The Phoenix Suns have seen some hard times since Steve Nash left town.

The Suns have posted a winning record just once in the past six seasons, and given how quiet their summer was, the 2016-17 campaign figures to feature more mediocrity.

However, that might all change next summer. General manager Ryan McDonough told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski that he has plans for a significant addition

"Potentially, it’s a very strong free-agent class next year. And one of the things we’ve done with our contracts is we’ve lined them up to have max cap space next year without really touching the core of our roster," McDonough said.

Phoenix is only carrying $60 million in guaranteed contracts for 2017, and is flush with prospects and picks. With the salary cap soaring to the neighborhood of $110 million that summer, McDonough might have enough cap room to chase two max-level free agents.

That summer, names like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Serge Ibaka, and dozens of other notables could be on the market.

Of course, convincing one or two stars to sign in Phoenix is another challenge altogether. The Suns made concerted attempts to sign LeBron James and LaMarcus Aldridge in recent summers, and came away with Tyson Chandler and Isaiah Thomas.

But having locked in an affordable and talented core, McDonough sees Phoenix as a "destination franchise" for free agents next summer.

"I think and I hope at this time next year, we’re major players in free agency. Because as you mentioned, the Phoenix Suns are a destination franchise."