Official Trade Thread: New Year, New Thread, New Laughs

[Dr Manute]

Markief looked like an All-star when guarded by Love. This scares me .

Love couldn't get playing time in crunch time vs the Suns (and he will be wanting a Max contract in a year or two)

[Sunsdeuce]

Lol to anyone who suggests markeiff Morris is better than Kevin love. Only a Suns fan would think that markeiff is better than love. You won't find a single person outside (outside of Suns fans) who thinks markeiff is better than love. That is so laughable. Call me when markeiff averages 25 points and 12 rebounds in a season. Some people here are perfectly content with the Suns being an average team. So markeiff has the BEST game he has ever had and everyone thinks he is an all-star, it's ONE freaking game people. Markeiff averages a very pedestrian 16 points and barely 6 rebounds. Whoopty do!

Well that's not me. I want a championship team. What is it going to take for some of you to realize this roster is NOT championship material. The closest thing to an all-star this team has is dragic, followed by Alex Len (who is a few years away from being an all-star). After those two, nothing but role players. Sorry but bledsoe is not an all-star caliber point guard. Averaging 16 and 5 assists is no where near all-star but not to mention he is a turnover King.

I'm starting to think that it's been soooooo long since the Suns had an all-star many here forget what an all-star looks like.

[Qwigglez]

Who on that list would we have a legitimate shot at? Millsap? He isn't that much better than Keef. Green would excel here but I hear GSW will pay whatever it takes to keep him. Jordan isn't needed with Len. Hmmm.

You would think no one and I know this is silly and far from happening, but take a look at the Blazers. They have Lillard/Batum locked up as essential pieces for their roster next year, everyone else is a free agent. Can they afford keeping Aldridge/Wes/Lopez and bring back surrounding pieces to give them a legitimate title shot? Maybe (most likely, lol).
Who knows if Aldridge/Mathews remain loyal to the Blazers organization. Maybe they want a change of scenery. Maybe they don't like Lillard. Maybe Mathews wants to be coached by Hornacek and Aldridge follows. I'm just saying, with such a trade of Morris bros/IT for Love, even if Love takes off it opens up different opportunities for us. We would still have good core pieces of Bledsoe/Len/Tucker (and a crap load of potential).
I'm mostly worried we stand pat, we are 9th again, we sign Dragic/Wright over the offseason and we are still fighting for an 8th seed the following season. At that point, our only chance of improving is internal growth from our young guys because all of our money is already tied up.

[RaisingArizona]

Lol to anyone who suggests markeiff Morris is better than Kevin love. Only a Suns fan would think that markeiff is better than love. You won't find a single person outside (outside of Suns fans) who thinks markeiff is better than love. That is so laughable. Call me when markeiff averages 25 points and 12 rebounds in a season. Some people here are perfectly content with the Suns being an average team. So markeiff has the BEST game he has ever had and everyone thinks he is an all-star, it's ONE freaking game people. Markeiff averages a very pedestrian 16 points and barely 6 rebounds. Whoopty do!

Well that's not me. I want a championship team. What is it going to take for some of you to realize this roster is NOT championship material. The closest thing to an all-star this team has is dragic, followed by Alex Len (who is a few years away from being an all-star). After those two, nothing but role players. Sorry but bledsoe is not an all-star caliber point guard. Averaging 16 and 5 assists is no where near all-star.

I'm starting to think that it's been soooooo long since the Suns had an all-star many here forget what an all-star does and how they play.

Love averages a very pedestrian 17 points and 10 rebounds on bad defense. He's older than Kieff, wants a max deal next year and would take a lot of assets to acquire. Seems like a great deal.

[thamadkant]

Ok, fact is Markieff killed the entire Cavs team last game... 35 points 7 rebounds.

But to say Markieff can be better than Love... thats amazingly FAR FETCH..

Love last season averaged 28 points 13 rebounds and 6 assits against the Suns, 3 games.
The year before that, he played 1 game and put up 23 points, 18 rebounds.

Yes, back then Suns had Frye primarily starting and Markieff as backup.


