2024-25 Season Discussion and Speculation

[sunsbum]

I think this will be good for us for the next few weeks. book is off to a rough start, grayson needs to get into game shape and dunn will pin down some more minutes. Would like to see Bol get in the mix too. We've been leaning too much on KD lately.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Beal, Booker, Durant will likely have a couple of these injury stretches each during the season.

Maybe counter intuitive but a rest period every now and then could help them get to peak health in 6 months.

[RedIndian]

Welp, it was fun while it lasted... time to fire up the trade machine... as Royce and Dunn are doing a fantastic job I think Grayson is the obvious choice
Who is / should be available for that contract with our restrictions? I was looking at Larry Nance (and pick/s/) from the Hawks, who seem to be going nowhere again, but trade machine says no... and pretty much every other trade as well - these restrictions suck.

Deni Avdija is the perfect trade for us - Blazers traded a couple of mid 1st rounders for him, but he's had a rough start for them. He's really the ideal role player on a contender - and is completely miscast on a tanking team. Grayson's salary matches exactly with his salary this year, and he's on a nice 4 year declining deal.

Trade Grayson for him, and you have another playable 6'9 wing on the roster who's a very good defender, excellent rebounder and a capable ball-handler and passer too. His shooting has been rough to start the season, but he shot well in his mini break-out with the Wizards last year.

Added bonus is that he helps you reduce KD's minutes.

[Bogyo]

Welp, it was fun while it lasted... time to fire up the trade machine... as Royce and Dunn are doing a fantastic job I think Grayson is the obvious choice
Who is / should be available for that contract with our restrictions? I was looking at Larry Nance (and pick/s/) from the Hawks, who seem to be going nowhere again, but trade machine says no... and pretty much every other trade as well - these restrictions suck.

Deni Avdija is the perfect trade for us - Blazers traded a couple of mid 1st rounders for him, but he's had a rough start for them. He's really the ideal role player on a contender - and is completely miscast on a tanking team. Grayson's salary matches exactly with his salary this year, and he's on a nice 4 year declining deal.

Trade Grayson for him, and you have another playable 6'9 wing on the roster who's a very good defender, excellent rebounder and a capable ball-handler and passer too. His shooting has been rough to start the season, but he shot well in his mini break-out with the Wizards last year.

Added bonus is that he helps you reduce KD's minutes.

I like Deni a lot, but I think he is more of (and plays like) a swing than a big, which we need more. Deni would eat into Royces and Dunns minutes as well, which I dont really prefer. For the sake of clarity, I can even say he is a better basketball player than Nance, but I think Nance (or a Nance type) would fit better on this team.

Another idea would be WCJ for Grayson when Banchero returns. They have enough bigs, and struggle on the wings - the exact opposite of us. I think that would make sense if Isaac and the Wagner bros show out while Paolo is out, and we'll struggle while KD (and Nurk?) are out...

[Fo-Real]

Who starts with KD out? I kinda like both Royce and Grayson better off the bench than as starters. Dunn lacks size and was hurt. Are we dusting off Bol, closing our eyes and pushing him out there?

[Saberestar]

Who starts with KD out? I kinda like both Royce and Grayson better off the bench than as starters. Dunn lacks size and was hurt. Are we dusting off Bol, closing our eyes and pushing him out there?

Tyus, Book, Beal, Dunn and Nurkic.
Allen, O'Neale, Okogie and Plumlee.

[handsome salary]

Id like to see how Booker and Beal do without their big brother.

[Qwigglez]

Time for the rookie Dunn to step up. As much as I'd like Grayson to start, I like having some firepower and quality veterans come off the bench. Ideally, get Oso some more minutes somewhere too.

[sunsbg]

Interesting to see if Bud has any plans for Bol. Based on previous games he prefers Oso. If there was a time for Bol Bol to shine with those random stretches of good games it's now early in the season with KD out.

[bwgood77]

Not convinced we are elite...still giving up a lot of points and our games are mostly close. Our net rating is far behind teams like OKC and Boston, even GSW. That being said it's not like we've played only pushover teams.

Also I don't quite buy GSW and even CLE is suspect.

There are some good improvements for us but I don't think we are as good as our current record. Time will tell.

Agree that both GSW and CLE are suspect. Both have had pretty easy schedules so far, with both only having 1 tough game each. Bw also mentioned the dubs are having an unusually hot start shooting it.

