Official Free Agent Thread: What to do with our cap space

[RaisingArizona]

Trading for anyone in their mid thirties is a bad idea for every team that isn't a title contender.

[Mr-Al]

And to be honest, I have little to no use for Tucker at this point. He was our 'hard working veteran' who overslept/partied on his leadership role. Gladly move him for a late/future pick. All his minutes can be better spent on someone else.

Good point, Frank. If Tucker was providing enough veteran leadership to compensate for his lack of talent, we wouldn't be hearing from the FO about how we need a veteran leader. I think he goes in the right deal for sure.

Exactly. My bet is that he's gone, probably not on draft day though but sometime in July

[tdjm]

I'm fully 100000% on board with trading Tucker. He's in the Dudley zone where he's more useful to a contender than a rebuilding team, and I hope the Suns sell while his value is still there, instead of getting stuck holding on to his expiring like they did with Gerald Green.

Now for me, the question is - move him in the offseason, or wait until closer to the deadline? I don't want the Suns to be active in free agency (besides maybe snapping up a huge bargain or two with their cap space), so moving his 5.5 million to make cap room isn't really appealing to me, I'd rather focus on getting the best possible return.

Look at two different deals - Tyson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgov. Chandler went from the Knicks for a dookie platter of second rounders, and Mozgov netted two firsts. Part of that was Chandler's contract versus Mozgov's, but part of that was a team being desperate and needing to add a center at all costs.

Every year, there's fringe contenders who think they're set at a position, then for whatever reason find they have a dire need. Is it possible that the Suns can get a better return on Tucker by waiting a few months into the season and getting a team desperate for wing help by the balls? I doubt it, but it's food for thought at least.

The more I think about it, the more I think the answer is no, since there's a scarcity of 7 footers whereas if we tried to sell super high on Tucker they'd just move on to a different target. Still worth considering, at least.

[jcsunsfan]

I'm fully 100000% on board with trading Tucker. He's in the Dudley zone where he's more useful to a contender than a rebuilding team, and I hope the Suns sell while his value is still there, instead of getting stuck holding on to his expiring like they did with Gerald Green.

Now for me, the question is - move him in the offseason, or wait until closer to the deadline? I don't want the Suns to be active in free agency (besides maybe snapping up a huge bargain or two with their cap space), so moving his 5.5 million to make cap room isn't really appealing to me, I'd rather focus on getting the best possible return.

Look at two different deals - Tyson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgov. Chandler went from the Knicks for a dookie platter of second rounders, and Mozgov netted two firsts. Part of that was Chandler's contract versus Mozgov's, but part of that was a team being desperate and needing to add a center at all costs.

Every year, there's fringe contenders who think they're set at a position, then for whatever reason find they have a dire need. Is it possible that the Suns can get a better return on Tucker by waiting a few months into the season and getting a team desperate for wing help by the balls? I doubt it, but it's food for thought at least.

Its harder to make trades at the deadline. While some contending teams might be desperate for a player, you have no real control over which teams those would be, if they want your player (centers are a bad comparison because they are always in such demand), and what value they have to offer.

Its easier to structure a deal in the off-season that brings back what you want. I would trade Tucker to move up in the draft. But I am not sure a team with a higher pick wants that type of player.

[jcsunsfan]

Tucker for Tristan Thompson? Cavs reserve some cash and get a hardworking vet that complements Kevin Love and LeBron perfectly.

RFA sign and trade.

[RaisingArizona]

Tucker for Tristan Thompson? Cavs reserve some cash and get a hardworking vet that complements Kevin Love and LeBron perfectly.

RFA sign and trade.

I wish.

[AtheJ415]

The 52m question
1) who would trade for the Morri
2) what horrible contract or average player (s) will the Suns need to take

If #2 is a part of the question, then #1 is irrelevant. People can hate on the Morii for their attitudes and legal issues, but at the end of the day they are good young players on amazing contracts. Dumping them for a negative asset would be astronomically stupid.

That's true. But the way I see the Morris twins - is they are part of the problem and not the solution. So, the Suns are not trading them because of their ability - they are trading them because they seem to not "non team players." Maybe I am being very subjective. But their actions last year were selfish and about the two of them and not the team. Is that a one year thing or a trend for the future.

I think a guy like PJ Tucker will be easy to trade if you want. He has a reasonable dollar value per year - a good presence for the right team making a playoff push.

And yet, you're assuming every team in the league values them and their contracts, which are way better than even Tucker's, so little that we'd have to take on a brutally awful player or contract to get rid of them. I don't think that would ever have to happen.

[AtheJ415]

And to be honest, I have little to no use for Tucker at this point. He was our 'hard working veteran' who overslept/partied on his leadership role. Gladly move him for a late/future pick. All his minutes can be better spent on someone else.

Good point, Frank. If Tucker was providing enough veteran leadership to compensate for his lack of talent, we wouldn't be hearing from the FO about how we need a veteran leader. I think he goes in the right deal for sure.

