Season Speculation, Trade Ideas & Discussion Pt. 3

[King4Day]

So what max guys do we believe we have a legit chance of landing? Keeping in mind we've struck out on even the semi-elite since getting McDonough in place.
If stars don't want to play here, why not go for possibly the best defender in the NBA and hope Booker, Jackson, and this years pick become special?

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

This summer I'd like to see us throw a mega offer to Bradley that Detroit would be concerned with matching.
Then have Booker as our starting PG with Bradley next to him.
Then, the following summer, go all in and see if we can snag a max star to add. Between the solid pick we get this year and our growing young squad, that could be enough to start doing some damage in the West.

This scenario is not possible. We cannot both throw a mega offer to Bradley and afford a max player the following offseason.

I think McD would be wise to wait one more season. Several here (not I) suggested putting Jackson next to Booker in the backcourt to see what happens. There were several minutes in the second when Booker-Jackson-Warren were playing together where you could see a fluidity to the offense that looked dangerous - a potentially game-changing potency. And then of course you had Chriss. Is Bender the right 5 for that group? I could see it. But then again, who knows? Perhaps a transformative PG will be available in the draft.

At this point, I'm not even that committed to adding a five-star (max) vet in 2019...... I imagine Josh Jackson is not the guy GS wants guarding Curry in the WSF. I imagine Durant wouldn't love alternating between Warren, Bender and Jackson - all of whom could make him keep working on the other end.

To me, the key is to try to keep this group together. Re-signing TJ at $12 mil per was the first big step in that direction. Jackson's max will hit the year before TJ expires - which in theory would also be the year our 2018 draftees' extensions go into effect. And that's probably when, given a best-case scenario, things start to spin out of control in any case.

Keep this thing cheap as long as possible. I will give all the credit to Sarver if he pinches pennies the rest of the way and signs each of these guys for what he's worth.

.... And on that note. McD drafted TJ in 2013. He was my pick from early on and consistently throughout that draft process, but he was not the popular pick with the rest of the Suns fan base. McD not only made the right choice, but then managed to sign him to this wonderful, beautiful extension. McD deserves a prize in addition to an expensive extension.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

This summer I'd like to see us throw a mega offer to Bradley that Detroit would be concerned with matching.
Then have Booker as our starting PG with Bradley next to him.
Then, the following summer, go all in and see if we can snag a max star to add. Between the solid pick we get this year and our growing young squad, that could be enough to start doing some damage in the West.

I don't think we have nearly the cap space as you think we have. The following summer is when Booker's new (max) deal will hit the books so a hefty contract for Bradley would all but eliminate our chances of signing anyone to any decent sized contracts, certainly not one in the max range anyway. Booker's new deal could start at a little over $30m a year if he got the max which he deserves.

Its why saying taking a pick from the lakers for Dengs contradct - giving them Monroe - doesn't make sense - Suns are trying to get cap space in 2019 and beyond, not lose it. I am not saying Greg Monroes contract is not being moved - but its not going to be for a bad contract.

I am unwilling to take on Deng - or Biyombo - or Mahinmi - or Mozgov, etc. Just too expensive in that last year. Those contracts suuuuuck.

... There's a valid argument that we'd be better off just buying out Monroe rather than doing any of these stupid pick-adding trades I've been throwing around.

....... The real question is whether anyone is interested in dealing for Tyson, and would he prefer to be elsewhere. It seems Monroe is willing to step in and be a solid presence for these young guys in his stead.

If we're going to sign a max vet, it should probably be this offseason (or an offseason or two past, in the form of an existing max deal) and we should trade for that player this season. Otherwise, don't bother, save the $$$.

[lilfishi22]

This summer I'd like to see us throw a mega offer to Bradley that Detroit would be concerned with matching.
Then have Booker as our starting PG with Bradley next to him.
Then, the following summer, go all in and see if we can snag a max star to add. Between the solid pick we get this year and our growing young squad, that could be enough to start doing some damage in the West.

I don't think we have nearly the cap space as you think we have. The following summer is when Booker's new (max) deal will hit the books so a hefty contract for Bradley would all but eliminate our chances of signing anyone to any decent sized contracts, certainly not one in the max range anyway. Booker's new deal could start at a little over $30m a year if he got the max which he deserves.

Its why saying taking a pick from the lakers for Dengs contradct - giving them Monroe - doesn't make sense - Suns are trying to get cap space in 2019 and beyond, not lose it. I am not saying Greg Monroes contract is not being moved - but its not going to be for a bad contract.

I don't know what the front office plans are but making space for a max player (a legit one, not just one you overpay) would necessitate being thrifty in the next two offseasons. But if our plan is banking on internal growth ala Durant/Westbrook/Harden OKC or Oden/LMA/Roy Blazers, then I can see an argument to take on Deng's deal for a great pick/young talent.

