The Official 2025 Offseason Thread Part 2

[mkot]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45425353/potential-trades-top-2025-nba-draft-pick-cooper-flagg-dallas-mavericks

Booker for Flagg, PJ , Naji , Caleb, and Klay.

Then trade KD to Spurs for #2 (maybe with a third team as well)

Give us Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg to build around and go young.

Why would the Mavs include Flagg?

[SkyBill40]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45425353/potential-trades-top-2025-nba-draft-pick-cooper-flagg-dallas-mavericks

Booker for Flagg, PJ , Naji , Caleb, and Klay.

Then trade KD to Spurs for #2 (maybe with a third team as well)

Give us Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg to build around and go young.

Why would the Mavs include Flagg?

They wouldn't. But they'd have to for the premise of the article seeing moving the pick is key.

Nico Harrison is certifiably nuts, but I don't see Flagg going anywhere no matter what might be the package. This was a hand delivered piece by Adam Silver to make them whole after the Doncic trade. Them effectively spitting in his face by moving it would be a death blow.

[KdoubleDees23]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45425353/potential-trades-top-2025-nba-draft-pick-cooper-flagg-dallas-mavericks

Booker for Flagg, PJ , Naji , Caleb, and Klay.

Then trade KD to Spurs for #2 (maybe with a third team as well)

Give us Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg to build around and go young.

Why would the Mavs include Flagg?

Because if you click on the link and read - the article stated that. Then I said after that trade KD to spurs for #2.

[King4Day]

It's going to be Ott, isn't it? This Michigan State thing is really beginning to grate

Of course it's going to be him.

What if we hire Johnny Bryant AND Jordan Ott?

They have been working together for a full year and Bryant was the lead assistant on the Cavs.

Bryant as a HC and Ott as a lead assistant can work pretty well IMO.

I fully expect Ott to become lead assistant with Cleveland next year if Bryant gets our job. That would raise his value if they have another good season.
An assistant with the Suns isn't a smart way to go. No matter who takes the head job, they will not be in the running for coach of the year, I can tell you that much. And not because of them.

[King4Day]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45425353/potential-trades-top-2025-nba-draft-pick-cooper-flagg-dallas-mavericks

Booker for Flagg, PJ , Naji , Caleb, and Klay.

Then trade KD to Spurs for #2 (maybe with a third team as well)

Give us Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg to build around and go young.

Why would the Mavs include Flagg?

Suns fans would do it
Ishbia wouldn't do it.
Mavs won't do it.
Spurs won't do it.

[mkot]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45425353/potential-trades-top-2025-nba-draft-pick-cooper-flagg-dallas-mavericks

Booker for Flagg, PJ , Naji , Caleb, and Klay.

Then trade KD to Spurs for #2 (maybe with a third team as well)

Give us Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg to build around and go young.

Why would the Mavs include Flagg?

Because if you click on the link and read - the article stated that. Then I said after that trade KD to spurs for #2.

That's why I don't usually discuss hypothetical trades because most of them make very little sense and fewer of them actually happen. ANd I don't have the patient to look up teams cap situation and how much each involved are making.

I can definitely see Mavs making some moves, they now have too many bigs, but they are keeping Flagg.

[mkot]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45425353/potential-trades-top-2025-nba-draft-pick-cooper-flagg-dallas-mavericks

Booker for Flagg, PJ , Naji , Caleb, and Klay.

Then trade KD to Spurs for #2 (maybe with a third team as well)

Give us Dylan Harper, Cooper Flagg to build around and go young.

Why would the Mavs include Flagg?

Suns fans would do it
Ishbia wouldn't do it.
Mavs won't do it.
Spurs won't do it.

I was just thinking the same thing too

[King4Day]

Gambo says a new coach by the end of the week and maybe Durant trade by the draft. So once the finals are done... the rumors should start flying

Read on Twitter

Seems that's more his opinion on KD but interesting to hear that as I would think it'll happen in July.
Perhaps the Suns have a deal lined up already and are waiting until the finals are over before pulling the trigger. I still think it'll be the Spurs.

If it's KAT, I'm a Hornets fan on lease until the Suns get their act together.

[lilfishi22]

It's going to be Ott, isn't it? This Michigan State thing is really beginning to grate

Yeah, really sickening. To be this openly and bluntly unbothered while handing key jobs to people with pretty much no resume, just because they're your friends, buddies or fellow Michiganders... We can see Ishbia is infatuated with Booker, and when you think of it, he's also from Michigan... We're looking more like one of the crime families of America than a professional basketball organization.

I just don't know how Ishbia sees having the Michigan connection is somehow an advantage. Like having been in the same geographical location at one point in your life doesn't make someone more loyal or better at their job. It's pretty frustrating.

[thamadkant]

If KD is traded for KAT, it happens once Giannis is traded to Raptors because KAT is tied to Giannis if Knicks go there

[TeamTragic]

Knicks are not getting KD for KAT

[BobbieL]

Gambo says a new coach by the end of the week and maybe Durant trade by the draft. So once the finals are done... the rumors should start flying

Read on Twitter

Seems that's more his opinion on KD but interesting to hear that as I would think it'll happen in July.
Perhaps the Suns have a deal lined up already and are waiting until the finals are over before pulling the trigger. I still think it'll be the Spurs.

If it's KAT, I'm a Hornets fan on lease until the Suns get their act together.

I saw the PHNX guys talking about KAT and wanted to hurl. Two guys who don’t play defense

Terrible .. hopefully ishbia doesn’t go for the splash and name nonsense

[KdoubleDees23]

Gambo says a new coach by the end of the week and maybe Durant trade by the draft. So once the finals are done... the rumors should start flying

Read on Twitter

Seems that's more his opinion on KD but interesting to hear that as I would think it'll happen in July.
Perhaps the Suns have a deal lined up already and are waiting until the finals are over before pulling the trigger. I still think it'll be the Spurs.

