Do the Suns have an advantage in a trade with Spurs for LaMarcus Aldridge?

Phoenix was close to signing the power forward before he picked San Antonio in 2015

By Chris Barnewall

Jun 22, 2017 at 2:03 pm ET • 1 min read

The Suns have actively been shopping around before the 2017 NBA Draft, and one player they're connected to is a guy they had a chance at before. Reports are that the Spurs are trying to flip LaMarcus Aldridge for a top 10 pick. Before Aldridge signed with the Spurs in 2015, he was also actively talking with the Suns.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Suns may be the only franchise that can keep Aldridge long term after trading for him. Aldridge has two years left on his deal, and a player option for the final year, which means a team trading for him risks him becoming a rental player.

Phoenix might be the only team holding a top-10 pick that could acquire Aldridge with confidence that it isn't just a one-year engagement.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 22, 2017

The majority of teams don't want to give up a top 10 pick without guarantee that Aldridge will stay longer than one season. This leaves San Antonio's trading options slim. If Phoenix still has interest in Aldridge left over from 2015, maybe a trade could happen, though John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix believes that has no chance at happening.