With the Los Angeles Lakers expected to pursue both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, another team in the Pacific division has the same off-season plan according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
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
After an impressive 48-win season, the Suns have cap space to sign two full max contracts to go along with a young, talented core in Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic:
The Suns have $33.5 million in salary-cap space and could shed the next $10 million needed to sign James and Anthony to maximum contracts without unloading the young core of guards Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic and center Miles Plumlee that pushed the franchise to 48 victories in the Western Conference last season.
While the Suns have not been mentioned as a destination for James and Anthony, it is an intriguing situation after exceeding expectations this past season. Many thought the Suns were going to tank for a chance at Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, but were in playoff contention until the final day of the season.
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Along with the Suns, the Lakers will have ample cap room to sign a player to a max contract, but are also looking to shed more by trading Steve Nash’s contract. While it is unlikely the Lakers will be able to trade Nash, the Lakers are exploring all options this summer including pursuing Trevor Ariza, Kyle Lowry, Greg Monroe, and Channing Frye.
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