Do the Suns double down for the last time or blow it up? What would you do?

[They_Them_Hatin]

Doesn't look promising.

For starters, not Jimmy Butler.

1.) Stay the course, compete for playoffs until it just falls apart.
2.) Complete tear down. Sell off Booker, Jones and Durant and try to rehab Beals value. Flip him when he is expiring.
3.) Sell off Durant or Booker for picks, route those picks and load up on the role players from the tanking teams... timelord, Grant, Brogdon, Kuzma, Collison, Sexton, etc. Pick and choose the players that fit around the two stars left.

None of these are great options, but I would argue a complete tear down is the only one that sets you up to be in a good spot for future title runs.

I think there is a middle ground here. Trade Durant for a combination of depth and picks.

I think a team built around Booker and Beal is still competing for the 6th seed, but the chance of a deep postseason run isn’t what it is with Durant.

Your plan here is to jump below the 2nd apron and to use the assets to build a deeper roster around Booker/Beal. The end goal is Booker gives you one last chance to put a contender around him in a few years when Beals deal expires and they restock their picks.

Booker/Beal is the issue and an awful fit. Y’all just be saying anything. They both are SGs.

[JRoy]

Well not giving up that first & or Dunn for that package. The OG trade literally does nothing for us but get rid of our only in season trade-able pick. Would send whatever 2nds we have left, do it w/o the first & flip Simons to a 3rd team for draft assets sent to Blazers. Williams is always injured. Thybulle is another undersized wing, already have Royce & Josh.

If Beal waives his NTC for the Blazers, he’s desperate and would be willing to waive it for a team that wouldn’t require us to give up the 31 1st.

Beal might be the worst contract in the league.

If Beal wasn’t on a super max, he would be getting 30 million a year. A small market team with crap contracts on crap players would take a chance on him. It’s just if the Suns want to get off of bad enough or does he want to rehab his career on a bottom feeder since he has a NTC.

I’m not convinced any team would make a move for him considering contract, injury history and NTC.

I wouldn’t move Ayton for Beal, for instance. I would to just allow DA to expire.

[dcstanley]

Not that Miami would ever entertain this but I think a straight Beal and Butler swap catapults the Suns to fringe contender status.

The Beal and Booker fit just never made sense, especially now that the Suns play a traditional PG. Butler brings them size, athleticism, toughness and slots everyone into their appropriate positions. With Booker and KD, Butler has as much or more spacing to go to work than he has in Miami.

[K_chile22]

Well not giving up that first & or Dunn for that package. The OG trade literally does nothing for us but get rid of our only in season trade-able pick. Would send whatever 2nds we have left, do it w/o the first & flip Simons to a 3rd team for draft assets sent to Blazers. Williams is always injured. Thybulle is another undersized wing, already have Royce & Josh.

If Beal waives his NTC for the Blazers, he’s desperate and would be willing to waive it for a team that wouldn’t require us to give up the 31 1st.

Beal might be the worst contract in the league.

If Beal wasn’t on a super max, he would be getting 30 million a year. A small market team with crap contracts on crap players would take a chance on him. It’s just if the Suns want to get off of bad enough or does he want to rehab his career on a bottom feeder since he has a NTC.

Over his last four years he's averaging 21 and 5 on 58% TS and can't stay on the floor while being a traffic cone on defense. We make fun of the Jordan Poole contract when he's almost the same thing making that much except he doesn't miss games and is significantly younger. I do not think Beal would be sought after at that number either and he's going to make nearly double that in two seasons

[Hook_Em]

KD

for

Jabari Smith
Jalen Green
expirings
Two Suns picks returned

[LarsV8]

KD

for

Jabari Smith
Jalen Green
expirings
Two Suns picks returned

No thanks.

[Slim Charless]

KD

for

Jabari Smith
Jalen Green
expirings
Two Suns picks returned

No thanks.

You and I agree.

Durant is worth much more than that sub-par trade.

[Slim Charless]

Not that Miami would ever entertain this but I think a straight Beal and Butler swap catapults the Suns to fringe contender status.

