2020 Season/Offseason (FA/Trade) Speculation - the Season Resumes

[Ghost of Kleine]

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?s=09

Has his NDA expired or something? Aside from a couple of interviews a while back, I haven't really heard from him but then again, not being in the US, I might not have picked up some local stuff. But most of my Suns related info generally comes from podcasts or here and I haven't heard much from him.

Good to know he's on twitter and hopefully he can give us some more spicy nuggets

I think that's a parody account.

Which account do you consider to be a parody account?
Kevin Zimmerman? Or Azsports? Or the McD one perhaps, And why do you think it's a parody? Just curious man.

[RedIndian]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5d3Q1t03eBc75AySyRiLPG?si=Qim8DwOYT8iTmkjlaigypA

This is the most recent Zach Lowe podcast. 25:00 to 35:00 is the coverage on the Suns. Mostly positive stuff and fairly interesting. A good listen for sure

I love Zach Lowe. He obviously has a soft spot for the Suns as well.

I also like the fact that he emphasised that our Rubio, Ayton plus 3 wings line up (Book, Bridges, Oubre /Cam) is really really good, and a very solid blueprint for future success.

Which kind of underscores what I've been saying for a while. WE DON'T NEED A CONVENTIONAL STARTING PF. We have a terrific bigman anchor in Ayton - you can easily build a long, athletic, switchable defense around him with 3 wings.

For future roster construction, I'd focus on 3 major needs:


1. Another versatile athletic wing who can slide from 2 to 3 (and maybe 4). Maybe you add that in the draft in the form of Vassell or Saddiq Bey, or you get one in FA - Justin Holiday, DJJ.

2. A high-ceiling shot creating guard. Doesn't necessarily have to be a PG, but needs to be someone who can handle, create and shoot. The FO were clearly looking for such a player in Kennard. Long term, the offensive upside of this team depends on having that third guard who can score at a high level. I'm not sure who that player is yet. Maybe you get him in the draft (Lamelo, Hayes, Haliburton, Cole, Kira, Riller) or you get him via trade (Kennard, Derrick White, Devonte Graham). I don't see anyone in FA who can come in and help us. Not interested in backup PGs like Augustin or Seth Curry. I'd be looking at this guy to be a future foundational piece, and backcourt partner for Booker once Rubio expires.

3. A long athletic 4/5 of the bench. My focus here wouldn't be a foundational starting piece, but a defensively versatile hustle guy with length, who plays off the bench. Again, you find him where you can. FA (Noel, Ibaka, Boucher, Millsap) or draft (Jalen Smith, Paul Reed) or trade.

The rest of the roster can be filled out with a combination of whoever you want to retain from Baynes, Saric, Kaminsky, Carter, Okobo.

The larger point is I'd avoid the obsession to find a true PF like Gordon or Markannen.

[PharmD]

Deandre Ayton is listed as OUT tomorrow vs the Washington Wizards according to ESPN’s site.

Are we being trolled?

I see that. Why would he be OUT??

[WeekapaugGroove]

Deandre Ayton is listed as OUT tomorrow vs the Washington Wizards according to ESPN’s site.

Are we being trolled?

I see that. Why would he be OUT??

I don't think that report is accurate, it lists Leque as questionable and he's not even there.

[Jdiddy701]

Deandre Ayton is listed as OUT tomorrow vs the Washington Wizards according to ESPN’s site.

Are we being trolled?

I see that. Why would he be OUT??

I don't think that report is accurate, it lists Leque as questionable and he's not even there.

I believe Jalen is there now


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[starbosa10]

So is it better for us if the grizz or blazers win tomorrow?

[alamin330]

If you can't afford to operate a G-League team then you should sell the damn team you cheap ****.

That’s what he did

[King4Day]

So is it better for us if the grizz or blazers win tomorrow?

I'd say Grizz since we have tons of teams to leap frog. They can lose the games to better teams later on. But we need them to beat the teams we need to get ahead of during our 8-0 run

[Frank Lee]

.......3. A long athletic 4/5 of the bench. My focus here wouldn't be a foundational starting piece, but a defensively versatile hustle guy with length, who plays off the bench. Again, you find him where you can. FA (Noel, Ibaka, Boucher, Millsap) or draft (Jalen Smith, Paul Reed) or trade.

