Like vulchers circling above a wounded animal, the national media is beginning to eye the Suns as a team that could be picked apart in the offseason.

I guess being 36-38 and outside of the playoff picture will do that to a team.

Thursday on Sports 620 KTAR’s Gambo and Ash ESPN NBA Analyst Tim Legler was the latest person to suggest the Suns part ways with their veteran stars, notably Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

“You have an opportunity still, there’s a market out there for a guy like Steve Nash, that you could at least attempt to start to rebuild your franchise,” he said. “I personally would probably look into moving those guys.”

Granted, the Suns may not even have a choice with Hill. A free agent at season’s end, it would be reasonable to assume Hill would not return to Phoenix if there was a chance he would get traded somewhere else. Nash, though, is a different story.

As reported earlier in the week, there are at least nine different teams who would be interested in acquiring the Suns’ point guard.

Still, that doesn’t mean the Suns are going to move the face of the franchise. Head coach Alvin Gentry is on record saying the goal is to add players to help Nash and Hill, not to replace them.

Still, if the team’s goals are to get younger and more athletic, as Suns Vice President Lon Babby has alluded to, the quickest way there likely involves moving Nash and/or Hill.

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