My point is, 1 excellent game is just that.. 1 excellent game that Kieff has had over Love so far. Will it continue in the future, maybe. But based on facts, Love has killed the Suns... and he isnt on his prime yet.

[Dr Manute]

Lol to anyone who suggests markeiff Morris is better than Kevin love. Only a Suns fan would think that markeiff is better than love. You won't find a single person outside (outside of Suns fans) who thinks markeiff is better than love. That is so laughable. Call me when markeiff averages 25 points and 12 rebounds in a season. Some people here are perfectly content with the Suns being an average team.

Well that's not me. I want a championship team. What is it going to take for some of you to realize this roster is NOT championship material. The closest thing to an all-star this team has is dragic, followed by Alex Len (who is a few years away from being an all-star). After those two, nothing but role players. Sorry but bledsoe is not an all-star caliber point guard. Averaging 16 and 5 assists is no where near all-star.

I'm starting to think that it's been soooooo long since the Suns had an all-star many here forget what an all-star does and how they play.

An all-star player should be playing in crunch-time not sitting on the bench. Love had a plus-minus of -20 and Cleveland erased the Suns 19 point lead when he was sitting. - Not the kind production I want from an all-star on my team.

[Dr Manute]

Lol to anyone who suggests markeiff Morris is better than Kevin love. Only a Suns fan would think that markeiff is better than love. You won't find a single person outside (outside of Suns fans) who thinks markeiff is better than love. That is so laughable. Call me when markeiff averages 25 points and 12 rebounds in a season. Some people here are perfectly content with the Suns being an average team.

Well that's not me. I want a championship team. What is it going to take for some of you to realize this roster is NOT championship material. The closest thing to an all-star this team has is dragic, followed by Alex Len (who is a few years away from being an all-star). After those two, nothing but role players. Sorry but bledsoe is not an all-star caliber point guard. Averaging 16 and 5 assists is no where near all-star.

I'm starting to think that it's been soooooo long since the Suns had an all-star many here forget what an all-star does and how they play.

An all-star player should be playing in crunch-time not sitting on the bench. Love had a plus-minus of -20 and Cleveland erased the Suns 19 point lead when he was sitting. - Not the kind production I want from an all-star on my team.

I know it's only one game - but even when he was on Minnesota there was talk about him not being a winner and only a stat monster.

[thamadkant]

With Len continuing to get better and the Wright pick up, I'm OK with standing pat.

I want to keep the Morris twins and Dragic.

I could care less what happens to Plumlee, Green, or IT.

I really think we need to start to develop our young guards, so trading away IT and Green works for me even if it costs us the last spot in the playoffs.

If a team specifically asks for Plumlee, I'll gladly give him up, but I'd rather throw in a second round pick. I still think the Plum dog has potential if he gets over the mental blocks.

+1,000,000 to you.

Keep a competitive team but develop the young, make them make mistakes so they go back to the gym and have motivation to come back strong, give them the same treatment Len is getting to see if they can be good players.

Some will say they're not ready, but throw them in the deep end and watch them become ready because of confidence.

WIn or Lose games, doesnt matter for this season, but from next season and the next few years the Suns form a core that is legit. If they win games this season and make the playoffs and cause upset, then thats icing on the cake.

You mean, give them the same treatment as Len where he was glued to the bench until he worked his butt off over the summer and showed great improvement? Because that kind of treatment I'm in favor of. Just about every interview going into this season with players, coaches and management talked about the tremendous improvement that Len made during the offseason. If Goodwin and the others start showing that kind of improvement they'll get a chance to take the next step too. I want to see the young guys play also but I want it to be because they've shown they deserve the time, not simply because they are young.

Did you even read all the articles about Goodwin, Len staying back in the Suns training facility?
Did you even read all the positive work ethic that BOTH players got?

Like I've said in the past.... Len has Plumlee to beat over minutes...
Goodwin, Ennis has an All-NBA guard in Dragic, a 20/6 player in Thomas, a mini-Lebron in Bledsoe, a microwave scorer in Green...