For the suns, you'd obviously like to see some blow outs against teams like the Blazers, but it's great seeing them grit out these wins, however close they are. The team also looks like they're enjoying themselves 10x better than last year.

GS got clobbered by the Cavs. Another team that is surprising to me is Brooklyn. Their record isn't great, but they took Boston, Cleveland and Denver all to OT. Easily could have won all 3. I don't know if they got a new coach or what. Kind of reminds me of when they were rebuilding and had Gattison as coach and was really competitive. They did a great job getting 4 picks, a swap, Cam, Bridges and Jae for KD, then getting 4 firsts for Bridges and 5 2nds for Crowder.

So for KD, they ended up with Cam, 8 firsts, and 5 seconds lol, and are still pretty competitive.

[lilfishi22]

Injuries happen, there's over 100 players on the NBA injury report (average about 4 per team).

We were over playing Durant anyway so kind of deserved it and we have good depth and role players could use more time.

If Nurkic is out too?

It'll be good to see if Morris, Okogie, Bol, Ighodaro can add value as we need to improve differential in turnovers and rebounds.

Maybe we go -

Jones, Beal, Booker, Dunn, Plumlee
Morris, Allen, Okogie, O'Neale, Ighodaro

DNP - Lee, Bol
Inj - Durant, Nurkic

Yep

We have good depth, we have 2 other guys for redundancy if one of the Big 3 isn't available, we have a coach who's done plenty with very little (See ATL Hawks) and we have Dunn/Okogie/Royce waiting to step into KD's position and we might actually be able to get Grayson 25+mins which has been difficult.

[lilfishi22]

I think this will be good for us for the next few weeks. book is off to a rough start, grayson needs to get into game shape and dunn will pin down some more minutes. Would like to see Bol get in the mix too. We've been leaning too much on KD lately.

Agree. A little adversity to start to season will pay dividends. It's also not a bad thing we built out a bit of a buffer with a 8-1 record.

[lilfishi22]

Welp, it was fun while it lasted... time to fire up the trade machine... as Royce and Dunn are doing a fantastic job I think Grayson is the obvious choice
Who is / should be available for that contract with our restrictions? I was looking at Larry Nance (and pick/s/) from the Hawks, who seem to be going nowhere again, but trade machine says no... and pretty much every other trade as well - these restrictions suck.

Deni Avdija is the perfect trade for us - Blazers traded a couple of mid 1st rounders for him, but he's had a rough start for them. He's really the ideal role player on a contender - and is completely miscast on a tanking team. Grayson's salary matches exactly with his salary this year, and he's on a nice 4 year declining deal.

Trade Grayson for him, and you have another playable 6'9 wing on the roster who's a very good defender, excellent rebounder and a capable ball-handler and passer too. His shooting has been rough to start the season, but he shot well in his mini break-out with the Wizards last year.

Added bonus is that he helps you reduce KD's minutes.

Wouldn't want to move Grayson but I also flagged in the offseason that he would likely be a trade candidate simply because he has value, has a tradeable contract and we have some redundancy there (primarily Royce). I think Deni would be amazing. I do wish he could be more consistent shooting the 3-ball but aside from that he's shown he has some all-D potential, he's already an above average passer and ball handler and he's also a plus rebounder at his position.

[RedIndian]

Welp, it was fun while it lasted... time to fire up the trade machine... as Royce and Dunn are doing a fantastic job I think Grayson is the obvious choice
Who is / should be available for that contract with our restrictions? I was looking at Larry Nance (and pick/s/) from the Hawks, who seem to be going nowhere again, but trade machine says no... and pretty much every other trade as well - these restrictions suck.

Deni Avdija is the perfect trade for us - Blazers traded a couple of mid 1st rounders for him, but he's had a rough start for them. He's really the ideal role player on a contender - and is completely miscast on a tanking team. Grayson's salary matches exactly with his salary this year, and he's on a nice 4 year declining deal.

Trade Grayson for him, and you have another playable 6'9 wing on the roster who's a very good defender, excellent rebounder and a capable ball-handler and passer too. His shooting has been rough to start the season, but he shot well in his mini break-out with the Wizards last year.

Added bonus is that he helps you reduce KD's minutes.

I like Deni a lot, but I think he is more of (and plays like) a swing than a big, which we need more. Deni would eat into Royces and Dunns minutes as well, which I dont really prefer. For the sake of clarity, I can even say he is a better basketball player than Nance, but I think Nance (or a Nance type) would fit better on this team.

