2022-23 Season Discussion and Speculation 5 - The KD era begins

[NavLDO]

Paul, Booker, Craig, Durant, Ayton
Payne, Lee, Okogie, Warren, Biyombo
BUYOUT PG, Shamet, Bazley, Wainwright, Landale

Can't wait to see everyone healthy after the break

Of course, I'm looking through Orange-and-Purple-tinted-glasses currently, but that's not the worst bench I've ever seen. If that kid Bazley can bring that intensity every night, but at the same time, become more consistent....

And what if, just what if, playing with Durant again, is the catalyst Shamet needed to put it back together...

And again, if that foot injury that Warren dealt with the last couple of years is completely healed up, man, he shot 166 our of 406, for a 41.4% 3PT%. Those may not be a huge sample size over 2 years, but it ain't small, either. And that year in indiana, he had a career year. Good chance that wasn't a fluke. He's got 20 games + Playoffs to show what he's about, before hitting FA, and we all know, he's a devoted dude, so...

[matt131]

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[matt131]

Wait what? I thought the trade was official

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[Saberestar]

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Magic swingman Terrence Ross, who last appeared in a game for Orlando on January 21, is a potential buyout candidate to keep an eye on, league sources told HoopsHype.

Should Ross enter the market as a free agent, the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are among the teams expected to monitor Ross’ availability and could use help on the wing for a playoff push.

https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-mikal-bridges-cam-johnson-miles-bridges-pj-washington-grant-williams-more/

[Saberestar]

So for now we have heard that we are interested in Reggie Jackson (Via Haynes) and Terrence Ross (Via Mike Scotto).

I have missed someone else?

[Ghost of Kleine]

Man if Russ is really thinking like that hes going to be in for a rude awakening this summer. I think the days of teams giving him a contact above the MLE are done. Hell I question how long he's even going to be in the league.

But yeah if Jackson goes elsewhere Hill is an option. He doesn't have much left but as a Payne insurance policy I'd be good with him.

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George Hill is an option now man? I thought he was completely washed? I thought he would've had value as a throw in piece in a Crowder trade though. But from the buyout pool, would you really choose him over Wall or maybe Cory Joseph's or others that are rumored to he bought out? I actually think the suns will wait to see the best guard and 3& D option available and not move to quickly. Ultimately it might be advantageous ( with the way he's shooting) to simply look to sign an insurance policy 3rd guard option and then an insurance 3rd rotation rebounding 3 & D big ? I like Kaminsky if bought out. But wouldn't ultimately be averse to Ibaka in a simplified role. For his rebounding/ shotblocking size and his 3 pt shooting. I know he seems washed, but he's still only 33, and averaging 12/7/ 1 block and might still have a bit of juice left in him here and there if motivated for a ring?

I'd prefer Noel if bought out. But I suppose it all depends upon which players ultimately become available in the coming weeks and their fits addressing our needs?

Hill is pretty washed and didn't have trade value. If brought in he's behind Payne and just insurance.

I prefer Jackson to Hill. I prefer Hill over Wall, better shooter and defender and Hill is more accustomed to playing a role. Can't say on Joseph, I just haven't paid enough attention to him to know what he has left.

Curious why you say Noel? I feel like back up C with Joc and Biz is in a good place.

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I hear you on that, although I'd prefer Wall over Hill for his potential creation and getting to the rim IF FOCUSED AND LOCKED IN. I mean even in a situation wherein he was really struggling, he still managed to put up 11 points 5 ASSISTS. Although Hill has been significantly more efficient, the overall production, the assists, ballhandling and penetration ability ( if motivated and locked in) are the deciding factors for me here.
https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=walljo01&p1yrfrom=2023&player_id2=hillge01&p2yrfrom=2023
His per 36 ( even struggling) were 18/8. So IF Payne went down with injury, or even Paul. He's more capable of filling the production gap than Hill in a unanticipated larger necessity role. As for Joseph's, he's unspectacular but very solid and stable defensively and in terms of consistent production. Hill is better in terms of efficiency, but also much older and I'm just not sure of his durability at 37 yrs old either. If a bit younger, I'd have him much higher, but then he also likely wouldn't be available on the buyout market then either. For guards though, it'll ultimately be dependent upon who all becomes available I'd think??


As for suggesting Noel if bought out, it's merely for depth and also due to his connection/ familiarity with Paul and his greater mobility to Biyombo. I mean he's obviously almost identical to Biyombo in every way statistically, but Noel is quicker and more laterally fluid, and he's also slightly more efficient and has a small capacity to hit the three too. I would have him for extra depth and as a situational option in bigger lineups to have Landale play at the 4 with either he or Biyombo in case Ayton experiences foul trouble in the playoffs.

