2024-25 Season Discussion and Speculation Part III

[NapoleonII]

Lakers' defense will take a hit, but they will make a move for a big and be fine. Scary, even. In the regular season their perimeter defense sucks, but the refs swallow their whistle for the Fakers every playoffs, and they suddenly look like a top 3 defense.

Denver doesn't have that edge anymore to me.

LAC are always dangerous on paper, when healthy. I think they're a real dark horse for the finals this year after the big shake up and if Lakers can't make some moves / Luka doesn't get in shape.

OKC and HOU still too young, I'd like our chances against them.

Minny has our number after they dismantled us last year.

I'm predicting a Lakers / Celtics finals, unfortunately.

[Slim Charless]

Pre covid? No, you suggested we trade Ayton for AD around the same time you were suggesting trading him for Zion. This was after it was obvious we would probably trade him. We only had Ayton like 1 season before Covid.

Was this before of after I called the league forcing Sarver to sell the team, Monty getting fired as soon as the new owner was able and Nurk being a disaster?

Since you like to keep track of all of my old takes....

Definitely before Nurk since we wouldn't have had him yet. You mentioned Monty being fired a lot so you may have done that before and after. Not sure about the other one.

Oh, I'm sure. It happened.

How about my nailing Suggs as a defensive monster and an integral part of a winning team. That's a guy you hated yes? Was it before or after that....

Or how I called that Dunn would be a monster for us and a starter by all star break? Think only me and GoK had that one.

Trying to keep track here.

[Slim Charless]

Fischer tweeted the Suns are listening on Durant and KD has been notified his name is in talks

If kd doesn’t play against OKC…..

Teams are gonna call us asking for KD and Book always, but we are all in. Not happening.

Gambo mentioned it too

Gambo also mentioned early they might make a move that helps them "short term and in the future"

I just don't see how trading 3 FRPs for Butler helps your future. But trading Durant could help this year and the future

There's no way they move KD out and move Butler in. That's a wild move. Even Ishbia can't do that

[RaisingArizona]

I almost responded

The suns wouldn’t want Durant for Butler

Maybe ishbia is coming to his senses. Truly the West has gotten tougher in the last three days

Suns were already not in a good spot

I think the Spurs got better, but others are sus

Kings got a versatile and explosive scorer in LaVine but if you look at their potential starting 5 of Monk/LaVine/DeRozan/Murray/Sabonis that's just too many bad defenders, Murray is their best defender there but he is playing out of position. They just gonna trying to outscore op every game (just like us haha)

Lakers already has the worse perimeter defense in the league and just got even worse without their more playable perimeter defender in Max Christie. With LeBron in his 40 this team is just weird right now.

Mavs got interesting with AD, but that roster around AD was originally being built around Luka. Kyrie is a bucket but he is not a playmaker and they have nobody else on that roster to replace Luka's elite playmaking to compliment Kyrie's best skill - tough shotmaking. Tough shotmaking is a ceiling raiser, but when it's your floor your offense will struggle 80% of the time (well just like us hahhaha). Anyway, Kyrie just ain't it, we saw him turned into pumpkin last season playoffs, he was the reason they lost the Finals, not Luka.

Denver is, in my opinion, clearly the team behind OKC but their defense is up and down. They have not been healthy and just lost Peyton Watson for at least 4 weeks. Westbrook might be out for a little bit too.

The Clippers are a scary team but relying on 35 years old Harden and 33 Kawhi sounds more scary to me. Houston and Memphis are young and inexperience so I can see why the Suns think they have a chance this year.

Tier 1: OKC
Tier 2: Denver, Clippers, Houston, Mavs
Tier 3: Memphis, Spurs, Suns, Lakers, Kings

In this order. I'd say we have like 1% chance

We landed on the moon?

[BobbieL]

Teams are gonna call us asking for KD and Book always, but we are all in. Not happening.

Gambo mentioned it too

Gambo also mentioned early they might make a move that helps them "short term and in the future"

I just don't see how trading 3 FRPs for Butler helps your future. But trading Durant could help this year and the future

There's no way they move KD out and move Butler in. That's a wild move. Even Ishbia can't do that

Maybe I am reading too much into Gambos tweet - but Butler doesn't help the future. Trading Durant could help both the short term and future.

[Slim Charless]

Gambo mentioned it too

Gambo also mentioned early they might make a move that helps them "short term and in the future"

I just don't see how trading 3 FRPs for Butler helps your future. But trading Durant could help this year and the future

There's no way they move KD out and move Butler in. That's a wild move. Even Ishbia can't do that

Maybe I am reading too much into Gambos tweet - but Butler doesn't help the future. Trading Durant could help both the short term and future.

