Post#5262 » by rk2023 » Mon Jun 19, 2023 8:45 pm
My overall thoughts on the trade:
• Phoenix won it for now. They didn’t give up much. (1) Shamet - whose skillset is replaceable for very cheap / much less than his contract, and (2) Paul - who was likely going to be bought out or rerouted for not much in return anyways. I’m unsure about pick swaps and seconds, so I can’t speak on that too much.
• Phoenix is a better team now, I believe so, due to the nuances I mentioned. While they are losing Paul’s distribution abilities, they now have three >= solid perimeter offensive talents and two of the top 15 players in the league. I don’t think Beal’s (or any of three per-se) volume has to go up, but the two shooting guards efficiencies could go up as a result of playing off of one another. Durant already is no slouch in that regard, as we all know.
• Even with a better shot at contending, trading for Beal doesn’t quite fix any of their flaws on paper. I think Goodwin was an underratedly good pickup as a rotation piece, but I’m unsure how much he will be relied upon. I am curious how Isaiah Todd (also acquired in the deal) looks now that he can get NBA action. Regardless, their rim pressure as a whole, skillset and archetype versatility, defense (especially with Vogel), and table setting / facilitation garner some question marks at minimum.
• Now here’s where it gets fun.. the financials. Phoenix will have ~160M tied into four players with Beal’s trade kicker in - and more $ into the future. I’m not a cap expert or well versed in NBA financials & logistics of roster management, but it seems like they’ll certainly be bottle-necked in rounding out the roster.
Mogspan wrote:I think they see the super rare combo of high IQ with freakish athleticism and overrate the former a bit, kind of like a hot girl who is rather articulate being thought of as “super smart.” I don’t know kind of a weird analogy, but you catch my drift.
