After Bledsoe trade, wait continues for Suns GM McDonough’s big move

Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough has been trying to get a future or current All-Star since he arrived in the Valley in May of 2013, and, to this point, he has failed.

He waited, and waited, and waited to make his big move. In February of 2015, he attempted to make it, trading a protected first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for Brandon Knight.

Needless to say, Knight has not made an All-Star team and does not have the trajectory to become one.

By trading away disgruntled point guard Eric Bledsoe for a protected first-round pick, a protected second-round pick and an expiring contract — I mean, Greg Monroe — he’s made it clear his priorities have not swayed.

RELATED: Eric Bledsoe joins 98.7 FM’s Burns & Gambo after the trade

Monroe’s $17.8 million salary expires at the end of the season and the first-round pick will likely not convey until 2020. Monroe’s contract opens up lots of salary cap space soon and a pick that very likely doesn’t turn into a player this summer, making it easier to move.

Once McDonough cleans up the place and compiles all his assets into a tidy group, he has all his own future first-round and second-round picks, Miami’s top-7 protected 2018 first-round pick and 2021 unprotected first-round pick, plus the aforementioned Milwaukee picks and two additional 2018 second-round picks. On top of that, he has former top-10 picks Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and Josh Jackson he can mix in at his pleasing.

When it was reported that former New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson had completely lost all his marbles and made Kristaps Porzingis available, the one thing the Suns were missing in those potential negotiations was the godfather offer.

Somewhere in that pile of assets is that godfather offer, a trade proposal in which the Suns are unequivocally the “loser” in terms of value going one way or the other, but they get their desired return.

In order to acquire an All-NBA quality player, that’s what it’s probably going to have to take.

Andre Drummond is capable of putting up 20 and 10 any night. Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins average 25 and 10 every night.

Luka Doncic looks like the next sure thing at the top of a stacked top-5 of the 2018 NBA Draft class.

McDonough has put himself in a situation to acquire someone of that caliber. He is not going to use all those draft picks to select more young players. He already has enough of ’em.

Now, it’s time to take three, or four, or five of those picks and get the player that forms the cornerstone of the franchise alongside Devin Booker.

Now, we wait.

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