2022-23 Season Discussion and Speculation 5 - The KD era begins

[RaisingArizona]

The more I digest this, the more I feel like it's a massive overpay. I sort of get vibes of Marion for Shaq and how we all regretted that soon after. I will try and enjoy it now, but it's a bittersweet deal for sure.

RIP GOK

I was thinking I feel a bit like I did with the Shaq trade.

A couple things though.

KD is quite a bit better than Shaq was then.

But of course we gave up way more Mikal and Cam are a lot younger than Marion was and we didn't give up picks and now we gave up 5. I imagine that Brooklyn swap in 28 will be swapped. We would get their pick though. But those 27 and 29 picks hurt. I imagine the 28 swap has no protections as well.

This is more like the Barkley trade.

Shaq was having a bad season and couldn't defend a chair...but he was Shaq.

KD is playing exactly like prime KD. Great players have longer careers now.

I was posting here during the Marion trade and barely alive during the Barkley trade. Point taken though!

[sunsfan1o1]

Craig and 2 2nd rd picks for Caruso
Shamet and/or Saric and or a 2nd rd pick for D. Rose
Then scavenge the buyout market.

[MrMiyagi]

I'll take one and the chances of that are exponentially higher today than it was 12 hours ago.


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So are lottery chances. One injury to a star and we are likely a lottery team. Two injuries to Book/KD/CP3 and we definitely are.

Yeah there's risk involved. There was risk involved of not making a move and fading into treadmill mediocrity. Sometimes you have to take chances in life to reach your goals.

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You're acting like this was the only trade option for us. We could have probably just added to our current roster.

This feels so much like Marion for Shaq.

[TeamTragic]

Read on Twitter

So after this season, Irving may look to join Durant here! How pissed would Dallas be then IF he left to join a conference rival they clearly despise!! Just to possibly see the level of meltdown from Diva Dallas fans and Doncic nut huggers would be so epic!! The icing on the cake though would be Doncbi*** getting really frustrated and leaving Dallas!.......

That would be hilarious

[Slim Charless]

There are really not many Bridges level defenders. He was 2nd in DPOY voting.

We really don't have any trade assets that would bring in a guy. You want him to shoot too.

Craig can be a solid defender and can hit the 3 unlike a guy like Dort/Thybulle. Who do you think we could possibly trade for OG? Ayton would have possibly been someone but they got Poeltl so no need for them.

We have Okogie who I think is a better defender than Craig but you're right, the move might be to trade Ayton for depth and defense. At least the Suns think that. We do need defense

Suns are obviously building around Booker and Ayton.
I think we can stop saying we will trade Ayton now. He’s the future with Booker when CP and KD are gone.

Me and you both love Ayton. He needs to buy in on basically being a defensive center now though. Chris Paul is gonna be even more of a dick since we're now the title favorites.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Craig and 2 2nd rd picks for Caruso

Chicago was asking for two 1sts for him though??

[RaisingArizona]

Wouldn't Siakam for Ayton make sense if they're deadset on trading him? I'm cool with keeping him though

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

Buyout option shooter identified...lol?

[bwgood77]

'Ishbia’s initial hope was to keep Bridges out of the trade, but that was a non-starter for the Nets.

Yeah, everybody`s hope was to keep Bridges, but...
Anyway, I am somehow in the middle and cannot decide yet if the trade will improve us significantly as a team unit, or if the lack of defense will lead to other teams crushing us.

Changes had to be made and Ishbia showed the fans he has the balls to risk. Let's hope the risk will bring the Suns the first and quite needed title.

KD is a very good defender. Can't defend smaller guys like 1s and 2s but his length allows his to deter shots from bigger PFs/Cs, even if he can't bang with bigs down low. Ayton can.

Our defense is slightly worse, since both Bridges and Cam were solid, esp Bridges. And if you consider Crowder too it is a lot worse than last year....esp with Ayton's progression but he's a lot better when team is healthy.

[sunsfan1o1]

Craig and 2 2nd rd picks for Caruso

Chicago was asking for two 1sts for him though??

I doubt anyone other than Minnesota would give away 2 firsts for a backup role player. And they don’t have anymore picks. If they’re rebuilding might as well get some expiring and 2nds.

