The thing is, what is the right move and who is the right player? Was Aldridge the right player? IMO, the right player is Gordon Hayward but the Suns are not getting any interest. Plus the Suns have Josh Jackson now.
The Clippers hope they can re-sign Griffin but he is a free agent. The Clippers just lost their star PG in Chris Paul. It appears they may also lose Redick. Is DeAndre Jordon now their franchise player?
The thing is, almost every player is a gamble. However, when a team gets to sign a star, I think you one has to look at it. Blake Griffin will have a strong cast to go around him. Perhaps the other option for the Suns to become relevant is Paul Millsap. He is a nice player but I'd rather have Griffin who is younger.
I completely agree that almost every player is a gamble. The key is understanding where on the spectrum does that gamble lie. If the gamble spectrum were 0 to 100 (0 being no gamble, 100 being a pure gamble), I'd put signing Griffin at an 85. The guy puts up great stats when he plays. The key word being 'when'. His health and other factors keep pushing that gamble toward the top. And don't forget the price tag will be immense.
I see Millsap as less of a risk depending on his contract. He's a far savvier player than Griffin that compliments this team. But even if he's less of a risk, he's still a good sized risk. Say, a 70 on the same scale. I wouldn't sign him either.
I just don't see the need to mess with the core of this team: Eric/Booker/Jackson/Chriss. Which is our 1/2/3/4. I'd sign mid level vets who come relatively cheap and become extra coaches to these young talented men. Eric leads the team at 1, Tyson at 5, Dudley from the bench. This team needs to slow cook, not be microwaved.
Our goal should be to duplicate what GS and SA did:
1. Draft well. (Check)
2. Sign low cost key vets to fill roles that compliment core.
3. Allow our young talent to develop.
4. Coach em up.
5. Trade anyone that doesn't fit.
6. Spend wisely so that we can resign our young talent to sensible team-centered contracts.
When we start winning with OUR team, that's when FA's will start showing interest. But we won't need them if we do this right.