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Phoenix Suns: Finding Victory In A Free Agency Defeat

By Troy Tauscher

Mar 30, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) shoots over Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) shoots over Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /
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After three days of eagerly awaiting an answer, the city of Phoenix woke up to depressing news. Free agent target LaMarcus Aldridge made his decision, giving  Phoenix Suns fans another reason to hate the Fourth of July.

The Suns were one team on the long list of organizations Aldridge met with. At first, it seemed like something of an obligatory gesture to help the Suns look like they were trying. It was similar to the Suns’ attempt to meet with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony last offseason.

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Then the story changed.

The Suns threw everything they had at this meeting, bringing in Tyson Chandler, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and new assistant Earl Watson (who previously played with Aldridge) as well as the main Suns brass to pitch Phoenix to him. Whatever they said made Aldridge think, though he went the route that everyone had projected.

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This is a stinging loss for the Suns, who needed a superstar like Aldridge to regain relevance in the league.

The Suns should not hang their heads, however. They did accomplish something substantial here, and it helps the long-term confidence of the franchise that they managed to get this far.

It was a foregone conclusion that Aldridge would go to San Antonio to win, but the Suns shrewdly played their cards to get their foot in the superstar door, a foot that can wait there until the next star comes around.

The Suns do boast an increasingly attractive free agent opportunity. Any star who wants to have his own team can go there and become the fan favorite almost overnight. The Suns also have the good fortune of having their core guys locked up.

Bledsoe, Chandler, Knight, T.J. Warren, and Markieff Morris are all locked up for three or more years, and Alex Len has two more before hitting restricted free agency. Any player that joins the Suns in the next couple of years knows who their teammates are likely to be and how they can work together.

Both of these facts were major selling points for the Suns, and they can be major selling points for future stars. It all depends on what the individual target desires and values.  The Spurs present a chance to continue a great legacy. The Suns, on the flip side, offer a chance for a player to build a legacy for himself. Aldridge wanted the former, and that’s not a wrong decision.

The Suns can eventually find a player who wants to build his own story rather than hop on for the ride on one that’s already starting. It just takes patience, and a vigilant effort to keep watch for opportunities like this. Ryan McDonough started the morning of July 1 silently, and suddenly, the Suns had the chance to land a marquee free agent.

Very few general managers can just go from 0 to 60 that quickly, and McDonough should have renewed trust from Suns fans, because that man will outlive God trying to find the Suns a star player.

The tweet below, depending on how you interpret it, is the primary reason to look at the silver lining or be depressed.

This means one of two things. Either a) his considering the Suns was a facade for attention or b) the Suns were crafty enough to make Aldridge rethink his commitment.  It’s probably a combination of both of those things. He enjoyed the limelight but he also recognized the Suns did field a competitive offer.

Just the fact that they shook that certainly shows that the Suns did something right, something they can take lessons from.

The Suns have seen a slide in their reputation in recent months. Adi Joseph of Sporting News wrote an article about the Suns saying they treated players like stocks. Recounting the debacle with Goran Dragic and the Marcus Morris trade, among other things, he said:

"These things don’t sit well with players, who are human beings with human emotions. They are professionals, yes, but even professionals want to feel valued and respected. And every action adds up. And every action is seen by players around the league."

In a way, the Suns showed the opposite attitude during the Aldridge sweepstakes. They went out and got a big, tough player like Chandler, which was a nod to Aldridge, who hates playing center and likes a banger next to him, and they brought in someone he had a prior personal connection with.

The negotiating strategy of “we are willing to spend money or do whatever else we can to make you more comfortable” is not a bad approach to meetings with star free agents.  The Suns looked good in this pursuit.

The Suns are a team that is headed in the right direction. They have a young core that’s locked up (despite incessant Eric Bledsoe trade rumors) and a fan base that will throw themselves behind whatever superstar Phoenix manages to snag. They are basically the Rockets pre-James Harden, who were one superstar short of being a really good team.

The Suns should not be ashamed of their failure to land Aldridge. They took an incremental step in the right direction as a franchise.

There will always be the naysayers who think that Arizona sports teams in general, not just the Suns, cannot stand up to other teams in the free agent market. However, I would argue that the landscape has changed. We live in a world where people are choosing the Bucks over the Knicks and no one wants to play for the Lakers.

The Suns gave the Spurs a run for their money, and that takes skill. It’s a small victory in and of itself to say that.

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    • The challenge for Phoenix is to reload and move on from this failure. They still have cap space,  Markieff Morris probably wants to leave, and they have several OK draft picks to shop. The real way for the Suns to prove themselves is to recover from this and try again.

    With Ryan McDonough and whatever dark wizard powers he possesses, it’s a safe bet that he’s exploring other options thoroughly at this moment.

    The Suns swung for a home run and struck out, but they forced their way into the conversation and the eyes of the league again, and this time for a good reason. They made Aldridge think about joining Phoenix, and they got the whole city on board. Eventually, they’ll get the right assets for the right guy at the right time. They have a smart office and a team that has something to offer.

    Sometimes things just don’t work out, and that’s not only sports, that’s life.

    Like Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

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