[suns91fan]

Lol to anyone who suggests markeiff Morris is better than Kevin love. Only a Suns fan would think that markeiff is better than love. You won't find a single person outside (outside of Suns fans) who thinks markeiff is better than love. That is so laughable. Call me when markeiff averages 25 points and 12 rebounds in a season. Some people here are perfectly content with the Suns being an average team. So markeiff has the BEST game he has ever had and everyone thinks he is an all-star, it's ONE freaking game people. Markeiff averages a very pedestrian 16 points and barely 6 rebounds. Whoopty do!

Well that's not me. I want a championship team. What is it going to take for some of you to realize this roster is NOT championship material. The closest thing to an all-star this team has is dragic, followed by Alex Len (who is a few years away from being an all-star). After those two, nothing but role players. Sorry but bledsoe is not an all-star caliber point guard. Averaging 16 and 5 assists is no where near all-star but not to mention he is a turnover King.

I'm starting to think that it's been soooooo long since the Suns had an all-star many here forget what an all-star does and how they play.

So giving 19mil/year for someone who is barely 50% of a complete player is a way to win a championship? Good luck with that!

I'd rather save that money for someone who truly deserves it than spend it on a guy who don't. If such player is not available, than you go with Kieff at 8mil/year which is far more flexible and better than Love at 19mil/year.

[Sunsdeuce]

Kevin love:
Touches per game
This season
69 per game
3.2 touches from the elbow
4.8 close touches

17 ppg
10 rpg

Last season
87 per game
11.6 touches from the elbow
7.2 Close touches

25 ppg
12 rpg

Self explanatory

[WeekapaugGroove]

I don't really like love and how he's handled himself the last couple years but to base judgement on him solely on him getting killed by keif in one game is crazy. He's not a good fit with the cavs but in theory could be an awesome fit next to len.

Let's be real any player who's available has some holes in their game or are coming off a bad year. Perfect guys like Anthony Davis or Durant are NEVER available in a trade. Love would be a gamble but if the cost was reasonable and he said he'd consider resigning then it's a gamble worth taking.

Sent from my SM-G900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

[thamadkant]

One player I think Suns should consider to trade for is Vonleh.
He won't start until maybe next year, but he plays defense, rebounds and has range...
Maybe a throw-back player similar to the Detlef Schrempts, Otis Thorpes etc, would be ideal next to a two way center...

How desperate is Hornets to make the playoffs?

[Sunsdeuce]

I trying to figure out exactly what all-star would appease some of you.

The common answer around here for all-stars the Suns could (but people don't want) get is either 1) the player is getting paid too much. 2) is a ballhog. 3) is not a winner. 4) is a stat monster. 5) is too old. 6) is injury prone.

There is no perfect basketball player people. And you are not getting an all-star for 8 million a year.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

How about the fact that neither of the Morrises has ever been out more than a few games in a season, whereas Love routinely sustains major injuries? I think that counts for something as well. Not to mention the difference in pay. Love's an upgrade, but an attenuated one.

[Zelaznyrules]

Who on that list would we have a legitimate shot at? Millsap? He isn't that much better than Keef. Green would excel here but I hear GSW will pay whatever it takes to keep him. Jordan isn't needed with Len. Hmmm.

You would think no one and I know this is silly and far from happening, but take a look at the Blazers. They have Lillard/Batum locked up as essential pieces for their roster next year, everyone else is a free agent. Can they afford keeping Aldridge/Wes/Lopez and bring back surrounding pieces to give them a legitimate title shot? Maybe (most likely, lol).
Who knows if Aldridge/Mathews remain loyal to the Blazers organization. Maybe they want a change of scenery. Maybe they don't like Lillard. Maybe Mathews wants to be coached by Hornacek and Aldridge follows. I'm just saying, with such a trade of Morris bros/IT for Love, even if Love takes off it opens up different opportunities for us. We would still have good core pieces of Bledsoe/Len/Tucker (and a crap load of potential).
I'm mostly worried we stand pat, we are 9th again, we sign Dragic/Wright over the offseason and we are still fighting for an 8th seed the following season. At that point, our only chance of improving is internal growth from our young guys because all of our money is already tied up.