My view is that we already have enough picks and if we're taking on a bad deal, I want a young talent that's ready to go (Kuzma). That's really the only situation I think taking on Deng would make any sort of sense.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I don't think we have nearly the cap space as you think we have. The following summer is when Booker's new (max) deal will hit the books so a hefty contract for Bradley would all but eliminate our chances of signing anyone to any decent sized contracts, certainly not one in the max range anyway. Booker's new deal could start at a little over $30m a year if he got the max which he deserves.

Its why saying taking a pick from the lakers for Dengs contradct - giving them Monroe - doesn't make sense - Suns are trying to get cap space in 2019 and beyond, not lose it. I am not saying Greg Monroes contract is not being moved - but its not going to be for a bad contract.

I don't know what the front office plans are but making space for a max player (a legit one, not just one you overpay) would necessitate being thrifty in the next two offseasons. But if our plan is banking on internal growth ala Durant/Westbrook/Harden OKC or Oden/LMA/Roy Blazers, then I can see an argument to take on Deng's deal for a great pick/young talent.

My view is that we already have enough picks and if we're taking on a bad deal, I want a young talent that's ready to go (Kuzma). That's really the only situation I think taking on Deng would make any sort of sense.

I'll take on Deng's contract if they'll throw in Ball. That's the beginning and end of my list.

[AtheJ415]

This summer I'd like to see us throw a mega offer to Bradley that Detroit would be concerned with matching.
Then have Booker as our starting PG with Bradley next to him.
Then, the following summer, go all in and see if we can snag a max star to add. Between the solid pick we get this year and our growing young squad, that could be enough to start doing some damage in the West.

This scenario is not possible. We cannot both throw a mega offer to Bradley and afford a max player the following offseason.

I think McD would be wise to wait one more season. Several here (not I) suggested putting Jackson next to Booker in the backcourt to see what happens. There were several minutes in the second when Booker-Jackson-Warren were playing together where you could see a fluidity to the offense that looked dangerous - a potentially game-changing potency. And then of course you had Chriss. Is Bender the right 5 for that group? I could see it. But then again, who knows? Perhaps a transformative PG will be available in the draft.

At this point, I'm not even that committed to adding a five-star (max) vet in 2019...... I imagine Josh Jackson is not the guy GS wants guarding Curry in the WSF. I imagine Durant wouldn't love alternating between Warren, Bender and Jackson - all of whom could make him keep working on the other end.

To me, the key is to try to keep this group together. Re-signing TJ at $12 mil per was the first big step in that direction. Jackson's max will hit the year before TJ expires - which in theory would also be the year our 2018 draftees' extensions go into effect. And that's probably when, given a best-case scenario, things start to spin out of control in any case.

Keep this thing cheap as long as possible. I will give all the credit to Sarver if he pinches pennies the rest of the way and signs these guys for what he's worth.

.... And on that note. McD drafted TJ in 2013. He was my pick from early on and consistently throughout that draft process, but he was not the popular pick with the rest of the Suns fan base. McD not only made the right choice, but then managed to sign him to this wonderful, beautiful extension. McD deserves a prize in addition to an expensive extension.

I agree. Not just for those reasons, but because the Max players we could actually get in 1 more season are much more worthwhile, and to have a shot at those we need to show restraint this offseason. If Bradley could be had for a true bargain, okay, but coming anywhere close to his market value is a failure because it eliminates the max contract possibility. Really we should be throwing maxes at Cousins, then Jokic, then maybe Hood depending on his season, but those will be very likely to fail. When they do, we should shift to taking on an expiring for more assets imo.

I am one of those people who wants to try a Jackson and Booker pairing. This is mainly because I think we will get a top 5 pick, and none of those guys are 1s. You have Doncic (a 2/3), Porter (3/4), Bagley (4/5), Ayton (5), Bamba (5). Those position matchups mean to get our top 5 on the court, we need to see if point Booker can work. If it can't, you adjust from there, but to me the main way it can is if Jackson is on the court with him because Jackson can take the defensive responsibility of guarding the top perimeter player on the other team.

[lilfishi22]

So what max guys do we believe we have a legit chance of landing? Keeping in mind we've struck out on even the semi-elite since getting McDonough in place.
If stars don't want to play here, why not go for possibly the best defender in the NBA and hope Booker, Jackson, and this years pick become special?

I love Bradley as a player and I think he would be really good next to Booker but where we're at right now, I don't think we have a settled roster (legitimate 2 or 3 all-star level players) and adding a $15-20m role player doesn't move the needle for me at this point. If we're Philly for example and we already have two all-star level players now (Embiid, Simmons), potential for two more in Fultz and Saric, a bunch of solid young supporting players (McConnell, Covington) and I'm looking to make a big leap next season, I can see an argument for Bradley. In the same way they are paying Reddick $23m this year to provide veteran leadership and a solid role player, Bradley could be that guy for them.

