2024-25 Season Discussion and Speculation Part III

[Sunsdeuce]

Why does Butler want to come here? Will/would he edit his desire to be here once he knows Durant won't be here? I don't get why he would want to come to a team that has no bigs who can get an offensive rebound or shoot.

I could see us doing something totally crazy like getting Draymond in a Suns uniform or doing absolutely nothing. What an unpredictable mess.

To answer your question. Much like 99% of NBA players it’s all about money. Money>>> competing with the current generation of stars. It’s really our own faults and the NBAs. Every year and every new CBA drifted more and more to coddling the players instead of requiring results from players.

I have not and never will agree with guaranteed contracts in the NBA. No other profession is anyone guaranteed money. Just the NBA (well MLB and Hockey but MLB has no salary cap). It’s what’s wrong with the NBA.

[Fo-Real]

There isnt much chance that the Warriors give up Green and Kuminga. Kerr is shrewd as hell. Especially since the 3 way piece the Heat are looking for in the deal is Wiggins. If the Warriors give up Kuminga, Green AND Wiggins in a deal, it guts them.

[Revived]

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Everyone else saying it’s dumb (which is correct) is probably exact reason why Ishbia would do this.

God damn we really need someone to come out with a harassment and racism suit against Ishbia. Sad thing is that he’s rich and “not cheap” so even if he was a sexual predator or racist, he would just pay them off on the side and do NDAs so he never gets caught which is what Sarver wasn’t willing to do.

[Slim Charless]

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This is what I've been talking about. You as well. Maybe Ishbia or JJ are reading along and following our advice?

Need to wait till the summer to make the trade though.

[BobbieL]

And 2 years ago everyone was so excited....
I miss the twins. Sus would have been a better team with a better future, all their picks. All that was needed were some decent role plaers for bench depth and a starting PG to replace CP.

Not everybody. I was not a fan of the trade

I remember the one time I was pro KD was against the Mavs where he hit a tough 15 footer to win the game and thought "he is one of like 3 players in the league who could make that exact shot."

But at the time, thought it was a HUGE overpay for a 34 year old Durant

Windhorst was on Getup
1) he talked how the Suns tried to use the 3 FRPs to separate teams to move Beal - no luck
2) he talked how the Suns might acquire Butler for Durant -
--that makes no sense unless you ship Wiggins to Miami and still get Kuminga and Pod - meaning young players. But I thought you trade for Butler to add to Durant

3) Windhorst also mentioned this could be a 4 team, 12 player trade
4) Booker is going nowhere at this trading deadline

But if I am trading Durant, I am getting younger, not Butler. The only way I take Butler is if somehow Beal is traded

[Revived]

I'm still down to blow it up.

Devin Booker for Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, Suns picks back

KD for Chet and whatever else to make salaries work. The Mavs skunked the Thunder in the playoffs last year, and they showed they can do it again without Luka this year (Mavs 3-0 against them without Luka). They need the help.

Beal can stick around. HIs contract is a net negative right now, but in two seasons it'll be valuable since it will be an expiring contract. Keep him.

Grayson might be of some value to somewhere. Maybe a three-team deal where he goes to the Magic, Suns get Coby White, Bulls get a 1st.

Suns can keep Nurkic too. His contract may be of value next season to a team looking to shed salary.

^All that said... Ishbia won't allow that to happen. He's building around Booker and KD.

This would be perfect. Even though I think we should be able to get more picks for Booker. Definitely want Whitmore too and any other young Rockets player on good or rookie contracts. Houston should be willing to trade anyone besides Sengun for Booker.

And we should be able to get Jalen Williams from OKC too. (I’d even be down to switch it around so that Booker goes to OKC and send KD to Houston if that makes more sense).

You’re a smarter GM than Matt Ishbia. Congrats. But to be honest, its not a very high bar.

[BobbieL]

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This is what I've been talking about. You as well. Maybe Ishbia or JJ are reading along and following our advice?

