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Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team?

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Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#1 » by leswizards » Wed Jul 7, 2021 1:37 pm

The Wizards have made several trades with the Suns over the past decade or so. Have any of those trades resulted either directly or indirectly in important contributors to the Suns finals team?
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#2 » by queridiculo » Wed Jul 7, 2021 2:08 pm

leswizards wrote:The Wizards have made several trades with the Suns over the past decade or so. Have any of those trades resulted either directly or indirectly in important contributors to the Suns finals team?


2014 1st rounder -> Tyler Ennis
2016 1st rounder -> Georgios Papagiannis

I suppose Oubre contract, whose bird rights arrived in Phoenix as part of the Ariza trade probaly was the most valuable piece for the Suns but only because they managed to use his salary as filler in the Chris Paul deal.

Probably the best thing to come out of those trade for Phoenix is that they added losses that resulted in higher draft picks between 2014 and 2017.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#3 » by Frichuela » Wed Jul 7, 2021 2:43 pm

Another discussion is could the Wizards replicate what the Suns have done??
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#4 » by Kanyewest » Wed Jul 7, 2021 3:48 pm

Frichuela wrote:Another discussion is could the Wizards replicate what the Suns have done??


The Wizards ended up trading up from 19 to 15 in the 2015 draft. Could they have traded up a bit more and taken Devin Booker at 13? Actually there were reports of the Wizards being interested in Booker at the time. Of course, they would have had to have a willing trade partner. The Celtics famously couldn't move up from 16 to 9 as they were willing to trade multiple first rounders including one of the Brooklyn picks.

Bridges was acquired by trading the 16th pick and an unprotected Miami pick acquired in the Gorant Dragic trade. The Wizards did have the 15th pick although they have had to probably trade their own first to move up - in an ideal world would 15 and Kelly Oubre have been enough? Simply missing the playoffs in 2018 may have put the Wizards in that draft range.

DeAndre Ayton is a player you get when the draft lottery is in your favor or if the Wizards had decided to tank.

The Wizards could have attempted to sign Jae Crowder instead of Robin Lopez. He did demand more money and a longer contract

Cam Payne could have been had by anyone.

The Wizards could have drafted Cam Johnson instead of Rui.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#5 » by Kanyewest » Wed Jul 7, 2021 3:49 pm

leswizards wrote:The Wizards have made several trades with the Suns over the past decade or so. Have any of those trades resulted either directly or indirectly in important contributors to the Suns finals team?


Kelly Oubre was involved in the Chris Paul trade for the Suns.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#6 » by payitforward » Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:07 am

Nah... it's too much of a stretch.

The Suns acquisition of Chris Paul was key, obviously. But, surely that didn't rest on Kelly Oubre.

Aside from Chris Paul, the rapid & impressive development of Mikal Bridges, Ayton taking a big jump this year, & Cameron Payne out of nowhere -- that's mostly what did it. Solid bench play from Crowder & Gallaway (& Adel Nader, & Jevon Carter too).

Cam Johnson had a good rookie year, but he hasn't developed much. Not much of a factor, I don't think.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#7 » by Kanyewest » Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:52 am

Too much of a stretch that it was "indirectly an important contributors to the Suns finals team"? :D
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#8 » by FAH1223 » Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:13 pm

queridiculo wrote:
leswizards wrote:The Wizards have made several trades with the Suns over the past decade or so. Have any of those trades resulted either directly or indirectly in important contributors to the Suns finals team?


2014 1st rounder -> Tyler Ennis
2016 1st rounder -> Georgios Papagiannis

I suppose Oubre contract, whose bird rights arrived in Phoenix as part of the Ariza trade probaly was the most valuable piece for the Suns but only because they managed to use his salary as filler in the Chris Paul deal.

Probably the best thing to come out of those trade for Phoenix is that they added losses that resulted in higher draft picks between 2014 and 2017.


Besides Booker in 2015 and Warren in 2014... Suns drafting from 2014-2017 was meh

2018 and 2019 drafts... and the trades they made i.e. Zhaire Smith for Mikal Bridges... and Culver for Saric and Johnson on draft night looks good now too.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#9 » by FAH1223 » Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:16 pm

payitforward wrote:Nah... it's too much of a stretch.

The Suns acquisition of Chris Paul was key, obviously. But, surely that didn't rest on Kelly Oubre.

Aside from Chris Paul, the rapid & impressive development of Mikal Bridges, Ayton taking a big jump this year, & Cameron Payne out of nowhere -- that's mostly what did it. Solid bench play from Crowder & Gallaway (& Adel Nader, & Jevon Carter too).

Cam Johnson had a good rookie year, but he hasn't developed much. Not much of a factor, I don't think.


In the postseason, he's made an impact.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#10 » by payitforward » Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:05 pm

Kanyewest wrote:
Frichuela wrote:Another discussion is could the Wizards replicate what the Suns have done??


The Wizards ended up trading up from 19 to 15 in the 2015 draft. Could they have traded up a bit more and taken Devin Booker at 13? Actually there were reports of the Wizards being interested in Booker at the time. Of course, they would have had to have a willing trade partner. The Celtics famously couldn't move up from 16 to 9 as they were willing to trade multiple first rounders including one of the Brooklyn picks.