You see his latest tweet about Durant? He skirted the issue and never actually said "No"......

Probably nothing but Gambo is quick to kill a trade rumor...when he can.

[NapoleonII]

Apparently we could trade KD for Giannis or Wemby or Jokic.

Make it happen, Jones!

(We just need to have planted 5-6 years of collusion, have corporate reasons for making such a lopsided trade, and a shady new owner who, ahem, would benefit financially)

[Slim Charless]

If we trade KD, might as well move Booker too. This whole thing makes more sense to do in the summer when guy's poison pill contracts end.

[SkyBill40]

I think the Spurs got better, but others are sus

Kings got a versatile and explosive scorer in LaVine but if you look at their potential starting 5 of Monk/LaVine/DeRozan/Murray/Sabonis that's just too many bad defenders, Murray is their best defender there but he is playing out of position. They just gonna trying to outscore op every game (just like us haha)

Lakers already has the worse perimeter defense in the league and just got even worse without their more playable perimeter defender in Max Christie. With LeBron in his 40 this team is just weird right now.

Mavs got interesting with AD, but that roster around AD was originally being built around Luka. Kyrie is a bucket but he is not a playmaker and they have nobody else on that roster to replace Luka's elite playmaking to compliment Kyrie's best skill - tough shotmaking. Tough shotmaking is a ceiling raiser, but when it's your floor your offense will struggle 80% of the time (well just like us hahhaha). Anyway, Kyrie just ain't it, we saw him turned into pumpkin last season playoffs, he was the reason they lost the Finals, not Luka.

Denver is, in my opinion, clearly the team behind OKC but their defense is up and down. They have not been healthy and just lost Peyton Watson for at least 4 weeks. Westbrook might be out for a little bit too.

The Clippers are a scary team but relying on 35 years old Harden and 33 Kawhi sounds more scary to me. Houston and Memphis are young and inexperience so I can see why the Suns think they have a chance this year.

Tier 1: OKC
Tier 2: Denver, Clippers, Houston, Mavs
Tier 3: Memphis, Spurs, Suns, Lakers, Kings

In this order. I'd say we have like 1% chance

We landed on the moon?

With slide rulers and guys doing calculations on graph paper and chalkboards.

[Fo-Real]

I have an odd feeling that Gonlen State takes Brad to play next to Steph. They always do out of the box ****.

[Qwigglez]

Was hoping to hear that one of the teams that called about KD was OKC.

[Qwigglez]

I have an odd feeling that Gonlen State takes Brad to play next to Steph. They always do out of the box ****.

I was thinking that too.
I'd take Wiggins, Schroder, and Hield for Beal. Draymond doesn't seem to like Hield, Schroder always kills us, and Wiggins is playing great. No chance the Warriors do this.

[sunsbg]

Lakers' defense will take a hit, but they will make a move for a big and be fine. Scary, even. In the regular season their perimeter defense sucks, but the refs swallow their whistle for the Fakers every playoffs, and they suddenly look like a top 3 defense.

Denver doesn't have that edge anymore to me.

LAC are always dangerous on paper, when healthy. I think they're a real dark horse for the finals this year after the big shake up and if Lakers can't make some moves / Luka doesn't get in shape.

OKC and HOU still too young, I'd like our chances against them.

Minny has our number after they dismantled us last year.

I'm predicting a Lakers / Celtics finals, unfortunately.

There were rumors Lakers are targeting DA. Imagine Luka and Ayton winning a title together.

[sunsbum]

Warriors really going for the home run trying to get both KD and Lebron

Yeah right and I am going to come home from work to find Taylor Swift nude on my couch.

Would you pretend to be Travis tho?

[sunsbum]

Was this before of after I called the league forcing Sarver to sell the team, Monty getting fired as soon as the new owner was able and Nurk being a disaster?

Since you like to keep track of all of my old takes....

Definitely before Nurk since we wouldn't have had him yet. You mentioned Monty being fired a lot so you may have done that before and after. Not sure about the other one.

Oh, I'm sure. It happened.

How about my nailing Suggs as a defensive monster and an integral part of a winning team. That's a guy you hated yes? Was it before or after that....

Or how I called that Dunn would be a monster for us and a starter by all star break? Think only me and GoK had that one.

Trying to keep track here.

dude, you think you’ve called every trade and pick ever. On top of that you’re the first one to blow your horn about all of it. no one keeps track of all the ish you plow out but maybe we should to knock you down a few pegs. I’m sure BW knows a few, he’s got a good memory.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

His family would be ecstatic to live in Miami. Who they trying to kid here?