Now to be honest, I did forget about K Love (but not really sure he gets bought out anyways)! But if he were to be bought out, I'd have him at the very top of my frontcourt upgrade list!!! Then Kaminsky 2nd for his familiarity and versatility in our system. But ultimately it all depends upon which players all become available! Noel was again just a consideration for more high end defensive depth in case of injury or foul issues.

[irish22022]

Weren't Suns tickets already one of the most expensive tickets around the league? I guess they will go even higher now.

I'm flying from the bay area to PHX just to see a game. The flight + tickets is 20% less than seeing them play the warriors here. So no, I am afraid you have a huge price increase ahead of you.

Incidentally I bought my tic a few weeks ago. They are now worth 25% more since the trade according to StubHub? Seems nuts.

[BobbieL]

So for now we have heard that we are interested in Reggie Jackson (Via Haynes) and Terrence Ross (Via Mike Scotto).

I have missed someone else?

If Ish is signed for the season - and he kind of has earned it - that leaves on roster spot

Now if Payne is healthy -- I think thats pretty easy- another shooter like Ross or Barton. With Booker, Paul, Durant and Payne - the Suns have ballhandlers - need another shooter
both are shooting the same from 3's -meaning barton and ross

right now those two would be my pick

just have to see if anybody else becomes available
I guess they could waive Jock to create another roster spot if they sign Ish

[Ghost of Kleine]

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[Ghost of Kleine]

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[TOO]

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Eww can't get away from these guys lol. Muted them on twitter yet here they are.

[Saberestar]

So for now we have heard that we are interested in Reggie Jackson (Via Haynes) and Terrence Ross (Via Mike Scotto).

I have missed someone else?

If Ish is signed for the season - and he kind of has earned it - that leaves on roster spot

Now if Payne is healthy -- I think thats pretty easy- another shooter like Ross or Barton. With Booker, Paul, Durant and Payne - the Suns have ballhandlers - need another shooter
both are shooting the same from 3's -meaning barton and ross

right now those two would be my pick

just have to see if anybody else becomes available
I guess they could waive Jock to create another roster spot if they sign Ish

I don't like any of Ross or Barton. They aren't good enough on defense and they aren't better than Damion Lee or Shamet now.

What about Justin Holiday or Danny Green? You can trust those guys on defense and they used to be good 3p shooters.

Justin is 33 but healthy. Danny Green hasn't played but on theory he is healthy now.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Can you imagine traveling back in time to the summer of 2019 and explaining the next 3+ years

23 Self: "Hey man there was this global pandemic, things got weird and NBA wise they paused the season and finished in a bubble"
19 self: wow that is crazy
23: Suns won 8 in a row and were the talk of the bubble
19: nice! probably the best thing that happened to the suns since then
23: well no, about that. First off they traded for Chris Paul
19: why? he looked washed with Houston last year
23: na man he got traded to OKC for westbrook, stopped eating meat and got his powers back
19: Ok, go on
23: the suns then went on to not only make the playoffs but knocked LeBron out and made the finals
19: I don't believe you
23: its true, would have won a chip but Giannis went ape ****
19: crazy
23: the next year we set a franchise record for wins
19: did we win a chip?
23: no, team lost it's powers and **** the bed, Luka killed us
19: damn, knew we should have taken him
23: Then Sarver gets in a huge scandal for toxic work environment
19: yeah that sounds about right, did they finally kick him out
23: nope just a year suspension
19: **** we're never getting rid of that guy
23: well actually the advertisers and fans bullied him into selling
19: OMG I'm so **** happy right now
23: we got a new owner who's worth $4bil and isn't afraid of the luxury tax
19: stop it, my erecting can only get so hard
23: his first week he traded for Kevin Durant, and TJ Warren is back
19: OMG that's awesome. what the hell happened in Brooklyn?
23: Kyrie read some **** on youtube and things spiraled from there
19: makes sense. I bet everyone is super excited in Phoenix
23: well actually lots of fans are mad about the trade and generally mad about the state of the team
19: that's crazy man

[NavLDO]

Can you imagine traveling back in time to the summer of 2019 and explaining the next 3+ years

