The 2016 Offseason Thread (Post Draft)

[sunsbum]

And I'm going to say this because it's my role: knight is currently better than Booker.

When Booker began to start he shot.....32.8% from 3? That's bad, and not in a Shaft/Miles Davis kind of way. Low quality.

I'm pretty sure Knight shot better from 3, although I'm on my phone now. He's a better passer, more athletic, and I've seen good defensive moments from him.


Knight should start, whether you want to hear it or not. So should Tyson, and we shouldn't blow anything up. I say it again: we weren't healthy. That's it.

Im on my phone as well but i couldnt disagree with you more. Youre comparing knight with a full squad around him to booker who had literally no offensive options to take pressure off him, which is why his shooting % suffered.

Year two devin booker will be better than knight.

[JoRain]

http://arizonasports.com/story/719305/phoenix-suns-look-to-be-aggressive-in-free-agency-target-veteran-pf/

Serious question. When did Jared Dudley become a veteran "power forward." I remember him playing small forward and shooting guard for the Suns. Amare Stoudemire was the Suns power forward and Lou Amundson was the back-up. Lopez, Collins, and Frye were the other big men in 2010. Even after that, Dudley never played power forward for the Suns. So again, how can anyone think Dudley is suddenly a power forward.

He got slower, maybe fatter.

doesn't mean he got taller (or at least longer) or more athletic. People were betting for him to get 10 dunks during the season while he was here. Dudley at PF would be funny

[BobbieL]

I expect the Suns to sign a player or players completely unexpected that no one has talked about. That is how McDonough works. He has done it every season since he was hired.

This is true

Gambo just has not been very accurate in his reporting. He did get Chriss/Bender right - but a lot of mocks had the Suns taking one of those two guys. He mentioned Horford, Batum and Barnes. In about 6 hours - the news will start coming out to see if he is right.

[JoRain]

The more I look at the salaries the likes of Barnes and Batum are about to get, the more I think holding on to Bledsoe/Knight would be the best move. While it's nice to salivate about what a trade could net us now, waiting out could get us even more. If guys like Harrison Barnes are getting upwards of 20 mil a year, Knight and Bledsoe's 14 mil will start to look like a bargain over time. Everyone seems down on the value of these guys, but in reality their stocks will only rise as comparable players around them begin to dwarf the salaries they're getting.

It's so simple. I can't believe how many posters want to sign FA's for the sake of it.

Our team is set. Starters, rotation guys, young guys, and vets.

We're not. We need another forward. Can argue for starter quality or bench, but we need one wither way. Especially we need one, to finally move on from PJ era in Phoenix and No, i don't want to see Booker playing SF - he's a guard and should stay where he's good at.

[NavLDO]

I wonder if they would give up on him that easy and if we could get him healthy and keep him healthy. He has 4 years remaining on his contract, which gives us 4 years to develop Bender or Chriss into our future starting SF.

He makes a lot of money and would just get in the way of playing TJ. He'd be the highest paid player on the team next year with an injury history as bad or worse than Bledsoe's. They are absolutely looking to dump him though.

Well, yes and no...what if part of the pkg we sent was P.J Tucker How about:

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=z89jxhc

Don't know a whole lot about Cory Joseph, but would imagine Knight would be an upgrade for them, while they also get a 'spark plug' that can play anywhere from 2-4... we get a more traditional Back-up PG, and with our amazing training staff, maybe we get Carroll back into "playing" form, and since we traded Tucker, we're not stealing an more minutes from Warren. But even better, to me...

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=hxtk368

We get Carroll AND Patterson, who can shoot some from outside and can mentor our young guys a bit, and only has a couple more years on his deal.

And remember, Carroll could play a bit of 4, as could Warren, so we have Carroll, Warren, Patterson, Bender, Chriss, Len, and Chandler are splitting rime in this new position-less NBA (and this is assuming we don't bring back Telly).

So that's 144 minutes split between 7 players = 20.6 min per player, and let's face it, law of averages, one will get injured, then Chriss and Bender's minutes are likely to be limited, and hey, if Chandler isn't going to 'bring' it each day, we can take minutes away from him, easily.

Anyway, a couple of ideas there...or instead of PAtterson, we could bring Scola back for some mentorship...anyway, I think TOR is an excellent trade partner for us.

[8on]

And I'm going to say this because it's my role: knight is currently better than Booker.

When Booker began to start he shot.....32.8% from 3? That's bad, and not in a Shaft/Miles Davis kind of way. Low quality.