Booker is a stud and playing at an all-star level, Warren is a fringe all-star but after that, we still have too many unknowns to take that leap imo.

[Revived]

Can we somehow trade for Mudiay? I'd give up that worthless Bucks 1st for him.

[RaisingArizona]

Can we somehow trade for Mudiay?

This.

[Wilber85]

Mudiay is what I wanted for Bledsoe!

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Mudiay is what I wanted for Bledsoe!

Then you must not have been posting!

[Wilber85]

Mudiay is what I wanted for Bledsoe!

Then you must not have been posting!

Huh? I would have taken Mudiay and a First or Mudiay and Faried for Bledsoe + Filler or 2nd any day.

[AtheJ415]

So what max guys do we believe we have a legit chance of landing? Keeping in mind we've struck out on even the semi-elite since getting McDonough in place.
If stars don't want to play here, why not go for possibly the best defender in the NBA and hope Booker, Jackson, and this years pick become special?

Just because a true max doesn't want to come here next year doesn't mean we should ruin all hope of getting one in the future by signing Bradley. Truthfully it doesn't matter what the answer to your question is so long as the answer to "What is Phoenix with Bradley and without a max player" going forward is not "a likely contender". If that is true, then we save the space to keep the flexibility of making key moves.

Bradley is not the best defender in the NBA (top 20 certainly, but really debatable if he is even close to 1st), and overall is at best a more athletic Patrick Beverly. Nothing wrong with that, but how does that make us any better than the Rockets who didn't get very far with both him and a record-breaking offensive player in Harden?

I would rather not cap out our team as the old Rockets pre Chris Paul. I would rather keep that flexibility until we can actually become a contender and use that space on a star.

[AtheJ415]

Can we somehow trade for Mudiay? I'd give up that worthless Bucks 1st for him.

Man this board is fickle. I have never been a Mudiay critic, but I think trading for him is not worthwhile. If you want him, sign him this offseason. Denver has cap issues and he is not someone they would likely match a big deal for, so why not get him without giving up the pick?

[spree8]

Any interest in this...



Suns Trade:

JJackson, Tyson, BKnight


Suns Get:

NY 18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, McDermott, DDotson, Aldrich




Wolves Trade:

Dieng, Aldrich


Wolves Get:

Tyson, LThomas




Knicks Trade:

18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, DDotson, McDermott, LThomas


Knicks Get:

JJackson, Dieng, BKnight





PHX sheds over 28 mil per year between Tyson & Knight, and get an unprotected 1st from NY this year along with Dame Dotson as compensation for giving up JJax.

You guys have about 80 mil on the books for next year (101 cap) not counting your top draft pick (which will be about 7+ mil). This gives you room for a max player (DeMarcus Cousins?) plus two lotto picks, and space for another max player in 2019... like Kemba or Kyrie for example.


Kemba/Kyrie, Devin, Michael Porter Jr, Boogie would be a pretty sick core... a fairly plausible plan imo.

[AtheJ415]

Any interest in this...



Suns Trade:

JJackson, Tyson, BKnight


Suns Get:

NY 18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, McDermott, DDotson, Aldrich




Wolves Trade:

Dieng, Aldrich


Wolves Get:

Tyson, LThomas




Knicks Trade:

18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, DDotson, McDermott, LThomas


Knicks Get:

JJackson, Dieng, BKnight





PHX sheds over 28 mil per year between Tyson & Knight, and get an unprotected 1st from NY this year along with Dame Dotson as compensation for giving up JJax.

You guys have about 80 mil on the books for next year (101 cap) not counting your top draft pick (which will be about 7+ mil). This gives you room for a max player (DeMarcus Cousins?) plus two lotto picks, and space for another max player in 2019... like Kemba or Kyrie for example.


Kemba/Kyrie, Devin, Michael Porter Jr, Boogie would be a pretty sick core... a fairly plausible plan imo.

I lol'd. Why would we give up on Jackson already just to dump Knight and Tyson?

[Revived]

Any interest in this...



Suns Trade:

JJackson, Tyson, BKnight


Suns Get:

NY 18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, McDermott, DDotson, Aldrich




Wolves Trade:

Dieng, Aldrich


Wolves Get:

Tyson, LThomas




Knicks Trade:

18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, DDotson, McDermott, LThomas


Knicks Get:

JJackson, Dieng, BKnight





PHX sheds over 28 mil per year between Tyson & Knight, and get an unprotected 1st from NY this year along with Dame Dotson as compensation for giving up JJax.