Another idea would be WCJ for Grayson when Banchero returns. They have enough bigs, and struggle on the wings - the exact opposite of us. I think that would make sense if Isaac and the Wagner bros show out while Paolo is out, and we'll struggle while KD (and Nurk?) are out...

We probably need a big more than a big wing, but the trade options in terms of available bigs are very limited.

Nance - in theory, a good fit, but brutally injury prone. I would not trade Grayson for him
Mitch Robinson - same, terrible injury history and a terrible offensive player apart from the vertical threat
Robert Williams - same again
Kelly OIynyk - I think would be definitely attainable, and a good offensive fit for the bench with his shooting and passing. Defensively though, he won't add much and I'd probably prefer Grayson in the rotation over him in the playoffs
Okongwu - Very interesting guy if we could get him, though I doubt the Hawks would trade him for either Nurk or Grayson. I wouldn't put the 2031 pick on the table for him
Bobby Portis - Can shoot and rebound. Think the Bucks would happily agree to trade him to get Grayson back. Would we do it? Not sure. Portis would definitely help us with the size issue. But he's not a great defender. I'd have to think about this one.
Brandon Clarke - would have to think about this one. Pre-injury Clarke was an excellent bench big, and I think he'd be an excellent small ball 5.
Valanciunas - too slow and not at all an upgrade on Nurkic
Goga Bitazde - would trade Okogie and 2nds for him, but trading Nurk or Grayson for him wouldn't make sense
Nick Richards - same as Goga
Walker Kessler - Ainge would want the 2031 pick and he's simply not good enough to warrant that

All things considered, you have a couple of intriguing options there, not more than that. I'd still take a skilled big wing like Deni over the lot.

[Bogyo]

Deni Avdija is the perfect trade for us - Blazers traded a couple of mid 1st rounders for him, but he's had a rough start for them. He's really the ideal role player on a contender - and is completely miscast on a tanking team. Grayson's salary matches exactly with his salary this year, and he's on a nice 4 year declining deal.

Trade Grayson for him, and you have another playable 6'9 wing on the roster who's a very good defender, excellent rebounder and a capable ball-handler and passer too. His shooting has been rough to start the season, but he shot well in his mini break-out with the Wizards last year.

Added bonus is that he helps you reduce KD's minutes.

I like Deni a lot, but I think he is more of (and plays like) a swing than a big, which we need more. Deni would eat into Royces and Dunns minutes as well, which I dont really prefer. For the sake of clarity, I can even say he is a better basketball player than Nance, but I think Nance (or a Nance type) would fit better on this team.

Another idea would be WCJ for Grayson when Banchero returns. They have enough bigs, and struggle on the wings - the exact opposite of us. I think that would make sense if Isaac and the Wagner bros show out while Paolo is out, and we'll struggle while KD (and Nurk?) are out...

We probably need a big more than a big wing, but the trade options in terms of available bigs are very limited.

Nance - in theory, a good fit, but brutally injury prone. I would not trade Grayson for him
Mitch Robinson - same, terrible injury history and a terrible offensive player apart from the vertical threat
Robert Williams - same again
Kelly OIynyk - I think would be definitely attainable, and a good offensive fit for the bench with his shooting and passing. Defensively though, he won't add much and I'd probably prefer Grayson in the rotation over him in the playoffs
Okongwu - Very interesting guy if we could get him, though I doubt the Hawks would trade him for either Nurk or Grayson. I wouldn't put the 2031 pick on the table for him
Bobby Portis - Can shoot and rebound. Think the Bucks would happily agree to trade him to get Grayson back. Would we do it? Not sure. Portis would definitely help us with the size issue. But he's not a great defender. I'd have to think about this one.
Brandon Clarke - would have to think about this one. Pre-injury Clarke was an excellent bench big, and I think he'd be an excellent small ball 5.
Valanciunas - too slow and not at all an upgrade on Nurkic
Goga Bitazde - would trade Okogie and 2nds for him, but trading Nurk or Grayson for him wouldn't make sense
Nick Richards - same as Goga
Walker Kessler - Ainge would want the 2031 pick and he's simply not good enough to warrant that

All things considered, you have a couple of intriguing options there, not more than that. I'd still take a skilled big wing like Deni over the lot.

Pretty much agree, although I think Portis is cooked, he is a big part of the problem in Bucks land as I hear (and see stats).
I think the part that you are missing out on is that we can also get picks back if we trade for a bit lesser talent, but better fit in case we do trade Greyson. WSJ would still be the favourite of mine, but if we trade him for (someone like) Nance, we could get a pick or 2 as well...

