Lon Babby addresses the state of the Suns

With so many questions regarding the direction the Phoenix Suns are going in this offseason, Lon Babby met with the media Wednesday to address the state of the franchise.

With the Suns missing the playoffs the last two seasons, elite status has not been the perception of this team. But Lon Babby assures that that is where they strive to be.

“The goal around here is for us to be an elite team and my definition of that, our definition of that, is a team that competes for championships every year,” explained Babby. “Not there yet obviously and have a lot of work to do to get there but that is where we aspire to be.”

It is known that the Suns head into this offseason with some much needed cap space. Whether that cap is used to bring in a key free agent or make other moves like one sided trades remains to be seen. But Babby explained that not making any drastic moves this offseason, could be in the teams best interest.

“There is a distinct possibility that we do not use our cap space this summer,” Babby mentioned. “We have worked hard to put ourselves in this position to have flexibility, to have a range of opportunities, but I am absolutely determined that we are going to be disciplined.”

However, one thing is for sure, one of the biggest decisions has to do with the future of Steve Nash and whether or not he has played his last game in the purple and orange.

“We have got to go down a road with him (Steve Nash) to see if we can find a common path, a path that makes sense for him and a path that makes sense for us,” explained Babby. “Everyone here wants Steve Nash to retire a Phoenix Sun and we are going to work very hard to work with him and see if that can happen.”

“We go into it with the expectation for sure that we want him (Nash) here and every indication is that he wants to be here,” Babby added. “Now whether all the elements come together, I can’t predict. There is going to come a time when Steve Nash is no longer here. That I can say with equivocation. I just don’t look forward to that day candidly and I don’t think any of us do.”

In the closing remarks of Babby’s state of the franchise, the Suns know they have a lot of work to do and know where they stand. But Babby wants to make sure that the fans and the community knows that the team is looking to become elite by any means necessary.

“I look around and I see a whole community of people that care about whether we succeed or not and that is a daunting responsibility,” Babby explained. “But I welcome it and I’m just doing the best I can and trying to make as many right decisions as I can.”

For more on the Phoenix Suns, follow Jared Cohen on Twitter at @JaredPros2Preps.