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Phoenix Suns' Jared Dudley, left, looks to pass away from Golden State Warriors' Andrew Bogut in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
listen Listen: Lon Babby, Suns President of Basketball Operations
Lon Babby joins the guys to talk about the future of the Phoenix Suns.

The Phoenix Suns are mired in last place of the Western Conference with a 17-36 record.

With the NBA trade deadline approaching after the All-Star Break, rumors involving the Phoenix Suns have been circulating.

Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby told Arizona Sports 620's Doug & Wolf Wednesday that while it's his hope to improve the talent on his roster, the team won't make a trade just for the sake of it.

"We're not in the business of making other teams better," Babby said. "We've got to make sure we're careful about what we're doing and continuing to husband our assets."

Some players rumored to be on the trading block are Sebastian Telfair and Jared Dudley. While Babby won't comment on any potential moves, he did say it would take a great package in return to get the Suns to move any of their coveted draft picks.

"The biggest assets we have right now really are our draft choices and it's going to take an awful lot for us to surrender one of those draft choices," Babby stated. "As I've said before, I would never say it won't happen but nothing small will get that done."

Babby said the team has turned its attention to building for the long-term and while the Suns determine which players to bring into the fold, they'll also have to decide the future of their interim head coach Lindsey Hunter.

"We've had some really good wins under his tenure. We've had some not so great games," Babby said. "I think there is a beginning of a cultural change -- more accountability, more discipline. He has a wonderful demeanor about him and he can be firm but not personal and I think that's working well."

Babby said the Suns will assess Hunter's future at the end of the season as planned.

"We promised ourselves and we promised him that we'd just see where we are after 40 games," Babby stated. "I think he's doing everything he can within his power and I think it's been largely positive. Obviously not perfect. We've had a couple of rough games, like the ones against Oklahoma City where that just indicates how far away we are."

Babby sympathizes with Suns fans and realizes the adversity the team has faced this season is taking its toll on everyone but that management remains committed to righting the ship.

"We tried to avoid having a season like this," Babby said. "We tried to be as compete as we could be. Now that we're in this situation I think we have to embrace it and move forward. But the goals haven't changed. The goal is to be elite, to build something that's sustainable and to do it a brick at a time and that's what we're going to do."

Daria Del Colliano, Web Content Editor - ArizonaSports.com

17 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
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  • Abuse
    Whatashame wrote...
    They are off to a really good start
    They already have three great bricks in Babby, Blanks and Hunter. Or was that brickheads?
  • Abuse
    azgbayfan wrote...
    Who?
    Who do these guys think they are going to get in this draft? It is not that good! The Noel kid is now out 6 to 8 months. His athletic ability was his strength and if that is affected by his injury? Too big a risk. Zeller not dominating. The rest are not franchise players. What does Babby think he is going to build these guys? Won't happen.
  • Abuse
    Guyinaz wrote...
    Yeah right
    Please stop with the lies, Sarve has historically shown he only cares about turning a profit. How many draft picks did he sell since he took over? How many years has he owned the team? He's owned the team for NINE years now. Why do they all of the sudden care about winning? I challenge 620 to actually get Sarver on the radio and take calls from the fans. He is oblivious to what people think about him
  • Abuse
    Jim R. wrote...
    This will be a good draft *IF*
    Suns will do good if they can get top 5 in this draft but anything out of that range probably isn't going to have a big impact with the Suns own pick. Considering Lakers have not gained any ground on the 8th seed in last 20 games (they are still 4 games back like they were Jan 25) assure Suns have another lottery pick that they could use to grab Marcus Smart with. Will be crazy if Suns get 2 picks in top 3 from ping-pong balls.
  • Abuse
    mesa mad man wrote...
    still too harsh
    I still think people are too caught up in the losing right now to focus on the big picture. Like I said before - people are commenting that this draft sucks. What would you rather them do, try to be an 8 seed this season so we can be middle of the pack for 5 more years? These are the cards we have right now, did they incorrectly plan for the future 3 years ago? Maybe, but i think they are making decent decisions now to rebuild. The team is going to suck, we have to deal with that.
  • Abuse
    mesa mad man wrote...
    still too harsh (cont)
    For Sarver - he has always been willing to spend money, just not in the right places. Yes we sold draft picks, but Dantoni wouldnt have played them anyway! Rondo wouldnt have become Rondo on the suns. Look at Earl Clark. he never got a lick of playing time or development. It took him going to Orlando to get anything and become the player he is now. I am glad Babby isnt going to make a trade just to appease the fans. If it doesnt work long term it isnt worth doing. That said, I do think its a mistake if we cant turn some combo of Gortat, Telfair, Brown, and Scola into picks or a prospect.
  • Abuse
    zonabear wrote...
    Sarver is a Joke...
    You guys keep saying that Sarver is spending money...But look at the team payrolls the Suns are second from the bottom...Only one team spends less and that's Houston and the only reason they spent less is they tried to clear cap space to sign Dwight Howard...If it wasn't for that the Suns would be dead last so please stop saying Sarver spends money on this team..He is an Arrogant Egotistical Tightwad that is out of touch with reality.....
  • Abuse
    johnnyb588 wrote...
    @guyinaz
    You do know that hoarding draft picks is the cheapest way to run a team, right? Selling draft picks isn't about saving pennies. If you want to save money, you keep draft picks and develop talent. If you want to "win now," you sell draft picks and acquire veteran talent. The Suns were in "win now" mode when all those draft picks were sold. I'm not saying that was a good idea, but I AM saying you're dead wrong about the reasoning behind selling draft picks.
  • Abuse
    sundevil7901 wrote...
    Agree w/ Mad Men
    It's time to look at the big picture, which is all anyone wanted to do the last couple seasons when we were just missing the playoffs. Draft your 1st rounders for the future with the expectation that they are going to play heavy minutes right away. Keep Dragic at point, continue to develop Marshall and Morris. Trade for a veteran star to provide this team with some leadership, someone who the offense can flow through on a night-in-night out basis. The Suns have the draft picks and financial flexibility to make it happen, but it may take another season or 2 before we start seeing dividends.
  • Abuse
    Shportz wrote...
    The Necessary FO Philosophy
    There is a pivotal brick that needs to be laid before the deadline or we will have screwed up. We need to release Gortat. There is no doubt about this. The potential upside to this is tremendous; the potential in keeping is unnecessary detriment and yet another mistake for the team FO.
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