The Beal and Booker fit just never made sense, especially now that the Suns play a traditional PG. Butler brings them size, athleticism, toughness and slots everyone into their appropriate positions. With Booker and KD, Butler has as much or more spacing to go to work than he has in Miami.

I just don't agree here. The Suns biggest hole is at the 5 and getting the oft-injured Jimmy B does nothing for that. Also forces the team to bench our best defender in Dunn-or trade him to Miami. Either way, that's no for me.

[JRoy]

KD

for

Jabari Smith
Jalen Green
expirings
Two Suns picks returned

No way HOU considers that.

They want those sweet PHX picks when the wheels fall off.

[LarsV8]

KD

for

Jabari Smith
Jalen Green
expirings
Two Suns picks returned

No thanks.

You and I agree.

Durant is worth much more than that sub-par trade.

Good luck

[jayjaysee]

I think if you’re able to get a three team deal with Beal/Butler done..

..you keep whatever limited assets you were giving Miami, don’t get Butler and you just trade Beal for whatever salaries/bodies the third team was giving Miami.

[hcsilla]

KD

for

Jabari Smith
Jalen Green
expirings
Two Suns picks returned

Adding another SG for the Suns only productive frontcourt player? No way.

[Ell Curry]

I think the Booker bidding could get pretty intense. He's such a good fit on a bunch of teams and should have a few good years left.

Say the usual 4 or 5 firsts, but also some really useful players in the deal. There's not that much bad money floating around, which helps too.

[Ell Curry]

Trading for Beal was idiotic and did them in.

No. Trading the farm (and everything around it) for KD was the problem. They bidded against themselves and no reason to add all the stuff they did. With the amount that's been sent out they could've kept it and landed any star that comes up.

Quickest way out of this imo is to trade Booker. The timeline is KD-centric and a Booker return gets you the most stuff now. Adding stuff to help KD win now is the answer. Beal can-theoretically play SG and offer the same basic stats Booker gives. Some big man help would do wonders for this team.

Trading for Beal was idiotic and did them in.

Extending Chris Paul was actually the beginning of the end!

Interesting debate.

I don't remember the CP circumstances, but Booker-Bridges-CamJohnson was a very friendly core for an elite non-shooter, at any position. On the other hand, KD shot poorly in that Denver 2nd round series in 2023 and if they'd beaten Denver in 7 instead of losing in 6, the title was certainly there (Denver swept Lakers, Heat were a relatively weak finals opponents). I think that's just how the league works now for everyone who doesn't build an incredible roster (Boston and OKC). You take your shot and live with the results.

The Beal trade really compounded things, though. Otherwise they could bail on this current team in say the summer of 2027, trade Booker and KD for whatever they can get, tank hard and they'd have their 2028, 2030 and 2031 picks, only really be out of the 2029 draft. Could build the next team after trying to compete this year, next year and the year after.

[R-DAWG]

Doesn't look promising.

For starters, not Jimmy Butler.

1.) Stay the course, compete for playoffs until it just falls apart.
2.) Complete tear down. Sell off Booker, Jones and Durant and try to rehab Beals value. Flip him when he is expiring.
3.) Sell off Durant or Booker for picks, route those picks and load up on the role players from the tanking teams... timelord, Grant, Brogdon, Kuzma, Collison, Sexton, etc. Pick and choose the players that fit around the two stars left.

None of these are great options, but I would argue a complete tear down is the only one that sets you up to be in a good spot for future title runs.

I think there is a middle ground here. Trade Durant for a combination of depth and picks.

I think a team built around Booker and Beal is still competing for the 6th seed, but the chance of a deep postseason run isn’t what it is with Durant.

Your plan here is to jump below the 2nd apron and to use the assets to build a deeper roster around Booker/Beal. The end goal is Booker gives you one last chance to put a contender around him in a few years when Beals deal expires and they restock their picks.

Booker/Beal is the issue and an awful fit. Y’all just be saying anything. They both are SGs.

It might not be an ideal fit, but you can get away with them at the 2/3. The ideal of playing Beal at point backfired.