Bridges was acquired by trading the 16th pick and an unprotected Miami pick acquired in the Gorant Dragic trade. The Wizards did have the 15th pick although they have had to probably trade their own first to move up - in an ideal world would 15 and Kelly Oubre have been enough? Simply missing the playoffs in 2018 may have put the Wizards in that draft range.

DeAndre Ayton is a player you get when the draft lottery is in your favor or if the Wizards had decided to tank.

The Wizards could have attempted to sign Jae Crowder instead of Robin Lopez. He did demand more money and a longer contract

Cam Payne could have been had by anyone.

The Wizards could have drafted Cam Johnson instead of Rui.

A few points about the above....

1. No, I doubt we could have traded up any higher than we did in 2015, & in any case Booker plays the same position as Bradley Beal. We wouldn't have taken him.

2. For that matter, Booker is not a part of what turned them around. He was better last year than this, & his numbers in 2018-19 (when Phoenix was at the bottom of the league) were virtually identical to his numbers this year.

3. I remember thinking that Phoenix had given too much for Bridges in the trade you reference. Shows you how wrong I can be.

4. Crowder instead of Lopez? We needed a backup Center.

5. Cam Johnson was better as a rookie than Rui. & he was better this year too. But, he isn't very good.

Above all, I don't think Frichuela was asking whether the Wizards could have done what Phoenix did. Unless I'm wrong, he is asking whether we can replicate what Phoenix did -- starting now. That's a very different question.

The answer to both questions is the same, however. "No."

The reason is the same too. Chris Paul.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#11 » by payitforward » Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:20 pm

FAH1223 wrote:
payitforward wrote:...
Cam Johnson had a good rookie year, but he hasn't developed much. Not much of a factor, I don't think.

In the postseason, he's made an impact.

You are 100% right! I was thinking about the overall turnaround of the Suns.

Cam Johnson played extremely well against the Lakers. & he absolutely killed vs. the Clippers -- they might have lost that series, probably would have, without him!
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#12 » by DCZards » Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:03 pm

FAH1223 wrote:
2018 and 2019 drafts... and the trades they made i.e. Zhaire Smith for Mikal Bridges... and Culver for Saric and Johnson on draft night looks good now too.

I don't know what the Sixers were thinking when they made that trade. (Although the Suns did get a future first rounder in the deal. Not sure who that turned out to be.)

I thought all along that Bridges had the potential to be a top 3&D NBA player. Plus he was a local kid who played at 'Nova and whose mom had some connection with Sixers organization.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#13 » by DCZards » Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:12 pm

payitforward wrote:
2. For that matter, Booker is not a part of what turned them around. He was better last year than this, & his numbers in 2018-19 (when Phoenix was at the bottom of the league) were virtually identical to his numbers this year.

The reason is the same too. Chris Paul.

Yes, CP was the key to Phoenix's improvement this season. But it's insane to suggest that Booker was "not a part of what turned" the Suns around.

There's much more to playing winning basketball than what shows up in the box score.

In fact, the seeds for the Suns turnaround may have been planted when they went 8-0 in the bubble last year. Before Chris Paul was on the team.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#14 » by gambitx777 » Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:17 pm

DCZards wrote:
FAH1223 wrote:
2018 and 2019 drafts... and the trades they made i.e. Zhaire Smith for Mikal Bridges... and Culver for Saric and Johnson on draft night looks good now too.

I don't know what the Sixers were thinking when they made that trade. (Although the Suns did get a future first rounder in the deal. Not sure who that turned out to be.)

I thought all along that Bridges had the potential to be a top 3&D NBA player. Plus he was a local kid who played at 'Nova and whose mom had some connection with Sixers organization.
It was Miami's 2021 unprotected first that the Suns some how owned. They then traded it away for Tobias Harris to the LAC. To which they traded it to the OKC. It will be selected this summer.

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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#15 » by FAH1223 » Sat Jul 10, 2021 5:35 pm

gambitx777 wrote:
DCZards wrote:
FAH1223 wrote:
2018 and 2019 drafts... and the trades they made i.e. Zhaire Smith for Mikal Bridges... and Culver for Saric and Johnson on draft night looks good now too.

I don't know what the Sixers were thinking when they made that trade. (Although the Suns did get a future first rounder in the deal. Not sure who that turned out to be.)

I thought all along that Bridges had the potential to be a top 3&D NBA player. Plus he was a local kid who played at 'Nova and whose mom had some connection with Sixers organization.
It was Miami's 2021 unprotected first that the Suns some how owned. They then traded it away for Tobias Harris to the LAC. To which they traded it to the OKC. It will be selected this summer.

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Suns owned that pick due to Dragic trade
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#16 » by CobraCommander » Sat Jul 10, 2021 5:37 pm

payitforward wrote:
Kanyewest wrote:
Frichuela wrote:Another discussion is could the Wizards replicate what the Suns have done??


