, they should be. Look at the Suns roster and tell me, tell me they aren’t a contender if they add Aldridge.
The Suns, as it has been widely known, have been a guard-heavy team the past few seasons, culminating with the four-point guard plateau they attempted last season with the aforementioned Knight, Goran Dragic (now on the Miami Heat after re-signing with them July 1), Isaiah Thomas (now of the Boston Celtics) and Eric Bledsoe. Who’s in the front court for the Suns? Seriously, who? You have Alex Len and the Morris twins. Len led the Suns in rebounds with just 6.6 boards per game. Aldridge grabbed more than 10. The highest PER on the Suns was Eric Bledsoe at 18.5. Aldridge? 22.8.
But it’s more than just numbers. Aldridge contributes to the team any way he can, and does it effectively. When he was having trouble scoring against the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2015 playoffs, he was still getting boards, making his free throws, and playing defense.
Here’s the part where you would tell me that Aldridge needs to play for a contender right now. But does he? At 29, he’s just barely into his prime, and being the leader of a team (instead of just a piece like he would be elsewhere) could be exactly the thing that turns him from just another All-Star into one of the League’s best. Think about it a little bit more now. Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe pushing the ball up the floor, leaving Aldridge to have the freedom to play exactly the way he wants. Now add Chandler to that front court, giving Aldridge two centers to work with and the Morris twins to back him up. He’ll have unlimited opportunities, and the Suns will be an immediate contender and easily Western Conference favorites in a few short years.
Now it’s starting to make more sense. But before we get ahead of ourselves, this is still one of the longest longshots in free agency right now. This could all be smoke and mirrors. But hey, isn’t that what makes the NBA free agency period so great? Your imagination can run wild as you try to fit certain players with certain teams, thinking of all the insane possibilities that teams could put together.
I’m not saying there’s a good chance of Aldridge going to the Suns, but I am saying that if he were to, I’d watch as many Suns games as I could.
