The Phoenix Suns have high hopes this offseason and after flirting with a Kevin Love trade, the team is looking at the possibility of adding Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James and while that is a near-impossible reality, the team has the cap space to make it happen and if they can convince the stars to sign, they could turn into a championship contender, but it likely would require a trade of Goran Dragic at some point.
According to AZ Central and ESPN.com, the Suns have one of the highest cap space totals in the league coming into free agency and now they have the chance to make a move. The team took Tyler Ennis with their first round pick and they have tons of young talent to build around and this comes after the team played above expectations this season. James and Melo are likely looking elsewhere for places to play, but the Suns have shown their willingness to try and that could lead to good things down the line.
Dragic had a very solid season with 20.3 points and 5.9 assists and he was one of the most improved players of the year and now that Ennis is coming in, the Suns could look at making a move to add more draft picks or a veteran player. Last season the team tried to trade for Pau Gasol and now they could try and sign him or bring over another established player. The team was mentioned as a potential option for Kevin Love since they had the draft picks to make a deal, but right now there is no movement on that front. Earlier in the offseason Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and draft picks were mentioned as a deal for Kevin Love, but that never got hot on either side.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Suns are looking at Gordon Hayward as a target and it could be tough to sign him, as the Jazz are likely going to match any offer given to him. Hayward and the Jazz could not come to an agreement last year on a contract extension and now he is a restricted free agent and he could get some interesting offers on the market. The Suns reportedly are willing to offer him a max contract, but the Jazz appear willing to match that offer to keep their former top 15 draft pick.
Last season the Suns went 48-34 and they were one of the most surprising teams in the NBA and they ended up ranking seventh in the league in scoring. The team was 13th in rebounding despite trading Marcin Gortat and they also ranked 21st in points allowed and 29th in assists per game and now they have a core to build on for the future. The team acquired Bledsoe in a deal with the Clippers and that has paid off well and while they may lose him as a free agent, he established himself in Phoenix and he played well alongside Gortat.