The Wizards ended up trading up from 19 to 15 in the 2015 draft. Could they have traded up a bit more and taken Devin Booker at 13? Actually there were reports of the Wizards being interested in Booker at the time. Of course, they would have had to have a willing trade partner. The Celtics famously couldn't move up from 16 to 9 as they were willing to trade multiple first rounders including one of the Brooklyn picks.

Bridges was acquired by trading the 16th pick and an unprotected Miami pick acquired in the Gorant Dragic trade. The Wizards did have the 15th pick although they have had to probably trade their own first to move up - in an ideal world would 15 and Kelly Oubre have been enough? Simply missing the playoffs in 2018 may have put the Wizards in that draft range.

DeAndre Ayton is a player you get when the draft lottery is in your favor or if the Wizards had decided to tank.

The Wizards could have attempted to sign Jae Crowder instead of Robin Lopez. He did demand more money and a longer contract

Cam Payne could have been had by anyone.

The Wizards could have drafted Cam Johnson instead of Rui.

A few points about the above....

1. No, I doubt we could have traded up any higher than we did in 2015, & in any case Booker plays the same position as Bradley Beal. We wouldn't have taken him.

2. For that matter, Booker is not a part of what turned them around. He was better last year than this, & his numbers in 2018-19 (when Phoenix was at the bottom of the league) were virtually identical to his numbers this year.

3. I remember thinking that Phoenix had given too much for Bridges in the trade you reference. Shows you how wrong I can be.

4. Crowder instead of Lopez? We needed a backup Center.

5. Cam Johnson was better as a rookie than Rui. & he was better this year too. But, he isn't very good.

Above all, I don't think Frichuela was asking whether the Wizards could have done what Phoenix did. Unless I'm wrong, he is asking whether we can replicate what Phoenix did -- starting now. That's a very different question.

The answer to both questions is the same, however. "No."

The reason is the same too. Chris Paul.

The only question is CP3 or Westbrook- and honestly I don’t know or care....I love watching Westbrook play...win or lose.

Do we think CP3 has us in finals vs Westbrook ?
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#17 » by Kanyewest » Sat Jul 10, 2021 5:50 pm

DCZards wrote:
payitforward wrote:
2. For that matter, Booker is not a part of what turned them around. He was better last year than this, & his numbers in 2018-19 (when Phoenix was at the bottom of the league) were virtually identical to his numbers this year.

The reason is the same too. Chris Paul.

Yes, CP was the key to Phoenix's improvement this season. But it's insane to suggest that Booker was "not a part of what turned" the Suns around.

There's much more to playing winning basketball than what shows up in the box score.

In fact, the seeds for the Suns turnaround may have been planted when they went 8-0 in the bubble last year. Before Chris Paul was on the team.


Booker was an all star last season as well.He's still a big reason why the Suns are on the brink of an NBA championship.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#18 » by gambitx777 » Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:30 pm

FAH1223 wrote:
gambitx777 wrote:
DCZards wrote:I don't know what the Sixers were thinking when they made that trade. (Although the Suns did get a future first rounder in the deal. Not sure who that turned out to be.)

I thought all along that Bridges had the potential to be a top 3&D NBA player. Plus he was a local kid who played at 'Nova and whose mom had some connection with Sixers organization.
It was Miami's 2021 unprotected first that the Suns some how owned. They then traded it away for Tobias Harris to the LAC. To which they traded it to the OKC. It will be selected this summer.

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Suns owned that pick due to Dragic trade
God that seems like a life time ago lol

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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#19 » by Chocolate City Jordanaire » Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:00 pm

Frichuela wrote:Another discussion is could the Wizards replicate what the Suns have done??

My question is why couldn’t I have been a Suns fan?

(Or Raptors, Warriors, Hawks..,)

A lot of teams have bottomed out and bounced up to the top while the mediocre Wizard consistently hunt for the eighth seed and an early playoff exit. I am not liking the Wizards right now because I’m jealous of other teams. We have a mediocre draft coming up. I see no hope for a roster shake up. Hate to be so negative but the Suns are making me really feel like my team is lacking.

The Wizards messed up when they gave Wall the super max deal.
Tre Johnson is the future of the Wizards.
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Re: Did the Wizards help build the Suns final team? 

Post#20 » by FAH1223 » Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:17 pm

Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:
Frichuela wrote:Another discussion is could the Wizards replicate what the Suns have done??

My question is why couldn’t I have been a Suns fan?

(Or Raptors, Warriors, Hawks..,)

A lot of teams have bottomed out and bounced up to the top while the mediocre Wizard consistently hunt for the eighth seed and an early playoff exit. I am not liking the Wizards right now because I’m jealous of other teams. We have a mediocre draft coming up. I see no hope for a roster shake up. Hate to be so negative but the Suns are making me really feel like my team is lacking.

The Wizards messed up when they gave Wall the super max deal.


Not really.

Like Dat2U posted two summers ago, we could have traded Wall for CP3. :wink:

We now have Westbrook who is the better player of course. But Westbrook's postseason performances the last couple years have been awful.
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