Need to wait till the summer to make the trade though.

So if there is a team that will overpay for him now - you trade him now

Booker is different, He is younger so he has more years. Durant doesn't have as many years so getting him for this playoff push - like the Warriors - would be key

I just don't see why the Suns would want Butler unless they get enough picks plus another player + Butler and the combo of Butler + players + picks >>>> Durant

Houston would be intriguing - just getting the "math" to work

At this point, until I see a trade - Butler to Phoenix still makes no sense especially if you trade Durant. It didn't make sense with Durant and makes less sense without Durant

[King4Day]

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This is what I've been talking about. You as well. Maybe Ishbia or JJ are reading along and following our advice?

Need to wait till the summer to make the trade though.

Why wait till the summer though? We lose that much more trade value.

Plus this draft is supposed to be really good right? So we should probably do what we can do to get most picks in this draft so have a higher probability or drafting someone special from it.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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[Revived]

Don’t trade KD to the Warriors. They have nothing good that we would want from them. Houston or OKC gotta be the move.

34 yr old Draymond Green would be so damn stupid.

[King4Day]

For those thinking it would just be KD for Butler and picks, you're out of your mind.

You don't go from Beal and a couple of bad firsts for Butler to KD for Butler and picks.
Whatever happens, it'll be a massive trade.

The worst I would accept is Butler, Kuminga, and a slew of picks.

I'd prefer to get younger however. KD is our only chance we have to retool around Booker. We need to get some youth in here. Butler, and his future extension doesn't help with that. This is our chance to fix some of what we lost when acquiring him.

Ultimately, if/when this goes down, I think whatever the final deal is, it'll make our heads spin (good or bad). Don't be surprised if guys like Morris, Jones, Lee, Bol, Mason are spun out too

[King4Day]

This is what Flex tweeted after the Luka trade.
I remember reading it thinking 'how can things get crazier than that'? Perhaps he knew this was a real possibility.

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Every single report so far says Luka never asked out, didn’t want out and that he was shocked by this.

Stop the f****ing idiotic crap of posting some dumbass trying to be a reporter on twitter. Seriously, if any of you actually follow that guy on twitter and post his stuff here, that actually speaks very poorly about you.

I think it's pretty obvious he was probably going to leave or ask out publicly and that his agent let it be known. Sure they will say all the right things to Shams/Stein to try and not make Luka out to be a bad guy (from Luka's side) and the Mavs GM will talk up AD (and I think he does love AD). I do think they could have gotten more but I would bet a lot that Luka was going to be gone one way or another and they could have ended up like OKC did when KD left them for nothing (they recovered well though because Presti).

I do find it crazy though that the two teams the Suns have battled for decades, for a long time with either Shaq/Kobe or Duncan/Kawhi/Ginobili or prior to that Magic/Worthy or Robinson/Elliot or Rodman now have the two best (by far) 25 or younger players in the NBA, two generational players that will likely go down as top 10 players or close by the end of their careers.

Luka will be the biggest superstar ever maybe since Jordan. This is like Larry Bird being in LA. Like he is the most exciting guy to watch with his passing, etc, and his confidence to take over a game and win is higher than anyone's, and if you challenge him, he is a killer. He also is the best at making others better along with Jokic.

Yup that sums up the Suns luck.

And I disagree about Luka not re-signing thing. Luka was asked this yesterday and said fact out that it’s not true and he was going to re-sign. He apparently just bought a $15M house in Dallas a few weeks ago too. Those aren’t moves a guy that plans on leaving within few months or a year would be doing imo.

One thing about Euro star players is that they are far more loyal than American star players imo.

[BobbieL]

For those thinking it would just be KD for Butler and picks, you're out of your mind.

You don't go from Beal and a couple of bad firsts for Butler to KD for Butler and picks.
Whatever happens, it'll be a massive trade.