[bwgood77]

No it doesn't, We lose the soul of this team in bridges and pick up a player who doesn't fit any need except for maybe bench scoring. We need shooting and have just given away our best shooters for 34 year old player and have given away our future. If players are not lining up to come to the Suns the future is looking very bleak.

Hey man, I didn't make the trade. Nor did I particularly like giving up what we did. Seems like JJ got desperate and overpaid to save his job. Deal is done now though so what do we do? Hope for the best and a title coming back to Phoenix.

I am not mad at you. I am very disappointed in the Suns. let me throw some names out there and think about this Finley, Marion, and now Bridges; each of them were and are traded for better talent in Kidd, Shaq and now Durant in the hopes that it would turn into a championship. In Kidd and Shaq we ended up dropping. if we dont win a championship this year the window to the future is closed and we end up having Booker wanting to leave with no hope of doing a good rebuild before 2030. CP3 is 37 and Durant is 34 (injury prone) how much more time do we have? once they are gone without draft picks we end up looking to fill the roster with hope that people will come here.

Hopefully Ayton watching and maybe working some with KD (if we keep Ayton) can allow him to gradually get better at creating his own shot over the next couple years.

If Ayton just adds a bit on both sides...just gets back to defense of 2 years ago and expands offensive game, if we keep him, him and Book and cap space could still be pretty competitive post CP/KD.

[darmani]

Westbrook here in a buy out? Westy and Warren can lead the bench crew

Read on Twitter

[Mulhollanddrive]

Still think it's a mistake to go all in and rely on Torrey Craig guarding superstars.

And if he's injured who? Okogie at SF?

[bwgood77]

Taking bets if you are confident in their championship ability?

No matter how good a team is if the bet is that team vs the field then the field is better odds.

But I'll take the bet of championship during KDs time with Phoenix. Loser never posts on this board again. But since I'm taking the worse odds I want the clause that you can't post anything negative about the trade until KDs time here is done, basically we have to see how it plays out.

If you're down for that bookmark this and we'll have a bet.

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That's what Brooklyn thought, too

yeah, they got KD and Kyrie for free basically. I guess DLo went out in S&T...then they added Harden.

In 3+ years they won 1 playoff series.

[WeekapaugGroove]

So are lottery chances. One injury to a star and we are likely a lottery team. Two injuries to Book/KD/CP3 and we definitely are.

Yeah there's risk involved. There was risk involved of not making a move and fading into treadmill mediocrity. Sometimes you have to take chances in life to reach your goals.

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You're acting like this was the only trade option for us. We could have probably just added to our current roster.

This feels so much like Marion for Shaq.

KD is much better than shaq was at that point. Like not even in the same stratosphere.

Yeah other moves could have been made. Here the thing though, the suns were going to be aggressive with trades over the next year. Those picks were going to be traded, I don't for one second think Ishbia, Jones, Monty or Booker were interested in a slow draft and develop approach using picks in the teens. So personally I'd rather take the big swing with a guy who can be the best player on the floor in a playoff series than say use 2 picks on Russell and a pick on some average starter.

This is a game with only 5 guys on the floor and 1 ball. The best players matter infinitely more than the just good players. That's the nature of this sport.

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[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

So after this season, Irving may look to join Durant here! How pissed would Dallas be then IF he left to join a conference rival they clearly despise!! Just to possibly see the level of meltdown from Diva Dallas fans and Doncic nut huggers would be so epic!! The icing on the cake though would be Doncbi*** getting really frustrated and leaving Dallas!.......

Explain how this is done? I suppose if Kyrie says he will leave Dallas, they could take back CP3 and Craig or something to get something out of it.

That's about the only way.

But if we did, it would be awesome from a talent standpoint and we wouldn't drop off the latter half of the decade.

But we'd turn into the Nets and have to deal with Kyrie's shenanigans.

At this point given what it appears we look like 26-29 I'd be happy to take it though.

[Slim Charless]

Hey btw boys........we have Kevin Durant. Let's get happy. I think we're winning a title

[Saberestar]

CUT OFF MY FINGER TO SAVE MY HAND… 99 BACK AGAIN.!!

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[Saberestar]

The Lakers are trading Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets for Davon Reed and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.

I don't get this trade at all. Bryant was playing very well.

[bwgood77]

Warren needs to definitely come off the bench and would be an amazing scoring machine with the bench unit.

I would start Craig when KD is back but before KD is back who do you start? Craig and Saric at 3/4?