Now there's a dude I overlooked/forgot about till the last scrimmage. A long 3/D who has yet to get paid. Toronto has multiple free agents, and would have to think twice about matching (RFA) a significant payraising deal. Can this guy contribute for 20+ mins a night? I think he'd welcome the opportunity.... heck, he already has two rings

[Ghost of Kleine]

.......3. A long athletic 4/5 of the bench. My focus here wouldn't be a foundational starting piece, but a defensively versatile hustle guy with length, who plays off the bench. Again, you find him where you can. FA (Noel, Ibaka, Boucher, Millsap) or draft (Jalen Smith, Paul Reed) or trade.

Now there's a dude I overlooked/forgot about till the last scrimmage. A long 3/D who has yet to get paid. Toronto has multiple free agents, and would have to think twice about matching (RFA) a significant payraising deal. Can this guy contribute for 20+ mins a night? I think he'd welcome the opportunity.... heck, he already has two rings

With respect to that very solid suggestion of Boucher I'll again offer this trade proposal.

Phoenix trades the 10th pick for Terrence Davis (cheaper contractually than Powell, But still very solid) / Boucher and the 28th pick. We can throw in Diallo and Okobo IF they'd like as well!

28- Draft Tyler Bey to be our backup 3/4. Since we missed out on Vassell. Davis will backup Booker at the 2, And Boucher will be our backup 4/5. Bring back Saric/ Baynes. Sign Merrill to a two way contract to be our microwave scorer/ 6th man sniper/ facilitator in the backcourt.

[WeekapaugGroove]

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[ImNotMcDiSwear]

.......3. A long athletic 4/5 of the bench. My focus here wouldn't be a foundational starting piece, but a defensively versatile hustle guy with length, who plays off the bench. Again, you find him where you can. FA (Noel, Ibaka, Boucher, Millsap) or draft (Jalen Smith, Paul Reed) or trade.

Now there's a dude I overlooked/forgot about till the last scrimmage. A long 3/D who has yet to get paid. Toronto has multiple free agents, and would have to think twice about matching (RFA) a significant payraising deal. Can this guy contribute for 20+ mins a night? I think he'd welcome the opportunity.... heck, he already has two rings

With respect to that very solid suggestion of Boucher I'll again offer this trade proposal.

Phoenix trades the 10th pick for Terrence Davis (cheaper contractually than Powell, But still very solid) / Boucher and the 28th pick. We can throw in Diallo and Okobo IF they'd like as well!

28- Draft Tyler Bey to be our backup 3/4. Since we missed out on Vassell. Davis will backup Booker at the 2, And Boucher will be our backup 4/5. Bring back Saric/ Baynes. Sign Merrill to a two way contract to be our microwave scorer/ 6th man sniper/ facilitator in the backcourt.

Forgot to check those contracts, my man! Boucher is RFA, and so cannot be traded.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Now there's a dude I overlooked/forgot about till the last scrimmage. A long 3/D who has yet to get paid. Toronto has multiple free agents, and would have to think twice about matching (RFA) a significant payraising deal. Can this guy contribute for 20+ mins a night? I think he'd welcome the opportunity.... heck, he already has two rings

With respect to that very solid suggestion of Boucher I'll again offer this trade proposal.

Phoenix trades the 10th pick for Terrence Davis (cheaper contractually than Powell, But still very solid) / Boucher and the 28th pick. We can throw in Diallo and Okobo IF they'd like as well!

28- Draft Tyler Bey to be our backup 3/4. Since we missed out on Vassell. Davis will backup Booker at the 2, And Boucher will be our backup 4/5. Bring back Saric/ Baynes. Sign Merrill to a two way contract to be our microwave scorer/ 6th man sniper/ facilitator in the backcourt.

Forgot to check those contracts, my man! Boucher is RFA, and so cannot be traded.

Good looking out man!
I guess then maybe trade for Terrence Davis and Matt Thomas? And then offer Boucher the full midlevel exception and hope that they don't match? Otherwise, pick up an early 2nd and draft Reed, As he'd possibly be a better version of Boucher anyways?