The worst I would accept is Butler, Kuminga, and a slew of picks.

I'd prefer to get younger however. KD is our only chance we have to retool around Booker. We need to get some youth in here. Butler, and his future extension doesn't help with that. This is our chance to fix some of what we lost when acquiring him.

Ultimately, if/when this goes down, I think whatever the final deal is, it'll make our heads spin (good or bad). Don't be surprised if guys like Morris, Jones, Lee, Bol, Mason are spun out too

First, agree that the worst for KD would be Butler, Kuminga and a bunch of picks but I still think to build around Booker - you get younger. Butler would just muck up the cap as again, thats Booker, Butler and Beal hard capped apron 2 nonsense

I can see some of those players being released outright or Tyus Jones traded to some team for a future 2nd
Lee to the Warriors for whatever it takes

[KdoubleDees23]

If we trade KD , trade beal for butler not KD

Get KD for Kuminga Wiggins looney and a 1st
Beal for butler

I’ll take depth &

Jones / Morris
Booker / allen
Butler / Kuminga
Wiggins / Dunn
Looney / Richards

Then get rid of Nurkic for some more depth

[Slim Charless]

For those thinking it would just be KD for Butler and picks, you're out of your mind.

You don't go from Beal and a couple of bad firsts for Butler to KD for Butler and picks.
Whatever happens, it'll be a massive trade.

The worst I would accept is Butler, Kuminga, and a slew of picks.

I'd prefer to get younger however. KD is our only chance we have to retool around Booker. We need to get some youth in here. Butler, and his future extension doesn't help with that. This is our chance to fix some of what we lost when acquiring him.

Ultimately, if/when this goes down, I think whatever the final deal is, it'll make our heads spin (good or bad). Don't be surprised if guys like Morris, Jones, Lee, Bol, Mason are spun out too

It's not just Butler straight up. It'd be (I think) for Butler, Jovic, Ware and picks.....which is much preferable to sending him to the Dubs.

Jovic and Ware would be very useful pieces to put around Booker and would complete our future front court along with Dunn. Plus the picks. Miami is a better choice than sending him to the Dubs-if that's indeed Miami's offer and we have to trade KD now.


Edit: and if Houston and OKC don't want KD

[starbosa10]

And 2 years ago everyone was so excited....
I miss the twins. Sus would have been a better team with a better future, all their picks. All that was needed were some decent role plaers for bench depth and a starting PG to replace CP.

Not everybody. I was not a fan of the trade

I remember the one time I was pro KD was against the Mavs where he hit a tough 15 footer to win the game and thought "he is one of like 3 players in the league who could make that exact shot."

But at the time, thought it was a HUGE overpay for a 34 year old Durant

Windhorst was on Getup
1) he talked how the Suns tried to use the 3 FRPs to separate teams to move Beal - no luck
2) he talked how the Suns might acquire Butler for Durant -
--that makes no sense unless you ship Wiggins to Miami and still get Kuminga and Pod - meaning young players. But I thought you trade for Butler to add to Durant

3) Windhorst also mentioned this could be a 4 team, 12 player trade
4) Booker is going nowhere at this trading deadline

But if I am trading Durant, I am getting younger, not Butler. The only way I take Butler is if somehow Beal is traded

Completely agree with all of this, sadly can totally see ishiba swapping KD for butler and giving butler a massive extension. Hope I'm wrong though

[Ghost of Kleine]

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[Slim Charless]

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This is what I've been talking about. You as well. Maybe Ishbia or JJ are reading along and following our advice?

Need to wait till the summer to make the trade though.

Why wait till the summer though? We lose that much more trade value.

Plus this draft is supposed to be really good right? So we should probably do what we can do to get most picks in this draft so have a higher probability or drafting someone special from it.

If that's the case then we nees Houston in the talks. If they're down to trade, then yup that's my 1st target for a KD trade.

Not sure if they are yet. Hopefully so.