23 Self: "Hey man there was this global pandemic, things got weird and NBA wise they paused the season and finished in a bubble"
19 self: wow that is crazy
23: Suns won 8 in a row and were the talk of the bubble
19: nice! probably the best thing that happened to the suns since then
23: well no, about that. First off they traded for Chris Paul
19: why? he looked washed with Houston last year
23: na man he got traded to OKC for westbrook, stopped eating meat and got his powers back
19: Ok, go on
23: the suns then went on to not only make the playoffs but knocked LeBron out and made the finals
19: I don't believe you
23: its true, would have won a chip but Giannis went ape ****
19: crazy
23: the next year we set a franchise record for wins
19: did we win a chip?
23: no, team lost it's powers and **** the bed, Luka killed us
19: damn, knew we should have taken him
23: Then Sarver gets in a huge scandal for toxic work environment
19: yeah that sounds about right, did they finally kick him out
23: nope just a year suspension
19: **** we're never getting rid of that guy
23: well actually the advertisers and fans bullied him into selling
19: OMG I'm so **** happy right now
23: we got a new owner who's worth $4bil and isn't afraid of the luxury tax
19: stop it, my erecting can only get so hard
23: his first week he traded for Kevin Durant, and TJ Warren is back
19: OMG that's awesome. what the hell happened in Brooklyn?
23: Well in 2020, they acquired James Harden via Trade...
19: Oh my, they probably walked through the Finals Championship, winning every series 4-0...
23: Well, actually, they got bounced in the 2nd Rd, by the same Bucks team that beat us in the finals, then Harden left
19: Holy moly, is that why Kyrie left, too?
23: Kyrie read some **** on youtube and things spiraled from there
19: makes sense. I bet everyone is super excited in Phoenix
23: well actually lots of fans are mad about the trade and generally mad about the state of the team
19: that's crazy man

Nice, but I added a couple for you... Feel free to make them better sounding than I made them, but explaining how that trio failed would've been huge...

[Qwigglez]

Spoiler:

Can you imagine traveling back in time to the summer of 2019 and explaining the next 3+ years

23 Self: "Hey man there was this global pandemic, things got weird and NBA wise they paused the season and finished in a bubble"
19 self: wow that is crazy
23: Suns won 8 in a row and were the talk of the bubble
19: nice! probably the best thing that happened to the suns since then
23: well no, about that. First off they traded for Chris Paul
19: why? he looked washed with Houston last year
23: na man he got traded to OKC for westbrook, stopped eating meat and got his powers back
19: Ok, go on
23: the suns then went on to not only make the playoffs but knocked LeBron out and made the finals
19: I don't believe you
23: its true, would have won a chip but Giannis went ape ****
19: crazy
23: the next year we set a franchise record for wins
19: did we win a chip?
23: no, team lost it's powers and **** the bed, Luka killed us
19: damn, knew we should have taken him
23: Then Sarver gets in a huge scandal for toxic work environment
19: yeah that sounds about right, did they finally kick him out
23: nope just a year suspension
19: **** we're never getting rid of that guy
23: well actually the advertisers and fans bullied him into selling
19: OMG I'm so **** happy right now
23: we got a new owner who's worth $4bil and isn't afraid of the luxury tax
19: stop it, my erecting can only get so hard
23: his first week he traded for Kevin Durant, and TJ Warren is back
19: OMG that's awesome. what the hell happened in Brooklyn?
23: Kyrie read some **** on youtube and things spiraled from there
19: makes sense. I bet everyone is super excited in Phoenix
23: well actually lots of fans are mad about the trade and generally mad about the state of the team
19: that's crazy man

Even crazier things happen... future Qwigglez of 2025 then pops in and tell you even more.

Q: I don't have much time, but I wanted to tell you guys something. CP3 gets hurt in the playoffs in 2023, being up 3-1 against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Suns end up losing 3 straight.
WeekapaugGroove: WTF man!
Q: Trust me... I know. Mavs lost to the Lakers earlier though, so that was enjoyable. I won't spoil who won the ship. But... Suns do a S&T to get Kyrie in the summer of 23'. It was the only year to get him because in 2024, both Durant and Book are getting $50 million. Suns go on to win back to back championships. I'm excited to see what the following year brings!
WeekapaugGroove: I mean that is great but that kind of ruins the surprise element of it all.
Q: I thought you'd want to know, my bad. Oh yeah winning lottery ticket numbers are... 1, 22, 23, 34, 63... crap. I didn't memorize them all, and maybe one of the 3s is actually an 8, or a 2 is a 5. Sorry I gotta go!

[Bogyo]

So for now we have heard that we are interested in Reggie Jackson (Via Haynes) and Terrence Ross (Via Mike Scotto).

I have missed someone else?

If Ish is signed for the season - and he kind of has earned it - that leaves on roster spot

Now if Payne is healthy -- I think thats pretty easy- another shooter like Ross or Barton. With Booker, Paul, Durant and Payne - the Suns have ballhandlers - need another shooter
both are shooting the same from 3's -meaning barton and ross

right now those two would be my pick

just have to see if anybody else becomes available
I guess they could waive Jock to create another roster spot if they sign Ish

I don't like any of Ross or Barton. They aren't good enough on defense and they aren't better than Damion Lee or Shamet now.