Otherwise, Perhaps we look to an agreed upon trade? ( IF he's willing)?

[quote]While restricted free agents can be signed and traded, this is not allowed if that player has signed an offer sheet with another team.

The team receiving the player cannot have a payroll that exceeds the so-called "apron"—a designated level above the NBA luxury tax threshold—after the trade.

Wikipedia › wiki › Sign-and-trade_...
Sign-and-trade deal - Wikipedia[/quote]

So If this is actually correct, Then perhaps we could look to do an "Agreed upon" sign and trade deal with Toronto for the pick swap? I mean we wouldn't be a team exceeding the apron anyways right?

[Qwigglez]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5d3Q1t03eBc75AySyRiLPG?si=Qim8DwOYT8iTmkjlaigypA

This is the most recent Zach Lowe podcast. 25:00 to 35:00 is the coverage on the Suns. Mostly positive stuff and fairly interesting. A good listen for sure

I love Zach Lowe. He obviously has a soft spot for the Suns as well.

I also like the fact that he emphasised that our Rubio, Ayton plus 3 wings line up (Book, Bridges, Oubre /Cam) is really really good, and a very solid blueprint for future success.

Which kind of underscores what I've been saying for a while. WE DON'T NEED A CONVENTIONAL STARTING PF. We have a terrific bigman anchor in Ayton - you can easily build a long, athletic, switchable defense around him with 3 wings.

For future roster construction, I'd focus on 3 major needs:


1. Another versatile athletic wing who can slide from 2 to 3 (and maybe 4). Maybe you add that in the draft in the form of Vassell or Saddiq Bey, or you get one in FA - Justin Holiday, DJJ.

2. A high-ceiling shot creating guard. Doesn't necessarily have to be a PG, but needs to be someone who can handle, create and shoot. The FO were clearly looking for such a player in Kennard. Long term, the offensive upside of this team depends on having that third guard who can score at a high level. I'm not sure who that player is yet. Maybe you get him in the draft (Lamelo, Hayes, Haliburton, Cole, Kira, Riller) or you get him via trade (Kennard, Derrick White, Devonte Graham). I don't see anyone in FA who can come in and help us. Not interested in backup PGs like Augustin or Seth Curry. I'd be looking at this guy to be a future foundational piece, and backcourt partner for Booker once Rubio expires.

3. A long athletic 4/5 of the bench. My focus here wouldn't be a foundational starting piece, but a defensively versatile hustle guy with length, who plays off the bench. Again, you find him where you can. FA (Noel, Ibaka, Boucher, Millsap) or draft (Jalen Smith, Paul Reed) or trade.

The rest of the roster can be filled out with a combination of whoever you want to retain from Baynes, Saric, Kaminsky, Carter, Okobo.

The larger point is I'd avoid the obsession to find a true PF like Gordon or Markannen.

100% what I wanted when it comes to the 2-4 being versatile wings. Which is why I really like the pairing of Oubre/Bridges because they both have 7 foot wingspan. Love Cam off the bench, and I completely forgot about us being heavily interested in Kennard. I think that would have solidified our lack of scoring and playmaking off the bench.

I don't want us to make too much of a roster adjustment, as I think we overall just lacked experience and chemistry this past season.

[WeekapaugGroove]

With respect to that very solid suggestion of Boucher I'll again offer this trade proposal.

Phoenix trades the 10th pick for Terrence Davis (cheaper contractually than Powell, But still very solid) / Boucher and the 28th pick. We can throw in Diallo and Okobo IF they'd like as well!

28- Draft Tyler Bey to be our backup 3/4. Since we missed out on Vassell. Davis will backup Booker at the 2, And Boucher will be our backup 4/5. Bring back Saric/ Baynes. Sign Merrill to a two way contract to be our microwave scorer/ 6th man sniper/ facilitator in the backcourt.

Forgot to check those contracts, my man! Boucher is RFA, and so cannot be traded.

Good looking out man!
I guess then maybe trade for Terrence Davis and Matt Thomas? And then offer Boucher the full midlevel exception and hope that they don't match? Otherwise, pick up an early 2nd and draft Reed, As he'd possibly be a better version of Boucher anyways?

Otherwise, Perhaps we look to an agreed upon trade? ( IF he's willing)?

