2014 Official FA Thread

[JMac1]

But Bledsoe may receive a MAX contract from another team and Suns simply just match... so technically Bledsoe did not receive a max contract from the Suns... but Suns still have to pay him max money.

That's my point. The Suns won't match a full max......that's the bet.

It's highly doubtful he gets the full max. People mentioned the Magic, but they're a cheap team (like the Suns) and are in the range to draft Exum or Smart. Bucks are the only competition that I see, but they already have Knight and they had their chance at Bledsoe earlier, and passed. Lakers could also be a threat, but it's highly unlikely they offer a max contract a season before Love becomes a FA.

The question is how long before the offer? Don't we have to sign a FA before giving Bled all of that money? I am back to the reality that we will re-sign Bled and go after Rudy or Hayward. The Suns will get no love from any of the big FA (James, Love or Melo).

We are going to have to draft right and play hard. Guys like Len need to grow up quickly. I really see Gay in our future, but it has to be a 4year 40 million dollar prearranged deal; don't seem likely though. He can make half that in one year, then still come back after a good season and make 10 million for four years....

I think we end up with the same team plus some rookies

[JMac1]

Could we trade for Gay and resign Bledsoe? Give him his 19.3 million for one year, if he doesn't work we would free up how much money minus Bledsoe 11-12 million? What would our cap look like in 15'?

[bwgood77]

Could we trade for Gay and resign Bledsoe? Give him his 19.3 million for one year, if he doesn't work we would free up how much money minus Bledsoe 11-12 million? What would our cap look like in 15'?

Who would you want to trade for him? I doubt we'd do that because we want to maintain flexibility so we can absorb salary to get extra assets if possible. Plus, he hasn't exactly added to winning. When he was out Memphis upset SA in the first round. The next year with him they lose in the first round to the Clips. The following year after trading him, they get to the WCF. Toronto stinks with him, and suddenly is the third best team in the east after trading him. He's played better for Sacramento, but he hasn't exactly led them to much. With him we could never absorb Love's contract in a trade deadline trade by sending out less money (unless Minnesota wanted him in the deal).

[thamadkant]

With Green... I dare to say it... Gay maybe is a unnecessary luxury.
Green is also a willing 3pt chucker already as opposed to the idea that Gay would change his game from isolation to a spot up/receiver.

But depending on what Suns FO does in the off season... Their maybe room.

[JMac1]

Could we trade for Gay and resign Bledsoe? Give him his 19.3 million for one year, if he doesn't work we would free up how much money minus Bledsoe 11-12 million? What would our cap look like in 15'?

Who would you want to trade for him? I doubt we'd do that because we want to maintain flexibility so we can absorb salary to get extra assets if possible. Plus, he hasn't exactly added to winning. When he was out Memphis upset SA in the first round. The next year with him they lose in the first round to the Clips. The following year after trading him, they get to the WCF. Toronto stinks with him, and suddenly is the third best team in the east after trading him. He's played better for Sacramento, but he hasn't exactly led them to much. With him we could never absorb Love's contract in a trade deadline trade by sending out less money (unless Minnesota wanted him in the deal).

\

I don't know, I don't want anyone going off on me. But I do know this; getting Love and James is just not going to happen, we are the Suns (no love for us). We people (media, ESPN, Collin Cowheard) say the NBA need the Lakers and Knicks to be good.........it is not going to happen.

The Suns cannot stand pat either. I think we have very little choice, Gay could be lightening in a bottle like Green and everyone else on this team was this year.

I prefer going the Steve Nash route of 2004, where we didn't wait around for Kobe and grabbed someone who fit in our system. If Green can go off and shoot until his heart content, imagine Gay? Gay is 27 years old, same as Goran. Groan, Bledsoe, Gay, our picks, Len, Goodwin, and our supporting guys.......They could win some playoff games.

[nevetsov]

We're not going to contend until we get a legitimate PF or C Imo. Frye, Plumlee, even Markieff are great complementary bigs to a bonafide star (kind or like Lopez was) but there's not enough talent between them to be imposing night in and night out. Len is currently our best (only) chance of becoming a primary big one day, but he's years away from reaching that potential if he ever does.

Also, I'm happy to run Goran as a playmaking SG as long as we get a ball hawker type PG who can lock down those speedy new age PGs. Goran can't stop them to save his life and we are consistently being lit up when he plays full time point. Perhaps someone like Avery Bradley could be a good fit at a low cost. I'd love it if Bled could be that guy but he hasn't impressed me defensively yet.

[letsgosuns]

We're not going to contend until we get a legitimate PF or C Imo. Frye, Plumlee, even Markieff are great complementary bigs to a bonafide star (kind or like Lopez was) but there's not enough talent between them to be imposing night in and night out. Len is currently our best (only) chance of becoming a primary big one day, but he's years away from reaching that potential if he ever does.

