2024-25 Season Discussion and Speculation Part III

[bullsaficianado]

The Warriors package for KD is garbage. If I was Ishbia I would not accept it. Those two Blazers losses were not good but Blazers just beat the Pacers and blew them out. They are playing well right now.

I want Butler on this team if it costs us Beal but not if we have to give up Durant.

Have you always been a Suns fan or are more of a Bulls fan and KD fan? Just curious because if you are mainly here because of being a KD fan, why want to subject yourself to being a Suns fan? Wouldn't you rather him be on a team with a better chance?

I am a Suns/Bulls fan. I have lived in both cities and went to both Suns and Bulls games. I was a Suns fan before KD and will be one after. Yes the 1993 NBA Finals was awkward. I was rooting more for the Suns but happy the Bulls won to.

[TeamTragic]

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.

The Warriors have to meet our threshold and it was reported earlier that the Suns are asking for a massive haul.

They are clearly desperate to pair an all star with Curry. If not there are others teams that are interested.

[Revived]

Ishbia brought the SUNS as a target for superstars (Aging?).
I believe this was the plan from the beginning - to make Phoenix an attractive destination with an owner who gives a crazy amount of money.

Of course, the NBA is not working like that, and selling all your future to take whoever superstar could be available randomly, usually leads to ruined franchises for years.

Not having a GM with balls in such situations is a huge problem as well.

Now, when he sees that the experiment with Durant didn`t work, he will try to flip him for Butler and try again next year.
Until next time...

Dark, dark years coming for our fanbase.

I think his mission statement is something like "Trade picks for superstars that are at least 30, and add role players that are at least 25. The draft is mostly worthless but since the Stepien rule forces us to keep some picks, we will, but we will try to trade them unprotected for lesser valuable picks so we have 2 quarters, a dime and a nickel in our very small trade war chest instead of only a one dollar bill. Then add journeymen role players and below avg centers. But always talk fast and confident. He likes to go by the mantra who a very successful businessman politician has gone by in his life "Never admit defeat, never admit you are wrong, always appear confident, and brag about achievements". The last part has been hard, but has had to boil down to statements like "KD wants to be here and is happy here".

Definitely correct 100%.

One name I bet that Ishbia definitely has eyes on is Joel Embiid. He’s a big name player, in his 30s and injury prone.

That fits what Ishbia looks for.

[TeamTragic]

Pretty much this entire board wanted to trade KD. Now you are complaining about the return?

You can thank Beal for being a selfish prick with his NTC. Ishbia tried to be the nice guy and you see how that turned out.

[Slim Charless]

Pretty much this entire board wanted to trade KD. Now you are complaining about the return?

You can thank Beal for being a selfish prick with his NTC. Ishbia tried to be the nice guy and you see how that turned out.

Still a dumb take.

[Ghost of Kleine]

I really don't want to trade Durant. There has to be more to this going on behind the scenes. He must quietly want out. Like what happened with Ayton. Trading for Warriors garbage does not make sense. Why though would you want to trade this man to a Western conference team? I would rather send him East. It's Kevin **** Durant. send him East.

It makes perfect sense for 2 reasons (not that I care about either reason really) but............................

1- Ishbias' ( and Isiah Thomas') Obsession with players from Michigan!! Even more important than the right players, picks, or package value, in general, will be his ability to create a group of Michigan players for his boys' club.

2- Durant, of course, will have interest in where he goes, and there's no doubt that Golden State would be at the very top of his list! Our leverage, with his only having 1 year left on his contract, will be limited! Add in his player empowerment (choice of destination factor), and it only makes all the more sense that Ishbia can accomplish both requirements by trading him to Golden State!

Regardless of fan interest, just as he's shown when he first got here and overpaid for KD, giving up Bridges, then trading Ayton AND including Camara in the trade, and then saying in an interview that they don't care about draft picks and some fans might not like the Suns. And looking at our situation and his decisions and his flippant attitude towards how those decisions might be received but doing them anyway gives a very clear picture of just how little he truly cares about the fanbases' interests.

[BobbieL]

Pretty much this entire board wanted to trade KD. Now you are complaining about the return?

You can thank Beal for being a selfish prick with his NTC.

I will never blame Beal for that -- some owner gave it to him -he has every right to say where he wants to play. Blame Ishbia

It just doesn't make sense to trade Durant for an even OLDER player - unless you are truly doing something like sticking a team with Nurkic as part of a bigger trade. Or dumping Beal. But if you have Booker, Beal and Butler, how is that different, from a cap perspective, and the second apron, than Booker, Durant and Beal or Booker, Durant and Butler -- its not

You trade Durant to start clearing up your cap and building for the future understanding you are probably getting 75% at best of what you paid for him. And that is fine as maybe as part of the Durant trade, you get below apron levels and can start making REAL trades

The Bucks got under an apron with the Middleton trade - they can now make different trades.