What about Justin Holiday or Danny Green? You can trust those guys on defense and they used to be good 3p shooters.

Justin is 33 but healthy. Danny Green hasn't played but on theory he is healthy now.

Green is 35 after a torn acl, and he was declining even before that. If anyone is washed (or just simply not helping) on the buyout market its most probably him.

[Saberestar]

If Ish is signed for the season - and he kind of has earned it - that leaves on roster spot

Now if Payne is healthy -- I think thats pretty easy- another shooter like Ross or Barton. With Booker, Paul, Durant and Payne - the Suns have ballhandlers - need another shooter
both are shooting the same from 3's -meaning barton and ross

right now those two would be my pick

just have to see if anybody else becomes available
I guess they could waive Jock to create another roster spot if they sign Ish

I don't like any of Ross or Barton. They aren't good enough on defense and they aren't better than Damion Lee or Shamet now.

What about Justin Holiday or Danny Green? You can trust those guys on defense and they used to be good 3p shooters.

Justin is 33 but healthy. Danny Green hasn't played but on theory he is healthy now.

Green is 35 after a torn acl, and he was declining even before that. If anyone is washed (or just simply not helping) on the buyout market its most probably him.

Yeah, possibly is true.

My first option is Reggie Jackson. He is old but not too old and he can help us as a shot creator.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Spoiler:

Can you imagine traveling back in time to the summer of 2019 and explaining the next 3+ years

23 Self: "Hey man there was this global pandemic, things got weird and NBA wise they paused the season and finished in a bubble"
19 self: wow that is crazy
23: Suns won 8 in a row and were the talk of the bubble
19: nice! probably the best thing that happened to the suns since then
23: well no, about that. First off they traded for Chris Paul
19: why? he looked washed with Houston last year
23: na man he got traded to OKC for westbrook, stopped eating meat and got his powers back
19: Ok, go on
23: the suns then went on to not only make the playoffs but knocked LeBron out and made the finals
19: I don't believe you
23: its true, would have won a chip but Giannis went ape ****
19: crazy
23: the next year we set a franchise record for wins
19: did we win a chip?
23: no, team lost it's powers and **** the bed, Luka killed us
19: damn, knew we should have taken him
23: Then Sarver gets in a huge scandal for toxic work environment
19: yeah that sounds about right, did they finally kick him out
23: nope just a year suspension
19: **** we're never getting rid of that guy
23: well actually the advertisers and fans bullied him into selling
19: OMG I'm so **** happy right now
23: we got a new owner who's worth $4bil and isn't afraid of the luxury tax
19: stop it, my erecting can only get so hard
23: his first week he traded for Kevin Durant, and TJ Warren is back
19: OMG that's awesome. what the hell happened in Brooklyn?
23: Kyrie read some **** on youtube and things spiraled from there
19: makes sense. I bet everyone is super excited in Phoenix
23: well actually lots of fans are mad about the trade and generally mad about the state of the team
19: that's crazy man

Even crazier things happen... future Qwigglez of 2025 then pops in and tell you even more.

Q: I don't have much time, but I wanted to tell you guys something. CP3 gets hurt in the playoffs in 2023, being up 3-1 against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Suns end up losing 3 straight.
WeekapaugGroove: WTF man!
Q: Trust me... I know. Mavs lost to the Lakers earlier though, so that was enjoyable. I won't spoil who won the ship. But... Suns do a S&T to get Kyrie in the summer of 23'. It was the only year to get him because in 2024, both Durant and Book are getting $50 million. Suns go on to win back to back championships. I'm excited to see what the following year brings!
WeekapaugGroove: I mean that is great but that kind of ruins the surprise element of it all.
Q: I thought you'd want to know, my bad. Oh yeah winning lottery ticket numbers are... 1, 22, 23, 34, 63... crap. I didn't memorize them all, and maybe one of the 3s is actually an 8, or a 2 is a 5. Sorry I gotta go!

Lol love it.

Kyrie then retires from basketball because it's against his values to play for a team named after a spherical object. He can't promote the lies anymore.

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[darmani]

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[Calvin Klein]

Weren't Suns tickets already one of the most expensive tickets around the league? I guess they will go even higher now.

I'm flying from the bay area to PHX just to see a game. The flight + tickets is 20% less than seeing them play the warriors here. So no, I am afraid you have a huge price increase ahead of you.

Incidentally I bought my tic a few weeks ago. They are now worth 25% more since the trade according to StubHub? Seems nuts.

NBA ticket prices are crazy.