I'm pretty sure Knight shot better from 3, although I'm on my phone now. He's a better passer, more athletic, and I've seen good defensive moments from him.


Knight should start, whether you want to hear it or not. So should Tyson, and we shouldn't blow anything up. I say it again: we weren't healthy. That's it.

Im on my phone as well but i couldnt disagree with you more. Youre comparing knight with a full squad around him to booker who had literally no offensive options to take pressure off him, which is why his shooting % suffered.

Year two devin booker will be better than knight.

I'll believe it when I see it.

[oddity]

The best move for our salary situation is to eat a bad contract in a salary-dump move in order to secure a mid to high 1st rounder in next year's draft. Signing a bigger free agent like Barnes or Batum will likely not be enough for this team to compete at an elite level, so why bother wasting what could be an opportunity to bolster our treasure trove of young assets?

You realize that there are very few teams that need to dump players so they can have cap space right now, right? Lets say for the sake of argument that there are 3 teams looking to dump a player. Literally every other team has cap space. You don't think they are lining up to try and get an asset for the privilege? That diminishes the value of the compensation considerably. I don't think we'll see a single move where a high priced veteran is dumped with a pick UNLESS it is to sign Kevin Durant which leaves only Miami and Golden State. We have 2 of Miami's future picks already and Golden State would have their pick of teams trying to take Bogut.

Teams are always trying to maintain cap flexibility, and if you think otherwise you're wrong. No one wants to be pushed right up against the cap, and teams going for big free agents or trying to resign their expiring rookies will need every dollar. Boston is a likely candidate, because they have tons of rookies and also middling contracts they could move. The Clippers have a massive payroll that they would wanna lower, especially if they're looking to swing for a free agent this year. The Pistons and Bucks are both teams with some young players and value picks that are looking to take a step forward. Utah has a big mess going on there, but they need money to resign Rudy Gobert to a huge amount in the next few years. Trust me, there are opportunities.

[8on]

What would it cost to bring Alex back next summer?

What is he worth?
Probably not what we'll have to give him.

How are we supposed to know this right now? I highly doubt he gets an extension before the deadline. Ryan will play it out in RFA like he's always done and attempt to let the market set his value (only I still think he bid against himself with Bledsoe.) We need to see what he does this season. If he doesn't make the leap in year 4 then I'm not even sure we re-sign him.

Well, I know what guys who are worth $70M are like. Len hasn't proven to be that.

To me, there's definitely an element of "what have you shown," in addition to "how much more time do you need?"

I think it might be in our best interest to lock down a guy like Aldrich, who doesn't need the ball, and move on from a guy like Len.

I wouldn't mind holding on to him, but I would mind not listening to offers. We should explore it. That's all I'm saying.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see much of a market for him.

[WeekapaugGroove]

What would it cost to bring Alex back next summer?

What is he worth?
Probably not what we'll have to give him.

It all depends on how he plays this year. If he plays well he'll a big contract as a restricted free agent if he doesn't then they will be looking for a long term solution at center next summer.

That's why you trade chandler. Len needs all the minutes he can handle for the suns to evaluate him. Basically give him enough rope and see if grabs it or hangs himself.

[oddity]

The more I look at the salaries the likes of Barnes and Batum are about to get, the more I think holding on to Bledsoe/Knight would be the best move. While it's nice to salivate about what a trade could net us now, waiting out could get us even more. If guys like Harrison Barnes are getting upwards of 20 mil a year, Knight and Bledsoe's 14 mil will start to look like a bargain over time. Everyone seems down on the value of these guys, but in reality their stocks will only rise as comparable players around them begin to dwarf the salaries they're getting.

It's so simple. I can't believe how many posters want to sign FA's for the sake of it.

Our team is set. Starters, rotation guys, young guys, and vets.

We're not. We need another forward. Can argue for starter quality or bench, but we need one wither way. Especially we need one, to finally move on from PJ era in Phoenix and No, i don't want to see Booker playing SF - he's a guard and should stay where he's good at.

You seem willing to spend a huge amount of money just to get rid of PJ Tucker, when he'll be gone by the time our young core will be ready to compete anyway. The truth is that we're not going to be competitive next season, no matter who we sign, or who we play. let's keep PJ and let him go later, while we keep cap flexibility and rebuild for another one or two years.

[bwgood77]

If Chandler really wants out and we really want Barnes, why not a trade with the Warriors? Warriors sign and trade Barnes for Chandler.
Considering Noah is getting 18 mil, Chandler is a good contract. GSW get perfect Bogut insurance. We get Barnes, perhaps they throw in a draft pick even.
Again, this is only if Chandler wants out AND we want Barnes.