One would think if the guy Ishbia hired was such a cap expert - he would tell Ishbia this stuff!

[Ghost of Kleine]

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[Revived]

Pretty much this entire board wanted to trade KD. Now you are complaining about the return?

You can thank Beal for being a selfish prick with his NTC. Ishbia tried to be the nice guy and you see how that turned out.

There’s very few here that don’t wanna trade KD. But we don’t wanna trade KD for pennies on the ****ing dollar to the Warriors.

The Suns traded 4 first rd picks, Bridges and Johnson for him. Bridges alone netted the Nets 5 first rd picks. Johnson will likely net at least 1-2 first rd pick by himself in a trade.

So the Suns essentially traded 10-11 first rd picks for Kevin Durant.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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Detroit just adding more young, athletic ammo for a Booker trade IF the rockets try to low ball us when/if we trade Booker at some point?

[BobbieL]

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Leave Butler out of it but if you do take Butler - take their draft picks after 2029 and beyond.

I think Durant will be a Warrior - just will Butler be a Sun. Maybe the Bucks can now step up for Jimmy Butler. Anybody, please!!??

[handsome salary]

It's funny how teams said to be the best situation for Booker are ones full of young players when all the Suns did the past three seasons was surround him with old vets they traded young talent (and picks) for.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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[BobbieL]

Pretty much this entire board wanted to trade KD. Now you are complaining about the return?

You can thank Beal for being a selfish prick with his NTC. Ishbia tried to be the nice guy and you see how that turned out.

There’s very few here that don’t wanna trade KD. But we don’t wanna trade KD for pennies on the ****ing dollar to the Warriors.

The Suns traded 4 first rd picks, Bridges and Johnson for him. Bridges alone netted the Nets 5 first rd picks. Johnson will likely net at least 1-2 first rd pick by himself in a trade.

So the Suns essentially traded 10-11 first rd picks for Kevin Durant.

That ship has sailed if you think the Suns are getting close to the same value for Durant. Booker is another story
The reason I don't want butler is because he doesn't make sense -- not getting younger, not building for the future

I understand what the Suns get for Durant won't be great, may only be good. But thats reality
Wiggins, Kuminga, Filler and a couple FRPs - especially if a FRP is in 2029 or later - would be solid
as long as Ishbia commits to what needs to happen

Now if Houston steps up for Durant, thats the trade to make.

[dremill24]

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Detroit just adding more young, athletic ammo for a Booker trade IF the rockets try to low ball us when/if we trade Booker at some point?

KJ Martin isn't going to make or break any trade of substance other than being used as salary ballast. Detroit just took him for the picks because they can.

[Slim Charless]

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Leave Butler out of it but if you do take Butler - take their draft picks after 2029 and beyond.

I think Durant will be a Warrior - just will Butler be a Sun. Maybe the Bucks can now step up for Jimmy Butler. Anybody, please!!??

Miami has the better package-if they offer up Jovic and Ware along whatever picks and Butler. Better move is to send KD to Houston. Not sure they wanna deal yet till after they see their team in the playoffs.

[BobbieL]

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Bickley is 100% right
trading Durant for Green and Butler would be colossaly stupid

[BobbieL]

It's funny how teams said to be the best situation for Booker are ones full of young players when all the Suns did the past three seasons was surround him with old vets they traded young talent (and picks) for.

There was nothing wrong with the 2022/2023 team at the time Ishbia bought the team
As BWG pointed out, the team was just getting healthy
They could have used Crowder - hell the Bucks trade, 5 seconds, Ibaka etc -- and been fine to run it back

Ishbia got stars in his eyes - he must be friends with Flex -- or something stupid and made a bad trade

[PhxLax]

I will never blame Beal for that -- some owner gave it to him -he has every right to say where he wants to play. Blame Ishbia

It just doesn't make sense to trade Durant for an even OLDER player - unless you are truly doing something like sticking a team with Nurkic as part of a bigger trade. Or dumping Beal. But if you have Booker, Beal and Butler, how is that different, from a cap perspective, and the second apron, than Booker, Durant and Beal or Booker, Durant and Butler -- its not

Since when did Butler become OLDER than Durant? News to me

[Ghost of Kleine]

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