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At 9 tonight, the Suns send out that mythical Brink's armored truck loaded with their estimated $16.3 million worth of salary-cap space.
If they were really hitting the road in pursuit of free agents, the Suns would need a fleet to cover their bases. Their vault on wheels would be in the driveways of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash when the contact period opens.
From there, the journey to the July 14 signing period will be a cross-country adventure.
"It's a little nerve-racking," Suns President/General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. "We've got a lot of options and a lot of story lines and subplots to those stories . . . We've got a few things up our sleeve."
Utah, Denver, Atlanta and Charlotte all have more to spend, although Atlanta and Charlotte have more holes to fill than the Suns, who believe they have a playoff-quality core in Amaré Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson.
The Suns' success in their pitches to Bryant and Nash will dictate their next move. Undoubtedly, that will include chasing a big man who can give Stoudemire some space and allow Marion to run the floor. The top candidates are Detroit's Mehmet Okur, Sacramento's Vlade Divac, Golden State's Adonal Foyle and their own free agent, Antonio McDyess, if he comes with a hometown discount.
But Phoenix has not suffered to get to this spending opportunity in order to chase second-tier free agents. Bryant is on speed dial.
"Until Kobe commits, I'm sure that is their No. 1 target, and rightly so," Suns broadcast analyst Eddie Johnson said. "I think it's feasible. I don't think it's 100 percent he'll stay in LA. If he stays, he'll be perceived as the guy who got Phil Jackson fired and Shaquille O'Neal traded."
San Antonio can offer Bryant a title-ready team. The Clippers can allow him to stay in Tinseltown. The Lakers can offer the most money, but he still could get that in a sign-and-trade deal.
Whoever cuts the check does so with trepidation over his August sexual assault trial.
With Bryant in a Suns uniform, Johnson perhaps would become a point guard. Without Bryant, Johnson would remain at shooting guard and Nash would become the target as an ideal leader for the team and mentor for Leandro Barbosa. Nash, 30, was third in the NBA in assists last season and second in free-throw percentage. Nash, a career 41.6 percent three-point shooter, seemed a doubtful candidate during the season when he and Dallas had a mutual desire to stay together. That may have changed with Dallas' draft-day trade for Wisconsin point guard Devin Harris.
Have a question for your favorite Suns, Cardinals, Coyotes, D-Backs player? Click here to submit the question for one of our reporters to take it to the source. Look for the answers on Page 2 of Saturday's Arizona Republic.
Nash's agent, Bill Duffy, also represents Stoudemire.
"We feel like we have a legitimate shot," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said of the upper-tier free agents. He can't comment on specific players. "We love our core group of guys and our young guys. This is an opportunity to get a really good player and keep getting better."
In their perpetual big-man search, Phoenix is believed to be a front-runner for Okur, a restricted free agent. The Suns would be able to offer more than Detroit, which can give him no more than the midlevel exception (about $5.1 million) if they keep Rasheed Wallace. The 6-foot-11 Okur's role was diminished by Wallace's arrival in Detroit, but the 25-year-old native of Turkey can block shots and play on the perimeter. He wants to start.
"A big guy is always going to take up space and be serviceable," Eddie Johnson said. "I find it hard to give small guys a bunch of money because they're an injury away from being done. I think the Suns will be looking big. Amaré needs a brute next to him. That's going to really accelerate him."
The next big man on their list may be Golden State's Erick Dampier, but does a career year justify the eight-digit annual checks he is seeking? Foyle, his backup, may be an option at a lower price. He's big, can block shots and is a better locker-room presence.
D'Antoni said Phoenix might seek a perimeter player who has point-guard skills. That sounds like Seattle's Brent Barry, 32, another career 41 percent three-point shooter who can handle the point.
Other possibilities at point guard include Minnesota's Troy Hudson and the Lakers' Derek Fisher. Beyond Okur, the restricted free-agent pool has two more players who will at least get feelers from the Suns: San Antonio off guard Emanuel Ginobili and Clippers off guard Quentin Richardson. Argentina native Andres Nocioni, who plays in Europe, is an appealing physical swingman
At 9 tonight, the Suns send out that mythical Brink's armored truck loaded with their estimated $16.3 million worth of salary-cap space.