Also, I'm happy to run Goran as a playmaking SG as long as we get a ball hawker type PG who can lock down those speedy new age PGs. Goran can't stop them to save his life and we are consistently being lit up when he plays full time point. Perhaps someone like Avery Bradley could be a good fit at a low cost. I'd love it if Bled could be that guy but he hasn't impressed me defensively yet.

If the Suns had a top-tier interior defender, I think Bledsoe and Dragic would be much better defenders. I remember watching Kenny Smith years ago talking about the key to being a great perimeter defender is having a dominant defending big man behind you. When you have that defender, the perimeter players can get up on their man and funnel him towards the big man defender, and that guy can make the stop. He showed clips of Bruce Bowen doing that exact thing. Bowen would get up on his man and funnel him to Tim Duncan. If the Suns perimeter players get up on their man, they are funneling their man into Channing Frye, Miles Plumlee, or Markieff Morris. The only one of those guys that is anything close to a decent defender is Plumlee. Morris and especially Frye are just horrible.

So with Bledsoe and Goran knowing they really have no interior defense behind them, they are in a really bad spot. If they get too close, the guy goes by them and scores easily. If they back off to prevent their man going by them, they give up an open shot. It is really a no win situation. The Suns I believe are set with Len and Plumlee as their centers of the future. They need to get a new power forward. It does not have to be a superstar scorer honestly. It should be someone that plays great defense and rebounds. You put an elite big man defender on this team and it will change everything.

[bwgood77]

Could we trade for Gay and resign Bledsoe? Give him his 19.3 million for one year, if he doesn't work we would free up how much money minus Bledsoe 11-12 million? What would our cap look like in 15'?

Who would you want to trade for him? I doubt we'd do that because we want to maintain flexibility so we can absorb salary to get extra assets if possible. Plus, he hasn't exactly added to winning. When he was out Memphis upset SA in the first round. The next year with him they lose in the first round to the Clips. The following year after trading him, they get to the WCF. Toronto stinks with him, and suddenly is the third best team in the east after trading him. He's played better for Sacramento, but he hasn't exactly led them to much. With him we could never absorb Love's contract in a trade deadline trade by sending out less money (unless Minnesota wanted him in the deal).

\

I don't know, I don't want anyone going off on me. But I do know this; getting Love and James is just not going to happen, we are the Suns (no love for us). We people (media, ESPN, Collin Cowheard) say the NBA need the Lakers and Knicks to be good.........it is not going to happen.

The Suns cannot stand pat either. I think we have very little choice, Gay could be lightening in a bottle like Green and everyone else on this team was this year.

I prefer going the Steve Nash route of 2004, where we didn't wait around for Kobe and grabbed someone who fit in our system. If Green can go off and shoot until his heart content, imagine Gay? Gay is 27 years old, same as Goran. Groan, Bledsoe, Gay, our picks, Len, Goodwin, and our supporting guys.......They could win some playoff games.

That's fine. I don't expect LeBron to come either. As for Love, I'm not sure. People say he's going to LA, so maybe. But he probably has a better chance to win sooner with a team like us or Chicago, so perhaps he thinks twice. But if not, that is why I mentioned Millsap.

I simply don't like Gay. He subtracts from a team. He takes bad shots and a lot of them.

[JMac1]

I simply don't like Gay. He subtracts from a team. He takes bad shots and a lot of them.

Fair enough, but they could not be any worse than Green. He hasn't played in a system where he would actually be encouraged to take more shots. He isn't opting out anyways.

[DirtyDez]

I don't dislike Rudy Gay but scoring isn't our problem...

Hopefully next year Archie is ready to backup both guard spots like LB back in the day. IMO PJ will be brought back for maybe 3-4m a year and one of Frye or the Twins will not be here. Hopefully a franchise forward in the draft and an extension for Dragic for slightly more AAV than Bledsoe.

That would be sweet.

[JMac1]

I don't dislike Rudy Gay but scoring isn't our problem...

Hopefully next year Archie is ready to backup both guard spots like LB back in the day. IMO PJ will be brought back for maybe 3-4m a year and one of Frye or the Twins will not be here. Hopefully a franchise forward in the draft and an extension for Dragic for slightly more AAV than Bledsoe.

That would be sweet.

EB needs to step it up! He is a day further away from a max. 11 million......at most right now!

[DirtyDez]

I don't dislike Rudy Gay but scoring isn't our problem...

Hopefully next year Archie is ready to backup both guard spots like LB back in the day. IMO PJ will be brought back for maybe 3-4m a year and one of Frye or the Twins will not be here. Hopefully a franchise forward in the draft and an extension for Dragic for slightly more AAV than Bledsoe.

That would be sweet.