Barnes just isn't really worth a max. If we could get him for Chandler money, or even a few million more, it wouldn't be too bad, but I don't want to give him $108 million.

[NTB]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/EmpireOfTheSuns/status/748643720845660160[/tweet]

[BobbieL]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/EmpireOfTheSuns/status/748643720845660160[/tweet]

good contract for a contender with the new money.

also a good contract to "attach" if need be. Though teams have more money - they still might need one deal where the salaries match

[MrMiyagi]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/EmpireOfTheSuns/status/748643720845660160[/tweet]

good contract for a contender with the new money.

also a good contract to "attach" if need be. Though teams have more money - they still might need one deal where the salaries match

Good contract for THIS contender

[bwgood77]

The only reason Booker is "ahead" of Warren in his development is that Booker's gotten more time and more touches. If Warren had not gotten injured, we'd be putting Warren and Booker in the same category, IMO.

It'll be interesting to see what happens at the forward spots going forward. Between Chriss, Bender and Warren, someone's going to have to come off the bench, even as all of them are nearing their peaks.

I've thought about that some as well - don't you think it's possible that one of Chriss or Bender can eventually play the 5 though? I know right know we're looking at them both as 3/4, but they're both so young and have lots of room to develop physically, so I don't see why we couldn't play Warren/Bender/Chriss at 3/4/5 eventually.

I'm as optimistic as anyone, and I loved both of these guys in the draft and love Warren, but if they are all good enough to definitely deserve to start, I'll be very happy. I'm guessing one will likely be a solid rotation player at best. Even if they are all studs, one can easily come off the bench and I'm sure if we develop a great team environment it won't be a huge deal. But as things are going small ball, I think if Bender adds some muscle, he can easily play the 5. Maybe even Chriss in small ball. I'm more concerned with them learning how to rebound better and not foul. One step at a time.

[bwgood77]

I'm still on the Knight for Rubio trade, or a Knight/Chandler for Rubio/Pekovic trade if Minny wants to dump Pekovic entirely and get some toughness up front.

That's a trade worth doing, but Rubio and Bledsoe both deserve to start, but I don't think I'd want to start them together. Booker certainly deserves to start but I don't want him starting at the 3.

[BobbieL]

I'm still on the Knight for Rubio trade, or a Knight/Chandler for Rubio/Pekovic trade if Minny wants to dump Pekovic entirely and get some toughness up front.

That's a trade worth doing, but Rubio and Bledsoe both deserve to start, but I don't think I'd want to start them together. Booker certainly deserves to start but I don't want him starting at the 3.

I am not sure about Rubio for Knight
I think there is more out there for Knight or just keep him.

[Gorilla Warfare]

Klay, Butler, Wade, DeRozan, Crawford, Redick.

All of those SG's are less cancerous for a team than Harden.

you can't be serious...

edit:

This Harden hate is ridiculous. He put up 29/7.5/6.1 last season. Some of you guys saying Booker is going to be so much better than him are just setting yourselves up for disappointment

I wouldn't want Harden on this team. He's better than some of those guys but he is going to wash out due to his partying ways and he is ALL about himself, getting coaches fired, wanting Howard traded, when he is the guy who came into the season out of shape. The last thing I want to watch is a guy driving to the hoop every plan trying to draw the foul shooting 15 free throws a game, hogging the ball and not playing defense. I want team ball and movement like GS, SA and the SSOL teams.

This. All of this.

[Jarlaxle0204]

And I'm going to say this because it's my role: knight is currently better than Booker.

When Booker began to start he shot.....32.8% from 3? That's bad, and not in a Shaft/Miles Davis kind of way. Low quality.

I'm pretty sure Knight shot better from 3, although I'm on my phone now. He's a better passer, more athletic, and I've seen good defensive moments from him.

Knight should start, whether you want to hear it or not. So should Tyson, and we shouldn't blow anything up. I say it again: we weren't healthy. That's it.

I like Knight more than most on this board but did you just say he's a better passer than Booker? Knight is one of the worst passers I've ever seen. Can't throw a lob if his life depended on it. Did you actually watch the games last year or are you just basing off of stats?

[8on]

let me just say this: the whole point of stats is that they tell you what's happening in real life.
Booker is by no means a better passer than Knight. He may look better, but looks can be deceiving. Numbers provide an accurate picture, bias aside.