2023-24 Season Discussion and Speculation 3 - Post Free Agency Discussion

[Revived]

I don’t think Suns will have another player as polarizing as DeAndre Ayton for a very long time. Many fans hated him and then many fans defended him like crazy. I’ve already seen some tweets of people saying they were Suns fans since the Charles Barkley days and are now leaving to become fans of the Blazers or some other team because of this trade.

Personally I think he was a big reason the Suns made the finals. However he never put forth that same level of consistent effort ever again. Absolutely wasted a #1 overall pick in a draft in that has had at least 2 generational talents.

Overall, he’s probably my least favorite Suns player to play in Phoenix when considering expectations, contract etc.

[enigmatics]

Ya it was over but I hope Booker is ready, I think he is, but it's all on his shoulders now he has literally gotten everything he wanted and he has largely avoided any scrutiny despite collapsing in close out games himself the last few years because Ayton took the brunt of that criticism deserved or otherwise, now any failure is his.

10000000000%

Thinking Booker has avoided “any scrutiny” is crazy or yall must only browse the Suns realgm board. Because if you’re active on any social media or watch any sports outlets then you’d know that’s not true.

"Largely" is a loose term.

He's received some, but not nearly to the level he deserved - especially with the flameouts in important series closeouts. All imo of course.

[Saberestar]

PG - Beal , Gordon , Goodwin , Saben*
SG - Book , Grayson , Damion
SF - KBD , Little , Okogie
PF - Durant , Watanabe , Bol
C - Nurkic , Eubanks , Metu , Azubuike*

That’s my early prediction for the depth chart.

I can see Grayson Allen/Eric Gordon getting minutes next to Beal and Book as a false SFs.

Little and Okogie are similar players on paper. Okogie a better defender but Little a better shooter.

I think that Goodwin somehow will find his way into the 10-man rotation.

[enigmatics]

I don’t think Suns will have another player as polarizing as DeAndre Ayton for a very long time. Many fans hated him and then many fans defended him like crazy. I’ve already seen some tweets of people saying they were Suns fans since the Charles Barkley days and are now leaving to become fans of the Blazers or some other team because of this trade.

Good riddance.

Imagine being that delusional over a career that can be easily summed up as "Will this finally be the year?"

People are weird.

[bwoolf2]

PG - Beal , Gordon , Goodwin , Saben*
SG - Book , Grayson , Damion
SF - KBD , Little , Okogie
PF - Durant , Watanabe , Bol
C - Nurkic , Eubanks , Metu , Azubuike*

That’s my early prediction for the depth chart.

I can see Grayson Allen/Eric Gordon getting minutes next to Beal and Book as a false SFs.

Little and Okogie are similar players on paper. Okogie a better defender but Little a better shooter.

I think that Goodwin somehow will find his way into the 10-man rotation.

Looks about right but I think players and fans are going to be clamoring for Eubanks to start when they find out Nurk can't move laterally and cant defend, which is fine I think Eubanks is much more suited for the role the Suns want out of the center position than Nurk, actually don't think it's close.

[matt131]

https://x.com/bobbymarks42/status/1707396742025539987

So two things to note: Nurkic not required to pass a physical for the trade to go through and the Suns created a $1.1 million trade exception.

[bwoolf2]

Read on Twitter

So two things to note: Nurkic not required to pass a physical for the trade to go through and the Suns created a $1.1 million trade exception.

Ya I think people underestimate the injuries for Nurk he is a big with significant leg and feet issues going into his 30s that usually isn't a positive for movement when you are already not very athletic.

I'm actually hoping they start Eubanks who I think is perfect for the role they want out of their center position. Non stop Hustle can defend and is fairly athletic and although undersized will bang with other bigs.

[lonea]

Ya I think people underestimate the injuries for Nurk he is a big with significant leg and feet issues going into his 30s that usually isn't a positive for movement when you are already not very athletic.

Suns don't need an athletic big. They need an actual big up who can be a present in the paint, like posting up and grabbing boards...

Suns have enough scorers and don't need the big to score.

This is the exact reason Bogut worked out for the Warriors

[spanishninja]

Read on Twitter

So two things to note: Nurkic not required to pass a physical for the trade to go through and the Suns created a $1.1 million trade exception.

Ya I think people underestimate the injuries for Nurk he is a big with significant leg and feet issues going into his 30s that usually isn't a positive for movement when you are already not very athletic.

I'm actually hoping they start Eubanks who I think is perfect for the role they want out of their center position. Non stop Hustle can defend and is fairly athletic and although undersized will bang with other bigs.

I commented earlier on Eubanks starting. Maybe Nurk replacing Ayton will clear the way for that. In Portland last year it was already transitioning that way with Nurk sitting out all those games towards the end.

