BobbieL wrote:bigfoot wrote:BobbieL wrote:
Only one player on the team had any leverage. Even Durant and Booker didn't have the leverage Beal had. And yet, Ishbia made moves that have put him in a corner. Like Mark Williams - he didn't need to trade for Mark Williams on draft night - he could have waited.
LI made the comparison that the difference in value between a max player and the MLE is much greater than the vet minimum player and the MLE. But people just want a dopamine hit, "we signed a player!!!!"
And again, when you do the math, that TPMLE player actually costs $24m and not $5m because of the Beal numbers.
Mark Williams trade didn't put them in a corner. Deadline for the team option on Vasilije Micic was June 29, four days after the draft. The Suns could have waited exactly four days to make the Williams trade but didn't. However, Beal wasn't taking a buyout until the free agency period started which was on June 30th. Williams and Beal deals were mutually exclusive. Timing was everything in this scenario.
The Suns improved the team's center position which was the correct move regardless of the Beal situation.
If Ishbia had declined the option on Micic, released Richards and Martin - would the Suns be closer to clearing the aprons than they are today?
Ishbia took the decisions he had 100% control over and gave those decisions to Bradley Beal.
I understand the need for the Center - but I personally think getting below apron levels would have been step 1 this offseason. This is where not having an owner cosplaying as GM is actually hurting Ishbia's goal of winning an NBA title. If Bob Myers wanted the job he should have given him the job and got the F out of the way
I don't think declining Richards, Martin, and Micic plus not bringing on Williams would get the Suns under the 2nd apron. Williams and Richards are $11m combined and you still have to take on dollars for their replacements. Without those guys the Suns would be a few million over the second apron instead of almost $12M ... $3m or $12m is still over the 2nd apron. You should go check the math. So to get under the apron the Suns would need to move O'Neale. With your suggestion the Suns would have another rookie (29th pick given up for Williams) and scraping the FA barrel bottom for a veteran center or two. They would lack legit players in Williams & Richards. They would still be over the second apron. They would still have the Beal problem.
Waiting for Beal to make up his mind simply would hurt the Suns free agency/trade options. They would be watching a dude with his thumb up his azz waiting for his wife to tell him what to do.
