Grantland’s Zach Lowe: Free agency leads to ‘murkier future’ for Phoenix Suns
Jul 7, 2015, 11:29 AM | Updated: 11:30 am
Grantland.com’s Zach Lowe, one of the top analytical voices among NBA writers, decided to break down a wild first week of NBA free agency.
So what about the Phoenix Suns?
Lowe said the Suns, who added Tyson Chandler on a four-year, $52 million deal but lost out on LaMarcus Aldridge to the San Antonio Spurs, have a “murkier future” after the first week of free agency in his list of NBA free-agency winners and losers.
I’m not sure any team has experienced a crazier calendar year than Phoenix. They were a feel-good story with a point guard hydra, and in a flash, they transformed into a group of mouthy malcontents who traded two of their three point guards — plus that juicy top-three protected Lakers pick. And then, out of nowhere, they went all in for Aldridge. They signed Tyson Chandler mostly to lead their Aldridge recruiting mission, broke up the Morris twins with a cap dump on Detroit, and would have dealt Markieff Morris had Aldridge signed on.
That is a lot of trauma, spurred on in part by Robert Sarver, the team’s owner. Sarver has grown impatient with Phoenix’s playoff drought, and has urged the basketball staff to take huge swings in free agency, per several league sources.
The future feels murkier than it did before the trade deadline blow-up. Chandler is here, at age 32, to play four years in front of Alex Len — a young center the team considers a cornerstone. Brandon Knight has to live up to the Lakers pick, and a new $70 million deal. The Suns didn’t sacrifice much to free space for Aldridge, but they are moving in several directions at once.
There is a lot to unpack here; stay tuned for more.
Phoenix’s moves cannot become official until the league’s moratorium is complete July 9.
The Suns are reportedly looking into adding former Sun Amar’e Stoudemire or to trade for New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson.