If it's KAT, I'm a Hornets fan on lease until the Suns get their act together.

I saw the PHNX guys talking about KAT and wanted to hurl. Two guys who don’t play defense

Terrible .. hopefully ishbia doesn’t go for the splash and name nonsense

To be honest, if you put KAT on our roster this year, and take KD off. I bet we do better than we did. I actually like how KAT started to play in the playoffs.

Give me Russ Westbrook and Walter Clayton JR at PG, KAT. We would be a lot better

Russ, WCJ, Gillespie
Booker, Beal
Allen, Oneale , Dunn
Dunn
KAT, Richards

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

[Blonde]

For what it’s worth, KAT is the exact type of center that can share the floor with Oso. I would just run it back if I’m the NYK though.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Speaking of Oso. I'd also like us to try and figure out a way to get a defensive prospect like Bona on the super cheap. He might become a very good rim protecting defensive specialist. Kind of a rich man's Biyombo.

And of course, under the radar players like Noah Clowney and Orlando Robinson would be sneaky additions too.

[lilfishi22]

I beg to disagree.

Sarver and McD didn't put the team in such dire straits by trading away half their picks for half a decade then putting swaps on the remaining picks so that we would most likely be picking very late in the draft nor did he take on a horrible value contract in someone like Beal who can't be traded unless he consents and even then it would take a miracle to offload his contract.

I think Sarver's issue was he didn't fire McD fast enough because he wasted most of the lottery picks during his tenure like passing over Tatum for JJ or picking Bender and Marquiss who had no business being drafted in the 1st round.

Sarver was terrible even before McD.

Robert Sarver began dismantling the SSOL Suns almost as soon as they took off. He sold off valuable draft picks, refused to pay the luxury tax, and would rather let key players walk instead of paying more and keeping the core intact. After breaking up the final version of that competitive team, he went on to personally sign Josh Childress, Hedo Turkeyglue, and Hakim Warrick—moves that quickly flopped. Mercifully, the team was eventually able to amnesty Childress’s contract.

His unwillingness to spend didn’t end with players. Sarver rarely invested in experienced basketball staff, often opting for unknown or unproven hires simply because they were cheaper. From inexperienced/rookie head coaches to first-time GMs, the organization became a revolving door of cost-cutting decisions at every level.

During the McD era, Sarver had what was essentially the perfect setup from his perspective: no luxury tax bills, a very low team salary that earned him luxury tax distribution checks, minimal spending on front office personnel, and a franchise that kept increasing in value. Financially, he was comfortably in the black every year.

Thankfully, the clock is right twice a day and McD did manage to draft Booker, Bridges, and DA—players who helped push the Suns back to the NBA Finals after 2 decades. Still, years of running the team on the cheap with inexperienced leadership comes at a cost. If you keep prioritising savings over a genuine effort to compete, the missed opportunities, some of which turn into long term costs, will inevitably pile up. What I saw under Sarver's ownership was 20 years of cheapness and refusal to make a serious effort to compete. One could argue that it wasn’t until an obvious opportunity presented itself—trading for a CP3 who wanted to come to Phoenix—and seeing the results of a trip to the Finals, that Sarver finally realised he should invest in the team.

Why I think Ishbia has been far worse is that while yes Sarver did refuse to spend after the SSOL era had run out his mistakes were far easier to climb out of with better basketball decisions and better drafting, Ishbia has dug such a deep hole for the team I just see no easy way out for the next half decade at least unless a miracle happens and we are able to snag some unprotected first round picks.

You could hire Sam Presti as GM, Steve Kerr as HC and this team would still be in dire straits even with the best basketball minds with our lack of picks and expensive difficult to offload contracts.

The post SSOL Suns was also pretty bleak despite having picks. We were treadmilling for a few years and were picking in the late lotto until we went full tankathon. But even then, having draft picks doesn't make the team better either. Sure you might have something better to look forward to but there's another lens you could put on that was also bleak because we also had a revolving door of coaches, a very much unproven and soon to be proven to be bad GM, and of course, you still had the cheap skate at the very top. We lucked into signing a good coach in Monty who really sent a culture which drew CP3's attention.

You're right, our draft capital cabinet is bare and what we have is not great and that is all Ishbia's doing. But I think there's a lot of recency bias here and either we've forgotten or have gotten over the frustration of having Sarver as the owner. At the end of the day, the future of the Suns isn't tied solely to draft picks. There are great players who were drafted not with the original team's draft picks and there are great players who were drafted late in the drafts. It makes things more difficult and Ishbia probably will continue to be frustrating but having been a fan during the Sarver era, this isn't any frustration I haven't dealt with before.

[Mulhollanddrive]

That Ott to do it

[ArksNetsSince99]

I hope for the sake of the PHX Suns it’s not Ott

He was assistant for the Nets and always gave half time interviews, this guy didn’t know what he was talking about 80% of the time

What I get from him he was a YES man to higher authority ( read front office ) , he’s not a guy with the backbone like Carlisle , Spoelstra , rather a hard worker in the regime but I don’t see how he can be a great HC candidate, I just don’t

[sunsbg]

I hope for the sake of the PHX Suns it’s not Ott

He was assistant for the Nets and always gave half time interviews, this guy didn’t know what he was talking about 80% of the time

What I get from him he was a YES man to higher authority ( read front office ) , he’s not a guy with the backbone like Carlisle , Spoelstra , rather a hard worker in the regime but I don’t see how he can be a great HC candidate, I just don’t

Sounds like he'll fit perfectly with rest of FO so it's him.