You guys have about 80 mil on the books for next year (101 cap) not counting your top draft pick (which will be about 7+ mil). This gives you room for a max player (DeMarcus Cousins?) plus two lotto picks, and space for another max player in 2019... like Kemba or Kyrie for example.


Kemba/Kyrie, Devin, Michael Porter Jr, Boogie would be a pretty sick core... a fairly plausible plan imo.

I still like Josh Jackson but if come trade deadline, the Knicks are a team that's headed for a top 10 pick then yeah I would consider it at least.

This next draft is projected to be the best since 2004 so to get a second high pick in that would be nice especially when the Heat and Bucks aren't guaranteed.

[AtheJ415]

Any interest in this...



Suns Trade:

JJackson, Tyson, BKnight


Suns Get:

NY 18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, McDermott, DDotson, Aldrich




Wolves Trade:

Dieng, Aldrich


Wolves Get:

Tyson, LThomas




Knicks Trade:

18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, DDotson, McDermott, LThomas


Knicks Get:

JJackson, Dieng, BKnight





PHX sheds over 28 mil per year between Tyson & Knight, and get an unprotected 1st from NY this year along with Dame Dotson as compensation for giving up JJax.

You guys have about 80 mil on the books for next year (101 cap) not counting your top draft pick (which will be about 7+ mil). This gives you room for a max player (DeMarcus Cousins?) plus two lotto picks, and space for another max player in 2019... like Kemba or Kyrie for example.


Kemba/Kyrie, Devin, Michael Porter Jr, Boogie would be a pretty sick core... a fairly plausible plan imo.

I still like Josh Jackson but if come trade deadline, the Knicks are a team that's headed for a top 10 pick then yeah I would consider it at least.

This next draft is projected to be the best since 2004 so to get a second high pick in that would be nice especially when the Heat and Bucks aren't guaranteed.

So you're telling me you'd rather have Miles Bridges over Jackson? Or Robert Williams? To the extent you would dump him to get rid of Tyson a year early and Knight? Because we don't really need that cap space this offseason anyways and We already have like 4 2nd rounders in this next draft, so we won't even be able to keep all of our current 2nds...

[spree8]

Any interest in this...



Suns Trade:

JJackson, Tyson, BKnight


Suns Get:

NY 18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, McDermott, DDotson, Aldrich




Wolves Trade:

Dieng, Aldrich


Wolves Get:

Tyson, LThomas




Knicks Trade:

18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, DDotson, McDermott, LThomas


Knicks Get:

JJackson, Dieng, BKnight





PHX sheds over 28 mil per year between Tyson & Knight, and get an unprotected 1st from NY this year along with Dame Dotson as compensation for giving up JJax.

You guys have about 80 mil on the books for next year (101 cap) not counting your top draft pick (which will be about 7+ mil). This gives you room for a max player (DeMarcus Cousins?) plus two lotto picks, and space for another max player in 2019... like Kemba or Kyrie for example.


Kemba/Kyrie, Devin, Michael Porter Jr, Boogie would be a pretty sick core... a fairly plausible plan imo.

I lol'd. Why would we give up on Jackson already just to dump Knight and Tyson?

I explained the reason... and you'd be getting more than a salary dump. You're only acknowledging a portion of the scenario.

[Revived]

Any interest in this...



Suns Trade:

JJackson, Tyson, BKnight


Suns Get:

NY 18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, McDermott, DDotson, Aldrich




Wolves Trade:

Dieng, Aldrich


Wolves Get:

Tyson, LThomas




Knicks Trade:

18' 1st & 2nd, Kanter, DDotson, McDermott, LThomas


Knicks Get:

JJackson, Dieng, BKnight





PHX sheds over 28 mil per year between Tyson & Knight, and get an unprotected 1st from NY this year along with Dame Dotson as compensation for giving up JJax.

You guys have about 80 mil on the books for next year (101 cap) not counting your top draft pick (which will be about 7+ mil). This gives you room for a max player (DeMarcus Cousins?) plus two lotto picks, and space for another max player in 2019... like Kemba or Kyrie for example.


Kemba/Kyrie, Devin, Michael Porter Jr, Boogie would be a pretty sick core... a fairly plausible plan imo.

I still like Josh Jackson but if come trade deadline, the Knicks are a team that's headed for a top 10 pick then yeah I would consider it at least.

This next draft is projected to be the best since 2004 so to get a second high pick in that would be nice especially when the Heat and Bucks aren't guaranteed.

So you're telling me you'd rather have Miles Bridges over Jackson? Or Robert Williams? To the extent you would dump him to get rid of Tyson a year early and Knight? Because we don't really need that cap space this offseason anyways and We already have like 4 2nd rounders in this next draft, so we won't even be able to keep all of our current 2nds...

I said I'd consider it at least.