If they were really hitting the road in pursuit of free agents, the Suns would need a fleet to cover their bases. Their vault on wheels would be in the driveways of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash when the contact period opens.
From there, the journey to the July 14 signing period will be a cross-country adventure.
"It's a little nerve-racking," Suns President/General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. "We've got a lot of options and a lot of story lines and subplots to those stories . . . We've got a few things up our sleeve."
Utah, Denver, Atlanta and Charlotte all have more to spend, although Atlanta and Charlotte have more holes to fill than the Suns, who believe they have a playoff-quality core in Amaré Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson.
The Suns' success in their pitches to Bryant and Nash will dictate their next move. Undoubtedly, that will include chasing a big man who can give Stoudemire some space and allow Marion to run the floor. The top candidates are Detroit's Mehmet Okur, Sacramento's Vlade Divac, Golden State's Adonal Foyle and their own free agent, Antonio McDyess, if he comes with a hometown discount.
But Phoenix has not suffered to get to this spending opportunity in order to chase second-tier free agents. Bryant is on speed dial.
"Until Kobe commits, I'm sure that is their No. 1 target, and rightly so," Suns broadcast analyst Eddie Johnson said. "I think it's feasible. I don't think it's 100 percent he'll stay in LA. If he stays, he'll be perceived as the guy who got Phil Jackson fired and Shaquille O'Neal traded."
San Antonio can offer Bryant a title-ready team. The Clippers can allow him to stay in Tinseltown. The Lakers can offer the most money, but he still could get that in a sign-and-trade deal.
Whoever cuts the check does so with trepidation over his August sexual assault trial.
With Bryant in a Suns uniform, Johnson perhaps would become a point guard. Without Bryant, Johnson would remain at shooting guard and Nash would become the target as an ideal leader for the team and mentor for Leandro Barbosa. Nash, 30, was third in the NBA in assists last season and second in free-throw percentage. Nash, a career 41.6 percent three-point shooter, seemed a doubtful candidate during the season when he and Dallas had a mutual desire to stay together. That may have changed with Dallas' draft-day trade for Wisconsin point guard Devin Harris.
Have a question for your favorite Suns, Cardinals, Coyotes, D-Backs player? Click here to submit the question for one of our reporters to take it to the source. Look for the answers on Page 2 of Saturday's Arizona Republic.
Nash's agent, Bill Duffy, also represents Stoudemire.
"We feel like we have a legitimate shot," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said of the upper-tier free agents. He can't comment on specific players. "We love our core group of guys and our young guys. This is an opportunity to get a really good player and keep getting better."
In their perpetual big-man search, Phoenix is believed to be a front-runner for Okur, a restricted free agent. The Suns would be able to offer more than Detroit, which can give him no more than the midlevel exception (about $5.1 million) if they keep Rasheed Wallace. The 6-foot-11 Okur's role was diminished by Wallace's arrival in Detroit, but the 25-year-old native of Turkey can block shots and play on the perimeter. He wants to start.
"A big guy is always going to take up space and be serviceable," Eddie Johnson said. "I find it hard to give small guys a bunch of money because they're an injury away from being done. I think the Suns will be looking big. Amaré needs a brute next to him. That's going to really accelerate him."
The next big man on their list may be Golden State's Erick Dampier, but does a career year justify the eight-digit annual checks he is seeking? Foyle, his backup, may be an option at a lower price. He's big, can block shots and is a better locker-room presence.
D'Antoni said Phoenix might seek a perimeter player who has point-guard skills. That sounds like Seattle's Brent Barry, 32, another career 41 percent three-point shooter who can handle the point.
Other possibilities at point guard include Minnesota's Troy Hudson and the Lakers' Derek Fisher. Beyond Okur, the restricted free-agent pool has two more players who will at least get feelers from the Suns: San Antonio off guard Emanuel Ginobili and Clippers off guard Quentin Richardson. Argentina native Andres Nocioni, who plays in Europe, is an appealing physical swingman
