Phoenix Suns GM McDonough: Team positioned to land next disgruntled superstar
Jul 29, 2013, 10:23 PM | Updated: 10:23 pm
To say Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough has been busy would seem like a bit of an understatement.
Hired in early May to replace Lance Blanks, the former Boston executive has spent the last few months working to reshape the team’s roster and, maybe even more so, its future.
McDonough and the Suns drafted three new players in June and have since parted with two others via trades that brought back talent as well as draft picks.
“We could have as many as three next year and two the year after,” Suns GM Ryan McDonough said of first-round draft picks.
And while the team may not win a lot in 2013-14, it certainly looks like the franchise is in pretty solid shape going forward.
McDonough believes Phoenix is still an attractive destination for potential free agents, but even more than that feels like the Suns are in excellent position to acquire a star, be it through free agency or a trade.
“When teams have maybe a disgruntled superstar, what are they looking for in return? Well, they’re looking for picks, that’s what they want.”
Of course, there don’t appear to be any players like that on the market right now, but that does not mean there won’t be in the coming months.
“I think we’re well positioned to strike if and when the next disgruntled superstar becomes available,” McDonough said.
That has to be music to any Suns fan’s ears, as the team seems to be stocked full of solid role players but lacks a player who could be built around.
McDonough is aware of that, and knows there are different ways to acquire one.
The Suns could go the route that McDonough’s former team, the Celtics, did in 2007. At that time, Boston parted with young talent as well as picks to land both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and those moves led to an NBA championship.
Then again, there is also what the Oklahoma City Thunder have done, and that’s stock up on talent by drafting well.
Both options are on the table for the Suns, and that’s the key in McDonough’s offseason plan. Though the team is not expected to contend this season, the moves made this summer have been done so with an eye on a larger goal.