EB needs to step it up! He is a day further away from a max. 11 million......at most right now!

He needs to step it down so we can get him for 8!

[SunsFanSSOL]

Future starting 5:

C - Len
PF - Love
SF - Rudy
SG - Archie
PG - Bledsoe

[JMac1]

Future starting 5:

C - Len
PF - Love
SF - Rudy
SG - Archie
PG - Bledsoe

Minny is starting to win now, without Pek. They might try to swing a young vet for this years' 1st and 2016 first and go all in next year.

Where is Goran? Right now I like Goran better than Bledsoe. If Archie comes back with a shot next year and Len puts on some weight and begins hitting that eighteen footer.......

[JMac1]

I don't dislike Rudy Gay but scoring isn't our problem...

Hopefully next year Archie is ready to backup both guard spots like LB back in the day. IMO PJ will be brought back for maybe 3-4m a year and one of Frye or the Twins will not be here. Hopefully a franchise forward in the draft and an extension for Dragic for slightly more AAV than Bledsoe.

That would be sweet.

EB needs to step it up! He is a day further away from a max. 11 million......at most right now!

He needs to step it down so we can get him for 8!

[bwgood77]

Future starting 5:

C - Len
PF - Love
SF - Rudy
SG - Archie
PG - Bledsoe

Minny is starting to win now, without Pek. They might try to swing a young vet for this years' 1st and 2016 first and go all in next year.

Where is Goran? Right now I like Goran better than Bledsoe. If Archie comes back with a shot next year and Len puts on some weight and begins hitting that eighteen footer.......

Best case scenario is that Minnesota does something like that, makes the playoffs next year, we get their 1st rounder for 2015, and then Love leaves anyway and comes to Phx.

[jcsunsfan]

Love is a pipe dream. I think the chances of getting him here are similar to getting LeBron here. Every team in the league is talking about him for 2015.

[Ryu]

Love is a pipe dream. I think the chances of getting him here are similar to getting LeBron here. Every team in the league is talking about him for 2015.

Yeah, but the main point is his strengths are made for our system here. If I am neutral fan I`d much rather watch him in Phoenix averaging 25/15 alongside Dragic and Bledsoe while being a (most probably) top 5 western team than in boring Bulls` offense, for example.

What I want to say is that it`s in his best interest to come to the Valley since he would be a regular MVP candidate playing in Suns` high octane offense.

[JMac1]

Love is a pipe dream. I think the chances of getting him here are similar to getting LeBron here. Every team in the league is talking about him for 2015.

Yeah, but the main point is his strengths are made for our system here. If I am neutral fan I`d much rather watch him in Phoenix averaging 25/15 alongside Dragic and Bledsoe while being a (most probably) top 5 western team than in boring Bulls` offense, for example.

What I want to say is that it`s in his best interest to come to the Valley since he would be a regular MVP candidate playing in Suns` high octane offense.

In reality Phoenix is a great place for him. The problem is, is when Phoenix wins the Pacific, the Lakers lose and the NBA doesn't like that. I do believe in conspiracies against the Suns to some extent. We take a lot of the Lakers glory when we are good.

We are a perfect situation for Love or James, but the talking heads ignore that; they only talk about the Lakers and Knicks who have absolutely jack crap right now! But people continue to publicize those teams and cities. Phoenix has a great geographic location, weather and all four major sports. Vegas and LA are a short plane ride away. Barkley and Nash have both won MVP's here. We are not an Alpha city, but we aren't an Omega city either.

But that is the way it goes!

[bwgood77]

Love is a pipe dream. I think the chances of getting him here are similar to getting LeBron here. Every team in the league is talking about him for 2015.

I don't think it's nearly as unlikely as LeBron. LeBron NEEDS a big market. Love NEEDS to win because he has never won anything, so I see him wanting to go to a team that gives him that chance. Of course there are rumors that coaches say it's pretty well known he wants to go to LA, but are they in a position to win? Will they have vets when he is there?

Kobe's contract REALLY hurts them because it runs past 2015, otherwise they could possibly go for two max guys which would make sense for Love to join someone else. I guess he could opt in for another year at Minnesota after next year and try to go to LA with some other star in 2016 (Durant?) but I don't know that he wants to stay in Minnesota that long.

When it comes down to it, Chicago might end up making the most sense for him after Boozer's contract is done. And there is the NY situation...their cap is clear and he could join Melo there.

Given those two possibilities, maybe Phx is less likely, but you will also have Bosh and LeBron possibly moving in the summer of 2015. Bosh could go to Chicago and LeBron to NY, leaving us with Love.

But I still think you try and get him, and if not, have a backup plan for that summer (like Millsap). Don't take crap like Deng this summer (just to spend money) leaving you stuck at the 8th-9th spot for a couple more years.

We also probably need to spend some money on a rim protector.