Your worry is awfully close to my dream. I'd love to see the core stay together unless or until a killer deal comes along. Just the added maturation of the players we have along with the possibilities come draft time have me looking forward to the future. I guess, unlike some here, making the playoffs isn't that huge of a deal to me. Working towards that and then working towards a championship is very important to me. But I happen to think the slow and steady approach is more likely to pay dividends then constantly swapping pieces in an effort to improve for possible short term rewards.

If we think we're going to lose Goran I'd be looking for a trade partner but otherwise, I'd mostly stand pat. Maybe trade Green or Plumlee if the opportunity arises but I wouldn't dump either player. I figure Len has at least 4 years before he approaches his potential and I want to see what these guys can do once Len becomes a top player in this league. And I believe that's coming. I'd ride with Bledsoe another year, maybe two, to see if he can improve his shot and reduce his turnovers. If he can, that will give us perhaps the best center/point guard duo in the league in a few years and if he can't solve those problems he should still have plenty of trade value.

Anyway, Love improves us but I don't know that he shortens our journey to contention even if we're assured he'll stay. He's an upgrade over Love but if you look at how often NBA games come down to the last couple of shots, I'm not sure Keef isn't a better fit for us. We don't have great closers, it's the worst part of Goran's game and Bledsoe's poor shooting makes him suspect too. Keef seems to shine in those moments. Maybe with Love we have enough of a cushion that we don't have to sweat out so many close games but nothing in our recent history suggests that we're close to becoming that kind of team.

[Zelaznyrules]

I trying to figure out exactly what all-star would appease some of you.

The common answer around here for all-stars the Suns could (but people don't want) get is either 1) the player is getting paid too much. 2) is a ballhog. 3) is not a winner. 4) is a stat monster. 5) is too old. 6) is injury prone.

There is no perfect basketball player people. And you are not getting an all-star for 8 million a year.

You left out the one that really covers Love. Even with his warts he's still a valuable target but very few players are worth max dollars along with multiple assets and that's if we were even confident we could get him. And as a rental I think it's a bad decision to spend part of our future to reach such a short term goal as a quick trip to the 2015 playoffs. If we were sure he'd stay in Phoenix I'd be willing to give them the twins and IT and maybe even a pick but not as a rental.

[Sunsdeuce]

I trying to figure out exactly what all-star would appease some of you.

The common answer around here for all-stars the Suns could (but people don't want) get is either 1) the player is getting paid too much. 2) is a ballhog. 3) is not a winner. 4) is a stat monster. 5) is too old. 6) is injury prone.

There is no perfect basketball player people. And you are not getting an all-star for 8 million a year.

You left out the one that really covers Love. Even with his warts he's still a valuable target but very few players are worth max dollars along with multiple assets and that's if we were even confident we could get him. And as a rental I think it's a bad decision to spend part of our future to reach such a short term goal as a quick trip to the 2015 playoffs. If we were sure he'd stay in Phoenix I'd be willing to give them the twins and IT and maybe even a pick but not as a rental.

For Kevin love with his reassurance of resigning. The morri+IT+pick OR bledsoe+plumlee+pick.

Without reassurance:
Plumlee, IT, Green, and pick.

[kennydorglas]

Jesus Christ, these hot takes about Love. I'm amazed.

[jcsunsfan]

Kevin love:
Touches per game
This season
69 per game
3.2 touches from the elbow
4.8 close touches

17 ppg
10 rpg

Last season
87 per game
11.6 touches from the elbow
7.2 Close touches

25 ppg
12 rpg

Self explanatory

Yep. To take Love's numbers this year as representative would be a mistake. The big question would be whether he would get a Minnesota or a Cleveland number of touches on this Suns team.

[Sunsdeuce]

There is only one player I am 100% sure is untradeable is Len.

Everyone else is fair game for ryan Mcd.