[bwgood77]

I wouldn't make a big change, given we are 8-2 and had our best start in years. I like having a lot of depth and shooting. If we could get a solid defensive big, that would be nice, but not most of these guys. And Portland would never trade a guy like Deni for Grayson.

[lilfishi22]

I like Deni a lot, but I think he is more of (and plays like) a swing than a big, which we need more. Deni would eat into Royces and Dunns minutes as well, which I dont really prefer. For the sake of clarity, I can even say he is a better basketball player than Nance, but I think Nance (or a Nance type) would fit better on this team.

Another idea would be WCJ for Grayson when Banchero returns. They have enough bigs, and struggle on the wings - the exact opposite of us. I think that would make sense if Isaac and the Wagner bros show out while Paolo is out, and we'll struggle while KD (and Nurk?) are out...

We probably need a big more than a big wing, but the trade options in terms of available bigs are very limited.

Nance - in theory, a good fit, but brutally injury prone. I would not trade Grayson for him
Mitch Robinson - same, terrible injury history and a terrible offensive player apart from the vertical threat
Robert Williams - same again
Kelly OIynyk - I think would be definitely attainable, and a good offensive fit for the bench with his shooting and passing. Defensively though, he won't add much and I'd probably prefer Grayson in the rotation over him in the playoffs
Okongwu - Very interesting guy if we could get him, though I doubt the Hawks would trade him for either Nurk or Grayson. I wouldn't put the 2031 pick on the table for him
Bobby Portis - Can shoot and rebound. Think the Bucks would happily agree to trade him to get Grayson back. Would we do it? Not sure. Portis would definitely help us with the size issue. But he's not a great defender. I'd have to think about this one.
Brandon Clarke - would have to think about this one. Pre-injury Clarke was an excellent bench big, and I think he'd be an excellent small ball 5.
Valanciunas - too slow and not at all an upgrade on Nurkic
Goga Bitazde - would trade Okogie and 2nds for him, but trading Nurk or Grayson for him wouldn't make sense
Nick Richards - same as Goga
Walker Kessler - Ainge would want the 2031 pick and he's simply not good enough to warrant that

All things considered, you have a couple of intriguing options there, not more than that. I'd still take a skilled big wing like Deni over the lot.

Pretty much agree, although I think Portis is cooked, he is a big part of the problem in Bucks land as I hear (and see stats).
I think the part that you are missing out on is that we can also get picks back if we trade for a bit lesser talent, but better fit in case we do trade Greyson. WSJ would still be the favourite of mine, but if we trade him for (someone like) Nance, we could get a pick or 2 as well...

Portis can still ball, especially as a back up. Came 3rd in 6MOY the last two seasons and played all 82 games last season. I wouldn't judge him for this season, that whole Bucks squad except for Giannis and Dame is cooked under Doc.

Problem with Bucks is that and any trade with them the salary has to match 100%, so unless we have a 3rd team involved, it's a no-go with them.

As RedIndian mentioned, I've also looked at the list of potential big man trade options and it just doesn't look good (ie not the level of upgrade that is worth making a trade for) but someone like Deni, who isn't a big, is a real talent upgrade at a position we could always add depth to.

[dremill24]

Put down sone thoughts on Nurk and the rest of the squad:

https://hoopsnexus.substack.com/p/checking-in-on-the-phoenix-suns-after

[Revived]

Booker’s shooting 42% for FG% and 32% from 3 for the season.

Both are disgusting numbers for a guy making $60M/yr and a player of his caliber.

He needs to get his **** together. Especially now with KD out. If he’s sick then needs to sit till he’s better. Playing and doing cardio while sick isn’t gonna help him recover from sickness.

[Bogyo]

Booker’s shooting 42% for FG% and 32% from 3 for the season.

Both are disgusting numbers for a guy making $60M/yr and a player of his caliber.

He needs to get his **** together. Especially now with KD out. If he’s sick then needs to sit till he’s better. Playing and doing cardio while sick isn’t gonna help him recover from sickness.

I've said it a while back, he has had the slowest start from the big 3 by a mile. If you add the positive starts from Royce and Dunn, while Tyus has been OK (nothing special though), you can say he has a dysmal first 10 games. Hope he can pull himself together, he was playing the best overall basketball and most consistent in all of that squad in the Olympics, and thats saying something.