Report: Phoenix Suns will try to lure LeBron James-Carmelo Anthony pairing
A dark horse may emerge in the LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes.
With the New York Knicks remaining optimistic they can re-sign Anthony and the Miami Heat positioned to bring back their Big Three, possibly with reinforcements, the Phoenix Suns will try to pitch both players on a union together in Arizona, according to a report from Yahoo Sports.
From the report:
Armed with an offer that no else in the NBA can make – a chance to partner with Carmelo Anthony on an instant championship contender – the Phoenix Suns are planning an aggressive pursuit of LeBron James on Tuesday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Suns officials understand the bid will be something of a long shot, but are determined to get a meeting with James to convince him how the possibilities of two full max contracts, a roster stocked with talented, young players and the chance to pick the superstar free-agent partner of his choice ought to make Phoenix one of his most appealing suitors.
The Suns have just $25.2 million in guaranteed salary committed for next season, leaving them with a path to significant cap space. What's more, most of the players that are under contract are good, young players, meaning they would be easy to unload for more cap space or could serve as pieces of an impressive supporting cast.
As it stands, they could have enough space to sign both James and Anthony while retaining Goran Dragic, Miles Plumlee and Eric Bledsoe plus first-round picks T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis and Bogdan Bogdanovich. The Morris brothers, Alex Len and Archie Goodwin are the other names still on the books and are names more likely to be dealt for space, should James express interest in joining this core.
The Suns also have three first-round picks in 2015, meaning they can promise even more young reinforcements on the way or assets to trade for other talent.
Again, from the report:
The Suns are banking on James' basketball acumen and business intelligence to see the roster, financial flexibility that could sustain the Suns' success for years. Phoenix officials believe the best chance to get Anthony away from his preferred free-agent destinations – Chicago and Houston – will be to turn James' attention toward the Suns, and get Anthony on board with his one true chance to play with James, sources said.
Another possible factor helping the Suns is the track record of their training staff, which is heralded around the league for how they've gotten the most out of aging players like Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal. If that's believed to be a sustainable competitive advantage, the 29-year-old James and 30-year-old Anthony may see a path to greater health and longer careers.
As the report indicates, the Suns know this might be a long shot. From a purely basketball perspective though, this is all kinds of intriguing.
[Contract data courtesy ShamSports]