Exactly. My bet is that he's gone, probably not on draft day though but sometime in July

I find it somewhat absurd that everyone has a problem with the Morrii but see Tucker as a team guy. Tucker, in his biggest offseason ever, proceeded to get the most insanely irresponsible DUI I've ever heard of and then got suspended for missing team events. I'm not sure how that's not worse from a "team" standpoint than anything Markieff has ever done.

[RaisingArizona]

Good point, Frank. If Tucker was providing enough veteran leadership to compensate for his lack of talent, we wouldn't be hearing from the FO about how we need a veteran leader. I think he goes in the right deal for sure.

Exactly. My bet is that he's gone, probably not on draft day though but sometime in July

I find it somewhat absurd that everyone has a problem with the Morrii but see Tucker as a team guy. Tucker, in his biggest offseason ever, proceeded to get the most insanely irresponsible DUI I've ever heard of and then got suspended for missing team events. I'm not sure how that's not worse from a "team" standpoint than anything Markieff has ever done.

Yeah, I find it funny how everyone else gets a pass( even Archie) except the Mo Bros.

[jcsunsfan]

Exactly. My bet is that he's gone, probably not on draft day though but sometime in July

I find it somewhat absurd that everyone has a problem with the Morrii but see Tucker as a team guy. Tucker, in his biggest offseason ever, proceeded to get the most insanely irresponsible DUI I've ever heard of and then got suspended for missing team events. I'm not sure how that's not worse from a "team" standpoint than anything Markieff has ever done.

Yeah, I find it funny how everyone else gets a pass( even Archie) except the Mo Bros.

Its because what the MO Bros do is also spilling onto the court in the form of techs, yelling at the coaches, etc. To me, the off-court issue is just a further example of what I am seeing on the court.

Also, I would be keen on trading Keef even if the off the court stuff had not happened. The legal issues outside are having the effect of keeping them here when they would have otherwise been more tradeable. We need to get a star player. Keef is a good player. You hope you can package good young players, picks, and cap space etc to land a star or potential star.

Now that is not likely possible.

[thamadkant]

Yeah, Tucker will be shopped IMO, he should be the "veteran" voice, but McD clearly did not even mentioned his name.
And he can traded to a playoff team for a younger piece or a package for a good player.

Also Archie's mishap with the police is NO WAY near on the same level as the Morris or Tuckers... he was released and his case was questionable. Him complaining to the media was simply a teenager being baited by the journalist to say things to get quotes from. Assault + on-court thug-behaviour + disrespecting the coach in public is miles worse. Tucker's DUI and lateness + rumored affairs is also much worse.

[bwgood77]

You can't really be a leader, if you are not leading your team on the court. Players like Hayes or Miller won't bring anything to this team. They both have very little to offer on the court. We already have Granger (who has a guaranteed contract for the next season) who can be our "token" leader.

And why the hell would anyone want Landry and his overpaid and injury prone ass on this team?

I'd want Landry if we were not able to utilize any cap space we had and could absorb it because he is a hard worker, mature, and he's been around a while. The year after that the cap goes way up, so the salary wouldn't be a problem unless we thought we were going to sign a huge max player, but if that was the case we could trade him..he'd be an expiring so if we had to give up something for a team to take him, a team like Philly might take a second round pick.

Just a PF if we still had the twins to calm them down and help with their maturity and growth. They don't really have anyone to help them do it.

And another reason is that he is a realistic target. Sure there are many guys I'd rather have, but they probably would be hard to get.

[bwgood77]

Ok... Then, Chandler on one year deal.... roll the dice on Grangers buddy David West to opt of his last year.... draft Frank...... trade the Morri to Chi for Taj and filler ( attempt to include tucker somehow or trade him somewhere else).... resign Knight. Vet leaders Granger, West, Chandler.... all made healthy by our med staff ofcourse. Still have youth in Bledso, knight, Warren, Len..... Len is still young and not the starter on a contending team. Bled/ Knight/ Granger/ West/ Chandler.......Bench.....f/a...../ Archie/ Warren/ Taj/ Len.... Frank where he fits.... or draft Payne instead and he is backup pg???

I'd love to get West as the vet and we might have a chance if he left due to Granger, Warren, the weather, etc, but I think Indy probably likes him enough to keep him and they are not a team that will rebuild with George, Hill and some decent vets around.

[bwgood77]

And to be honest, I have little to no use for Tucker at this point. He was our 'hard working veteran' who overslept/partied on his leadership role. Gladly move him for a late/future pick. All his minutes can be better spent on someone else.

Good point, Frank. If Tucker was providing enough veteran leadership to compensate for his lack of talent, we wouldn't be hearing from the FO about how we need a veteran leader. I think he goes in the right deal for sure.

Exactly. My bet is that he's gone, probably not on draft day though but sometime in July

I'm not sure...our "insiders" claimed to say they were up to trading anyone other than Wright, Tucker, Len, Warren and Bledsoe I think. It seems like there were four names, but I can't see them trading any of those five (or Knight at this point).