[Qwigglez]

So as it were - the Heat trade package for Dame would have definitely netted the Suns Caleb Martin and Nurkic.

It's not on the Suns that the Portlan FO is trash.

The Blazers front office were definitely thinking with emotions rather than reason with the Lillard trade. Lillard absolutely wanted Miami, but the Blazers didn't want to trade him to his primary destination. Playing with Giannis is not bad, but it's Milwaukee.

The Blazers should have accepted the better package offered from the Heat IMO.

[BobbieL]

I don’t think Suns will have another player as polarizing as DeAndre Ayton for a very long time. Many fans hated him and then many fans defended him like crazy. I’ve already seen some tweets of people saying they were Suns fans since the Charles Barkley days and are now leaving to become fans of the Blazers or some other team because of this trade.

Good riddance.

Imagine being that delusional over a career that can be easily summed up as "Will this finally be the year?"

People are weird.

Didn't hate Ayton - I saw him play at Arizona - I knew he was not the right pick

Granted, his talent is very tantalizing and the "what if" is thrown out there

I am fine with the trade,. Kind of wish would have got Caleb Martin but Blazers still might come out ahead with Ayton and whatever they get for Jrue (just please trade him East to Miami)

[Saberestar]

PG - Beal , Gordon , Goodwin , Saben*
SG - Book , Grayson , Damion
SF - KBD , Little , Okogie
PF - Durant , Watanabe , Bol
C - Nurkic , Eubanks , Metu , Azubuike*

That’s my early prediction for the depth chart.

I can see Grayson Allen/Eric Gordon getting minutes next to Beal and Book as a false SFs.

Little and Okogie are similar players on paper. Okogie a better defender but Little a better shooter.

I think that Goodwin somehow will find his way into the 10-man rotation.

Looks about right but I think players and fans are going to be clamoring for Eubanks to start when they find out Nurk can't move laterally and cant defend, which is fine I think Eubanks is much more suited for the role the Suns want out of the center position than Nurk, actually don't think it's close.

I disagree.

I think that Eubanks will be perfectly fine as a energy big playing around 15 mpg on a contender.

He reminds me of Lou Admunson. Players that you love on small roles but usually are too limited to be effective as a starters.

[bwoolf2]

PG - Beal , Gordon , Goodwin , Saben*
SG - Book , Grayson , Damion
SF - KBD , Little , Okogie
PF - Durant , Watanabe , Bol
C - Nurkic , Eubanks , Metu , Azubuike*

That’s my early prediction for the depth chart.

I can see Grayson Allen/Eric Gordon getting minutes next to Beal and Book as a false SFs.

Little and Okogie are similar players on paper. Okogie a better defender but Little a better shooter.

I think that Goodwin somehow will find his way into the 10-man rotation.

Looks about right but I think players and fans are going to be clamoring for Eubanks to start when they find out Nurk can't move laterally and cant defend, which is fine I think Eubanks is much more suited for the role the Suns want out of the center position than Nurk, actually don't think it's close.

I disagree.

I think that Eubanks will be perfectly fine as a energy big playing around 15 mpg on a contender.

He reminds me of Lou Admunson. Players that you love on small roles but usually are too limited to be effective as a starters.

Then we need another C because Nurk will get played off the floor most nights

[bwoolf2]

Ya I think people underestimate the injuries for Nurk he is a big with significant leg and feet issues going into his 30s that usually isn't a positive for movement when you are already not very athletic.

Suns don't need an athletic big. They need an actual big up who can be a present in the paint, like posting up and grabbing boards...

Suns have enough scorers and don't need the big to score.

This is the exact reason Bogut worked out for the Warriors

Talk to me a few weeks into the season when Nurk gets constantly hunted by other teams

Hope I'm wrong but injuries have made him.a shell of what he was

[Qwigglez]

With a night to sleep on it, I still cant get over how much this trade sucks. Unless the trade is gonna be expanded or things added to it in the interim, this is just stupid. I barely see the Nurk hope, AND IT IS PURE HOPE that he is semi healthy. Everything else is redundant and stupid. Allen... we have Gordon off the bench ahead of him, not to mention we have better athletes to play small forward if that is the angle. And lets be real about the prospects of Little and Johnson!! Both have the heavy possibility of being out of the league the second their contracts run out and what the **** did we trade for two guys who are under contract for 4 and 2 more years?!?! You really want to tell me either of these guys is a rotation player above anyone we resigned (Okogie, Lee), or any of the guard/forwards we picked up in free-agency?!?! These two are deep on the bench players on a team that went 33-4 Fu#@%in 9!!! Im usually positive and try to find the brighter side to spin, but this is stupid.

