Looking ahead to 2016-2017

[lilfishi22]

What are the three key moves/decisions we need to make going into 2016-2017?

For me, in no particular order

1. Move Knight/Chandler

2. Hire a HC that has the patience and understands the need to develop and discipline our youth

3. Might be polarising but I don't want to see us go for the big name/big money signings. I'd rather keep this core of youth and build from it

Just to be clear, this it not a trade thread, so no trade proposals.

[ATTL]

1. Don't waste cap space on second tier stars after missing on the top ones again.

2. Draft at least one big this year. I think Len was our last one and that was 5 first rounders ago.

3. Explore trades for Knight. It feels like every season we have at least one disgruntled player and he's already said he's not coming off the bench.

I don't mind keeping Chandler, I think he can be a good influence on the locker room. Who else would we use that cap space on?

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[MathiasPW]

Keep Chandler. He is expensive, yet a positive influence.

Draft 2 PFs to battle for the starting spot.

Move Knight, and fast.

Keep Watson. Moving him will not play out well with the players. We've seen how much that pushed the Kings back when they moved Malone, who was doing also just an "ok" job. We are not contending next year. Watson has already conquered confidence with this group, he has the best shot at instilling confidence and some sort of team culture in them.

That leads to my next point - spend the season training defense. Lose a lot in the process. Draft well in the next stashed class, and then only change coaches.

Kerr only got sucess with the Dubs because that team had a strong culture instilled. There were several complaints on the way he started their pre-season trainings, from Curry included. They were strong enough as a unit to get through it and it paid dividends. Had they turned their backs on the coach too soon due to a fragile culture and none of this would have been achieved.

[m1chal]

In no particular order

1. Fully embrace youth movement - sucking for another year will not change much
2. Sell high acquired assets: explore trading Bledsoe (health, being more of a scorer than facilitator) and Knight (obvious reasons)
3. Be patient: don't trade for 2nd tier stars just for the sake of change
4. Try to teach this team decent defense - if we have Chandler on this ridiculously long contract why not to benefit from it? If this means a coaching change so be it,
5. Draft wisely

[bwgood77]

1. Hire good coach
2. Draft bigs
3. Make value signings of under the radar guys while people are fighting over the big names

[Saberestar]

1. Hire a good coach that embraces a rebuilding team and want to build an special team.
2. Nail our picks in the draft or use them in a trade for a great player.
3. Trade Knight for a decent package...no more disgruntled players here please.

[Walt_Uoob]

1. Manage chemistry / egos carefully, especially in the backcourt. If not trading Knight or Bledsoe, be upfront and honest about everyone's role. Treat people like people, not assets. May even need to start Knight over Booker if that's going to be the easiest arrangement for everyone to swallow. Even if that seems like an ego decision rather than a basketball decision, it might turn out to be the better basketball decision too if it avoids creating new rifts/disgruntlement.
2. Echoing others here: stay the course to build the talent base of the team through good drafting and shrewd acquisitions; other side of this coin is don't mortgage our future for a star who's not going to put us into contention and don't tie up our cap space unless it's for real building blocks or high-value under-the-radar players.
3. Echoing others again: draft some bigs.

Side note: Draft day might be the right time to trade Bogdan. We don't have much room for him on the current roster and he seems to have some mystique built up after winning that award twice and hitting those game-winners. If there's someone we really want in the draft who's not falling to us, Bogdan could be a good chip to help us move up.

[jcsunsfan]

Start the year trying to win. Give it until Christmas or so. If you are in the playoff hunt, go for it. Otherwise move to player development and ping pong balls.

[TeamTragic]

1. Trade Knight (!!!!!!!!!!)
2. Trade Tucker (!!!!!)
3. Bring over Bogdan (Euro Power)
4. Hire an actual good coach (that we will keep for the long term)
5. Stick to an actual system (that we will maintain for the long term)

[Damkac]

Trades
I would like to trade one or both of Knight and Bledsoe but only for good return. Unless some team is willing to give lottery pick for Knight or top 6 pick for Bledsoe (or their equivalent) I would rather keep them and hope they will increase their value at start of the next season to trade them at deadline.
I would trade Chandler even if it's just for expirings. He is much more useful for a contender that he is for rebuilding team. I would not exchange him for bad contract or give asset to get rid of him.
Tucker also should be on contender not on rebuilding team. Would trade him for late 1st, maybe even early 2nd.
Booker, Warren, Len are untradeable. Don't want to trade pick also.
Generally unless there is some great offer I wouldn't make any bigger trades.

Free agency
New contracts this offseason will be crazy. Please don't overpay for mediocre players. Unless Suns can sign star player (no they can't) or get some under the radar guy on great contract I would rather not spend any money on free agents.

Draft
I would like to use all picks (some of them has to be for draft and stash of course). Eventually combine them to trade up. If Suns pick is outside top 3 I would consider trading down. Hopefully McD can get another steal with at least one of his picks.

Coach
Would like to keep Watson, if not as HC then as assistant. Whoever HC will be he should focus on player development not on winning.
Main goal should be to improve defense and limiting turnovers.

Generally Suns don't need rush and big moves, they need systematic improvement, adding new young talent and developing it.

[saintEscaton]

Gut the roster and wholeheartedly commit to botttoming out from the get go, rather than wait for unfortunate events to tank out of circumstance. Can't half ass it

[8on]

1. Make a competitive offer for Jimmy Butler that allows the Bulls to start the rebuild process

2. Find a coach (and I wouldn't be opposed to Mike D'Antoni for this reason) that could feasibly balance and orchestrate an offense involving Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, and Devin Booker

3. Find a way to put our young assets to use. Whether that's committing to T.J. Warren as a full time starter, trading P.J. Tucker for a pick, or trading our other 1st round picks, which I would highly recommend, we can't use all of the assets we have. It is time to turn them into a strong player. They can be had. (I would not be surprised if Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, or Kevin Love were available this summer.)

33. Bring Pau Gasol in for a meeting, with the understanding that our cap availability is limited.

[lilfishi22]

1. Make a competitive offer for Jimmy Butler that allows the Bulls to start the rebuild process

2. Find a coach (and I wouldn't be opposed to Mike D'Antoni for this reason) that could feasibly balance and orchestrate an offense involving Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, and Devin Booker

3. Find a way to put our young assets to use. Whether that's committing to T.J. Warren as a full time starter, trading P.J. Tucker for a pick, or trading our other 1st round picks, which I would highly recommend, we can't use all of the assets we have. It is time to turn them into a strong player. They can be had. (I would not be surprised if Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, or Kevin Love were available this summer.)

33. Bring Pau Gasol in for a meeting, with the understanding that our cap availability is limited.

A compelling offer for Butler you mentioned in point 1. would likely involve many of the young assets mentioned in point 3.

EDIT: Gasol

[Gorilla Warfare]

1. Draft smart
2. Trade Knight and Chandler (trading them with picks on draft night may be the only way to get rid of these two)
3. Bring Bogdan over
4. Hire a coach that will light a fire under this team and make them play to their potential. (Thibs, Messina)

[Damkac]

Giving pick to get rid of someone would be dumb. Suns don't need cap space, no top agent is going here. The whole Knight hate is exaggerated. He is still 20/5/4 24 years old guard and his contract will become very attractive after offseason when GMs will go crazy and offer similar money for much worse players. I'm sure that if Suns would want to just get rid of Knight at the start of the season there would be interested teams. But giving him without any return would be a bad movie.