Post#57 » by Barkley6 » Wed Jul 21, 2021 1:31 pm
Couple things to address:
1. We can re-sign Payne without using the MLE. We have his Early Bird Rights which means we can go over the cap up to $10 million to sign him.
2. CP3 is staying. LA would have to make moves to open up space for Paul, because I don't think he's turning down 40+ to play for the MLE. If they wanted to clear space to pay him anything close to market value, they'd have to trade away KCP and Kuzma at minimum, which would leave them with LeBron, Davis, Trez and Gasol. Full stop. Which means they'd have to fill out the roster with a bunch of minimum contract guys. Additionally, those moves will take time to execute, and it would leave the Suns in the lurch as they'd be waiting for CP3 to sign elsewhere and have his cap hold come off, which as much as I think that Paul is on a personal quest, I don't think he's looking to torch the franchise that believed in him and got him to his first Finals. Additionally, as much as LeBron and Paul are close, I don't think CP3 thinks that's his best chance to win a ring with AD's health always a question mark, LeBron starting to pick up injuries and his own health concerns. Could they maybe thread the needle and everything go right? Yes. But their lack of depth would make them one bad landing away from a lottery team or a first round exit. Additionally, I think CP3 came to Phoenix thinking this was a multi-year project to win a championship. We came MUCH closer in Year 1 than I think anybody reasonably believed. Lastly, CP3s relationship with Monty is pretty special.
3. I think we try to keep some continuity and bring back a few of our end of bench guys. I think Craig is a no brainer for the BAE. I think Nader and Kaminsky would both be good to come back on minimum deals, though I wouldn't be surprised if only one or neither of them are back. Moore and Galloway are probably gone. Carter is an interesting one, he's tough to trade on his own, but it doesn't seem like he'll crack the rotation. The hope obviously is that Stix can start to get some regular minutes.
4. In terms of FA, I want the Suns to be aggressive to find upgrades to the roster. I think they should apply for the DPE exception for Dario, since it's restricted to a one year deal, it essentially lets us get our pick of anyone who would otherwise get the minimum by offering them additional salary. I think we spend that $ on a higher tier backup big, Nerlens Noel makes sense, or a Hassan Whiteside (though his culture fit is questionable). We should also use at least part of the MLE to add some additional guard depth, or sign a PF to take up the Dario minutes, I know it creates potential cap issues down the line, but I think we need to push hard while our window is still open.
5. I think Book, Paul and Crowder will be recruiting hard. There won't be a superstar they can convince to come here, but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a surprising name sign for less money than we thought. Phoenix is a great situation for anyone right now. A young hungry team that was two wins away from a championship, a good, player friendly coach, a GM who understands the league and the game from the players POV, and a good city with great fans (minus the money counting guy, he can leave). Similar to how the Barkley Suns were able to add AC Green, Danny Manning and Wayman Tisdale in the years following their run to the Finals.