I am doing my best to temper any sort of excitement about Nurkic. He complains about touches, he gets emotional, he makes mistakes on offense. He is at the very least, a more affordable option at center, but he is just so injury prone. I don't know where it's at, but someone on the general board posted a picture of all the injuries Nurkic has had in the last 2-3 years, and... it is a lot. I don't see how that changes as he gets older. His usage rate is similar to Ayton but he has much lower efficiency. He is going to be getting a lot less looks, so the same complaints that people perceive Ayton to have about touches, will still be there for Nurkic IMO.

I am hoping Little makes an impact. He needs to work on his 3, he sways a bit, and that is going to get him off-balanced, which is likely why his 3PT % the last 3 seasons is around 35%. If he stopped leaning towards one side, it would probably be closer to 38%-40%. I like that he drives to the basket. I saw a clip of him taking a step back midrange jumper, and he made it, but it was a wild shot. So I looked up his stats on mid-range jumpers and he is piss-poor from that area shooting 37% the last two seasons. Sure, there isn't much volume but it just is not a good shot for him. His 3PT% from the corner 3 is 38% the last 3 seasons, and that isn't super bad. However, compare that Grayson Allen's entire NBA career (5 seasons) from the corner 3 he is shooting 45%. I could see Little taking minutes from Lee, Okogie, and Bol just because he has higher upside.

I am thrilled about Grayson Allen. He is the exact type of player that Book and KD want to play with. He is one of those players that elevates his game when he plays with stars. He has been very durable the last two season.

[PhxLax]

PG - Beal , Gordon , Goodwin , Saben*
SG - Book , Grayson , Damion
SF - KBD , Little , Okogie
PF - Durant , Watanabe , Bol
C - Nurkic , Eubanks , Metu , Azubuike*

That’s my early prediction for the depth chart

1. Wow Okogie third string?
2. They're very high on Little as SF/PF
3. Nurkic-Eubanks interchangeable as y'all say
4. I think Little or Allen starts at SF

C Nurk Drew Metu Bol (Azub)
F KD KBD Yuta
F Allen Little Yuta
G Book Okogie Damion
G Beal Gordon Good (Saban)

[enigmatics]

Talk to me a few weeks into the season when Nurk gets constantly hunted by other teams

Hope I'm wrong but injuries have made him.a shell of what he was

In the playoffs is where the "hunting" could become an issue.

The X factor though is will he be rejuvenated now that he's not wasting away in Portland? Hoping they can get him to slim up a little as the season progresses as that could help him tremendously. I think the Suns overall team length is also going help cover up some of his deficiencies.

Regardless, at least on offense the guy isn't an island. This dude can pass and step out for threes. The Suns ain't trying to be a defensive juggernaut - even though I know they hired Vogel as the coach. It's pretty clear offense is the focus when you have a big three like KD, Book, and Beal.

[matt131]

Grayson Allen's advanced stats are actually pretty good.
TS% Regular Season last year: 61%
TS% Playoffs last year: 65.8% (he shot 48% from three! Yes, in 5 games, but dang)
FTr of 22.6%

To compare…
Deandre's stats last year
TS% Regular Season last year: 61.2%
TS% Playoffs last year: 55.3%
FTr of 22.5%

Grayson Allen, who is 6'4" and shoots 65.7% of his shots from 3, has the same free throw rate as DA.
Dude can freaking stroke it from deep. I would not be surprised if he starts. It will cause problems defensively, but wow, he’s the perfect guy to kick out to. Having him AND Eric Gordon on the same team is ridiculous. Grayson seems to shoot pretty darn well off movement, but can still hit from far beyond the three point line. Gordon is a little more of a stand still shooter, but it seems like we have the best three point shooting players this team has seen in a while in terms of volume, percentage, shot type, and consistency.

[Slim Charless]

Suns were dumb to do this trade and will regret it. We got mollywhopped on value. Again. You wanna get rid of Ayton? Fine. Then at least do it for picks. To take on Nurk's crap deal and to PAY to do it in the form of Ayton and our only draft pick is stupid.

Jones is dumb or whoever negotiated this deal is dumb.

[Slim Charless]

If Nurkic was good Lillard wouldn’t be running from the grind. His teammates have been trash

And if Portland actually thought Ayton was good they would have just did a separate Ayton for Nurk + parts deal and tried to contend with him Dame, Grant, and Scoot.


But in reality two meh players were traded for each other.

Sent from my SM-F731U using RealGM mobile app

Thats more a Dame decision just like this was likely a Book decision, but you are right two so far meh players were traded.

I would prefer they turn Nurk into Capela but not sure Hawks do that.

Of course they wouldn't, no team is dumb enough to trade their young center that has potential for Nurk's old and very over paid azz.......oh wait.