[lilfishi22]

I'm not sure...our "insiders" claimed to say they were up to trading anyone other than Wright, Tucker, Len, Warren and Bledsoe I think. It seems like there were four names, but I can't see them trading any of those five (or Knight at this point).

Have a missed something? Has insiders been around here again?

[bwgood77]

I'm not sure...our "insiders" claimed to say they were up to trading anyone other than Wright, Tucker, Len, Warren and Bledsoe I think. It seems like there were four names, but I can't see them trading any of those five (or Knight at this point).

Have a missed something? Has insiders been around here again?

No, I'm talking last year around the trade deadline they or at least one of them said everyone was on the block except Bledsoe, Len, Tucker and Wright. Maybe Warren wasn't mentioned, but he shouldn't have been either imo unless it was for a star.

[bwgood77]

I'm fully 100000% on board with trading Tucker. He's in the Dudley zone where he's more useful to a contender than a rebuilding team, and I hope the Suns sell while his value is still there, instead of getting stuck holding on to his expiring like they did with Gerald Green.

Now for me, the question is - move him in the offseason, or wait until closer to the deadline? I don't want the Suns to be active in free agency (besides maybe snapping up a huge bargain or two with their cap space), so moving his 5.5 million to make cap room isn't really appealing to me, I'd rather focus on getting the best possible return.

Look at two different deals - Tyson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgov. Chandler went from the Knicks for a dookie platter of second rounders, and Mozgov netted two firsts. Part of that was Chandler's contract versus Mozgov's, but part of that was a team being desperate and needing to add a center at all costs.

Every year, there's fringe contenders who think they're set at a position, then for whatever reason find they have a dire need. Is it possible that the Suns can get a better return on Tucker by waiting a few months into the season and getting a team desperate for wing help by the balls? I doubt it, but it's food for thought at least.

The more I think about it, the more I think the answer is no, since there's a scarcity of 7 footers whereas if we tried to sell super high on Tucker they'd just move on to a different target. Still worth considering, at least.

Personally, I would keep Tucker, start him for maybe 15 games, then hopefully Warren can start, and PJ can still mentor about some things, and then maybe deal him at the deadline. I wouldn't mind keeping him that much, because he is cheap and plays hard, but he probably has value because he is cheap and a contender would likely want to have a glue guy like him that gives it their all, particularly if they have an injury.

[Jdiddy701]

I keep Gerald Green and trade Tucker. Tucker starting will not get us anywhere. Warren starting puts us so much better.

Now you have to ask yourself, would you rather have a spark plug like Gerald Green or a defensive minded player like PJ Tucker. I go with a guy that can give you 15pts a night off the bench each time. Tucker is good around great players.

Start Warren and give Gerald consistent minutes off the bench. He had a bad season. Everyone did.

Sad to say, it's pretty obvious Gerald is done in Phoenix. I think that's a huge loss for us. A team will be lucky to have him. I hope we will repair the relationship with his agent. Love his energy. Crowd LOVES him.


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[Saberestar]

One player that it hasn't been mentioned lately and I think it's an interesting option is Arron Afflalo. He had an injury and he wasn't very good last year, but I see an oportunity to sign him cheaper in that. He has all that we want ....
1. Veteran player with high character.
2. Good 3p shooter and great mid range shot
3.Two way player that knows how to play defense.

If we want to adquire someone like Danny Green but his contract is too high we can always work a contract with Afflalo who I think is a very similar player. Something around $25M /3 years can be good for both sides.

If we add Afflalo, Kaminsky at#13 and a veteran cheap PG ( Andre Miller or Prigioni) we can call it an offseason.

I really want more changes in our roster, but probably this offseason that changes are not easy to make and can make our team even worse next year. With that little tweak our roster can be more balanced and make right steps to ensure a playoff spot and hopefully to be a contender in the next few years.

[AtheJ415]

I find it somewhat absurd that everyone has a problem with the Morrii but see Tucker as a team guy. Tucker, in his biggest offseason ever, proceeded to get the most insanely irresponsible DUI I've ever heard of and then got suspended for missing team events. I'm not sure how that's not worse from a "team" standpoint than anything Markieff has ever done.

Yeah, I find it funny how everyone else gets a pass( even Archie) except the Mo Bros.

Its because what the MO Bros do is also spilling onto the court in the form of techs, yelling at the coaches, etc. To me, the off-court issue is just a further example of what I am seeing on the court.

Also, I would be keen on trading Keef even if the off the court stuff had not happened. The legal issues outside are having the effect of keeping them here when they would have otherwise been more tradeable. We need to get a star player. Keef is a good player. You hope you can package good young players, picks, and cap space etc to land a star or potential star.

Now that is not likely possible.

Tucker gets techs too, and Markieff hasn't missed buses or been suspended for missing team related activities.