Absolutely agree man! The problem would be in that Miami doesn't/ didn't want Beal's contract and NTC as they were trying and still might be to clear cap for 26' free agency. Primarily for Doncic. But not sure if their plans change at all now that the lakers stole him from Dallas?

[Slim Charless]

Definitely before Nurk since we wouldn't have had him yet. You mentioned Monty being fired a lot so you may have done that before and after. Not sure about the other one.

Oh, I'm sure. It happened.

How about my nailing Suggs as a defensive monster and an integral part of a winning team. That's a guy you hated yes? Was it before or after that....

Or how I called that Dunn would be a monster for us and a starter by all star break? Think only me and GoK had that one.

Trying to keep track here.

dude, you think you’ve called every trade and pick ever. On top of that you’re the first one to blow your horn about all of it. no one keeps track of all the ish you plow out but maybe we should to knock you down a few pegs. I’m sure BW knows a few, he’s got a good memory.

Bro.

Go back and read how this started. I was making posts about stuff that is going on now. Then all of a sudden bw goes at me with some take I had about AD like 5 years ago or whatever. I tried to play it off and he kept bringing it up. Like something that far back matters.

I'm reminding him of all the other stuff. Personally, I had no interest to carry on this line of talk. I'm much more interested in talking about us moving on from KD (hopefully).

[Qwigglez]

Part of me hopes Beal stands firm on his NTC and the Suns have to pivot and end up trading KD because they get an offer too good to pass up. Suns can still retool around Booker.

Grizzlies trade: KD for JJJ and Marcus Smart
Rockets trade: KD for Brooks, Adams, Thompson, Suns 2025 1st back.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Was this before of after I called the league forcing Sarver to sell the team, Monty getting fired as soon as the new owner was able and Nurk being a disaster?

Since you like to keep track of all of my old takes....

Definitely before Nurk since we wouldn't have had him yet. You mentioned Monty being fired a lot so you may have done that before and after. Not sure about the other one.

Oh, I'm sure. It happened.

How about my nailing Suggs as a defensive monster and an integral part of a winning team. That's a guy you hated yes? Was it before or after that....

Or how I called that Dunn would be a monster for us and a starter by all star break? Think only me and GoK had that one.

Trying to keep track here.

Suggs was a great one for sure! And even Zion intrigues me in the same way that bringing Barkley here jumpstarted us and made us tougher, I'd be intrigued by the idea of trading for him possibly in a buy low scenario! Although admittedly I just don't think we'd have the assets at all now to get him.

But if we were to blow it up and move Booker and KD, maybe using some of the picks from a KD trade could be used for him. And then trade Booker to Houston for Thompson ( unlikely though) or a package of Jalen Green/ Tari Eason/ and Whitmore? I'd just be super excited by the premise of a JGreen/ Whitmore/ Dunn/ Zion/ Richards lineup and also getting some draft picks back too? That'd be an exciting core for our rebuild!.

And since Ishbia seems to love flaunting his spending so much, he can do it on hiring the very best strength and conditioning specialists to keep him I'm shape and optimize him!

[Slim Charless]

Definitely before Nurk since we wouldn't have had him yet. You mentioned Monty being fired a lot so you may have done that before and after. Not sure about the other one.

Oh, I'm sure. It happened.

How about my nailing Suggs as a defensive monster and an integral part of a winning team. That's a guy you hated yes? Was it before or after that....

Or how I called that Dunn would be a monster for us and a starter by all star break? Think only me and GoK had that one.

Trying to keep track here.

Suggs was a great one for sure! And even Zion intrigues me in the same way that bringing Barkley here jumpstarted us and made us tougher, I'd be intrigued by the idea of trading for him possibly in a buy low scenario! Although admittedly I just don't think we'd have the assets at all now to get him.

But if we were to blow it up and move Booker and KD, maybe using some of the picks from a KD trade could be used for him. And then trade Booker to Houston for Thompson ( unlikely though) or a package of Jalen Green/ Tari Eason/ and Whitmore? I'd just be super excited by the premise of a JGreen/ Whitmore/ Dunn/ Zion/ Richards lineup and also getting some draft picks back too? That'd be an exciting core for our rebuild!.

And since Ishbia seems to love flaunting his spending so much, he can do it on hiring the very best strength and conditioning specialists to keep him I'm shape and optimize him!

The fact we're maybe taking calls on KD, gives me hope. I'm sure I'll be disappointed but maybe Ishbia comes to his senses.

Probably not. Especially considering the best trades for KD and Booker will be available in the summer once Houston can offer up Jalen Green or even Sengun, Toronto can offer up Scottie Barnes, etc.