The biggest issue with Beal as a third option is that he doesn’t do enough besides shoot/score to justify him in that role. A guy like Mikal Bridges - who isn’t as talented of a scorer - is a better fit as a number 3 where he can be a defender/floor spacer and step into a secondary scoring role on an as needed basis. To maximize Beal, he needs to be in the secondary scoring role stepping into the primary role on an as needed basis.

In a lot of ways the Durant/Booker/Beal trio is similar to Durant/Irving/Harden with the biggest difference (besides the PHX guys actually playing games) being Hardens ability to step into a playmaking role.

[winforlose]

Not a lot of teams can afford DB. He makes almost 50 this year, and more the next 3. The Suns being 2nd apron cannot aggregate. Beal’s no trade clause means the Suns are kinda stuck. As for KD, his age, injury history, and team hopping means he won’t return nearly as much as the Suns paid to get him. Nurk isn’t exactly easy to move or likely to get a great return. I think the Suns probably are where they are.

[giannis and 1]

They should either go for Butler, or upgrade on Nurkic and Allen.

[jayjaysee]

I think the Booker bidding could get pretty intense. He's such a good fit on a bunch of teams and should have a few good years left.

Say the usual 4 or 5 firsts, but also some really useful players in the deal. There's not that much bad money floating around, which helps too.

I don’t expect Phoenix to go this route and they will just keep Booker through his contract given how asset poor the are but.. honestly all I picture when I hear Butler to Phoenix.

Booker to Houston
Whatever youth/assets, salaries necessary to Miami
Butler and distant picks to Phoenix

Phoenix pays Butler his max and keeps the two old HOF together as long as they’re willing to? While sitting on the picks for life after 2028..

Not suggesting any specific value or the number of picks required/if your team (Phoenix) would force Reed or Thompson or.. to be included…or your team (Houston) wouldn’t include any picks because they own Phoenix’s future picks, etc.

but Houston can match salaries for Booker with “Holiday, Tate, Jock, Green, Green, Smith” and leave themselves room to stay under the tax when backfilling the roster with true vet mins… Lot of young talent and Adams off the bench..

[Ell Curry]

I think the Booker bidding could get pretty intense. He's such a good fit on a bunch of teams and should have a few good years left.

Say the usual 4 or 5 firsts, but also some really useful players in the deal. There's not that much bad money floating around, which helps too.

I don’t expect Phoenix to go this route and they will just keep Booker through his contract given how asset poor the are but.. honestly all I picture when I hear Butler to Phoenix.

Booker to Houston
Whatever youth/assets, salaries necessary to Miami
Butler and distant picks to Phoenix

Phoenix pays Butler his max and keeps the two old HOF together as long as they’re willing to? While sitting on the picks for life after 2028..

Not suggesting any specific value or the number of picks required/if your team (Phoenix) would force Reed or Thompson or.. to be included…or your team (Houston) wouldn’t include any picks because they own Phoenix’s future picks, etc.

but Houston can match salaries for Booker with “Holiday, Tate, Jock, Green, Green, Smith” and leave themselves room to stay under the tax when backfilling the roster with true vet mins… Lot of young talent and Adams off the bench..

I don't hate this. Maybe like this?

Houston - Booker, Tyus Jones, Damion Lee
Miami - Van Vleet, Eason, Whitmore, lottery protected Houston 1st
Suns - Butler, Aaron Holiday

and then obviously you need a bunch of Houston picks to Phoenix.

Houston gets a caretaker PG to replace VanVleet, to run out something like:

Sengun-Adams/Landale
Jabari-Butler
Butler-Brooks
Booker-Green
Tyus-Sheppard

Phoenix maybe has to start Holiday, but he's not a terrible fit just hitting 3s and playing some defence: Holiday-Beal-Butler-KD-Nurkic with Monte Morris, Allen, Dunn, Okogie and Ighodaro off the bench. Similar team as to now, but gets firsts in the future so it's less bleak.

Miami can keep or drop Van Vleet, but he starts at PG for now in a VanVleet-Herro-Eason-Jacquez/Jovic-Adebayo starting 5 that again, I'm not sure is actually much worse than the present team. Whitmore and a late 1st as sweeteners to a trade primarily centred around Eason, a season of Van Vleet with an option to keep him and no bad money feels about right for a Butler trade at this point.