The Phoenix Suns have emerged as a serious dark horse contender to land LaMarcus Aldridge.One small problem: the Suns don't have the salary cap space to sign the All-Star free agent.
Phoenix moved quickly in free agency to lock up center Tyson Chandler with a four-year, $52 million deal. They also reached an agreement with guard Brandon Knight for five years and $70 million. While this adds more talent to the roster to further entice Aldridge, it doesn't leave the Suns with a whole lot of cap space.
As such, there have been rumbles that if Aldridge does decide to sign with Phoenix, a major player could be sent out to make room. However, those rumors may have been a bit premature.
"Eric Bledsoe & Brandon Knight are untouchable in a sign & trade. Those are the only 2 untouchables though unlikely they would move Alex Len," John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM tweeted yesterday.
Bledsoe and the Suns engaged in some contentious contract negotiations last year before finally coming to terms on a five-year, $70 million deal. The Suns also shipped off fellow productive point guards Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas this past season, further cementing the belief that Bledsoe is staying put.
Bledsoe averaged 17 points per game with 6.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds in a career high 81 games started this past season. Aldridge averaged 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting a career best .352 percent from 3-point range. The trio of Bledsoe, Aldridge and Chandler (whose low post defense complements Aldridge's game quite well) could potentially make some noise in the loaded Western Conference.
However, the San Antonio Spurs still remain the front runners to land Aldridge in free agency. San Antonio traded center Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks yesterday in a salary dump while also re-signing shooting guard Danny Green. They remain the most attractive option in Aldridge's eyes, according to ESPN sources.
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