[quote]While restricted free agents can be signed and traded, this is not allowed if that player has signed an offer sheet with another team.

The team receiving the player cannot have a payroll that exceeds the so-called "apron"—a designated level above the NBA luxury tax threshold—after the trade.

Wikipedia › wiki › Sign-and-trade_...
Sign-and-trade deal - Wikipedia

So If this is actually correct, Then perhaps we could look to do an "Agreed upon" sign and trade deal with Toronto for the pick swap? I mean we wouldn't be a team exceeding the apron anyways right? [/quote]Sure that's allowed it would just have to be a 2021 or later draft pick deal. The 2020 draft takes place before you are allowed to talk to 2020 FAs. Now I realize tampering happens but doing a pick swap a week after the draft with a RFA sign and trade would be a little too obvious that tampering happened and even though the NBA basically ignores most tampering theyd probably have to come down on that.

Now let's say teams actually did this kind of thing with a RFA. One issue is they would both have to make their draft picks secretly for the other team then you'd have to spend a week having that pick do media stuff even though you know they won't be on the team but you can't tell that player because you're doing something against the rules and probably want the least amount of people possible in the know. I can't imagine this would sit well with the agent or players once they realize what happened. Then you're also doing all this on pure trust that RFA actually holds up their end of this scheme, what happens if on day one of FA they get an offer for more money? That player can back out and sign that other offer sheet because it's not like the teams can complain because what they were doing was illegal. Then both teams are stuck with draft picks they didn't want.

It's just not a realistic scenario.

Personally I think the league should put FA before the draft, then this kind of thing would be perfectly legal.
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[NapoleonII]

Anyone map out the path (wins/losses) for the remaining teams for us to make the playoffs?

I'm guessing it's a pretty slim chance that we leapfrog all those teams and maintain the 4-game distance for the play-in with Memphis?

Memphis got screwed hard in this.

[bwgood77]

Anyone map out the path (wins/losses) for the remaining teams for us to make the playoffs?

I'm guessing it's a pretty slim chance that we leapfrog all those teams and maintain the 4-game distance for the play-in with Memphis?

Memphis got screwed hard in this.

I won't be surprised at all if Memphis avoids the playoff by staying at least 4 games ahead of everyone. People continue to underrate them.

I think the main thing is to just root against every team whenever they play anyone else, and when they play each other root for the one lower in the standings...mostly. Of course the main thing is us winning out.

[bigfoot]

FYI ... important tentative dates

Aug. 25: NBA Draft lottery
Oct. 15: NBA Draft
Oct. 18: Free agency begins
Nov. 10: Training camp begins for 2020-21 season
Dec. 1: Opening night

[Saberestar]

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[darealjuice]

Lol McDonough saying he tried using 11-15 for player development from 2016-2018, but I'm pretty sure he meant 1-5 considering we were starting a bunch of 19 year olds.

Sarver's a clown for dumping the NAZ Suns though. If you can't afford to operate a G-League team then you should sell the damn team you cheap ****.

I disagree. Our draft picks need to be playing with the big club and shouldn't be sent to G-League. They need to 1) be around the coaching staff to develop and learn the system, 2) practicing against better players every day, 3) watching games and game film with the team, and 4) be available as subs to play in team scrimmages.

Honestly, Lecque would have been better off spending more time with the main club as opposed to playing 33 G-League games. The G-League never got us anything. Now it really exists for the two-way players (16-17). I would much rather see all Sarver's dollars saved from the G league be directed to the scouting department.

You can do all of that while still having a G-League team though. Time for hard practices is hard to come by during the regular season, and the G-League is useful to get young guys practice and play time when there are no minutes and little practice time available, like on long road trips. It hasn't worked for us, but we've rarely utilized it, and it has been useful for other team. We've also had guys like DJJ, Danuel House, and Shaq Harrison come through our G-League team and end up being serviceable players. There's literally no downside to having a team outside of costing more money.

I don't disagree that Lecque could have used more time with the main team, but he has a lot of development to do skill-wise and learning the game, and I can see why they might feel playing time is more valuable.

This was obviously a business decision, so I wouldn't hold your breath on money being diverted to scouting.