2021-22 Season/Offseason Speculation

[Slim Charless]

We'll have to go have a drink sometime since I think you and I are the last two residents of Simmons island


Now I don't really like his fit with Ayton and it would be really hard for the suns to make the money work on a Simmons trade but I do think some franchise could end up happy they get him at a discount this summer. I really hope he ends up on a team that will play up tempo and surround him with shooting.

On the Embiid fit, I actually think it could work because as you mentioned Embiid shoots it well enough.. the huge issue with that is just because you CAN leave Embiid out on the perimeter it doesn't mean you should do that. That's really the issue. He'd actually work well with a guy like KAT who loves playing out there.

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Minnesota is the team that I think should pull the trigger and get him when it's all said and done. Rubio and Ant for Simmons makes a ton of sense. I can also see Chicago for Lavine and maybe the Kings if they give up Fox. He'd look good in Portland next to Dame as well but all of those teams can beat a CJ/Roco package.

The question should be how good of an offer can we muster up and will the Sixers bite and will the salaries work? I think Ben moves the needle despite his horrendous shooting at the charity stripe and lack of development in midrange/perimeter shooting. He is a modern day Magic Johnson/Lebron lite. Just surround him with shooters and shot makers and you're golden. We have the complimentary pieces to make it all come together into something special

A couple seasons ago I was spamming our board with Simmons trades. Now, though it doesn't make sense I don't think the spacing between him and Ayton make sense. This is based off the fact that I think Simmons best position in PF in today's game and needs to play off a stretch big. Kinda like how Milwaukee built around Giannis honestly, but with more dynamic options around the perimeter.

That's why I think Minny is great for him, he does work inside and plays defense while KAT and Dlo operate outside bombing away. The fact that they're all friends makes it an even better fit.

[bigfoot]

Crazy that free agency starts in less than 12 days. Literally no break for fans whose teams go to the finals!

Jul 29 - NBA draft
Aug 1 - CP3 has to decide on his player option by this date
Aug 2 - Free agency starts
Aug 6 - Suns can extend Ayton/Bridges
Aug 8 - Summer league starts
Sep 28 - Training camp begins
Oct 18 - Last day for Suns to extend Ayton/Bridges
Oct 19 - Season begins

We are three months away from real games and a lot will happen in that time.

Excited to see Ty-Shon and Stix get some burn in the summer league.

Crazy to see who CP3, Crowder, Booker, and Ayton can recruit for MLE and BAE.

When will the Suns get news on the disabled player exception? I don't expect Saric will be back by June 15th next year.

Need to resign or replace Payne, Nader, Moore, Galloway, Craig, and Kaminsky. One of the replacements will be with the 29th pick.

[saintEscaton]

Minnesota is the team that I think should pull the trigger and get him when it's all said and done. Rubio and Ant for Simmons makes a ton of sense. I can also see Chicago for Lavine and maybe the Kings if they give up Fox. He'd look good in Portland next to Dame as well but all of those teams can beat a CJ/Roco package.

The question should be how good of an offer can we muster up and will the Sixers bite and will the salaries work? I think Ben moves the needle despite his horrendous shooting at the charity stripe and lack of development in midrange/perimeter shooting. He is a modern day Magic Johnson/Lebron lite. Just surround him with shooters and shot makers and you're golden. We have the complimentary pieces to make it all come together into something special

A couple seasons ago I was spamming our board with Simmons trades. Now, though it doesn't make sense I don't think the spacing between him and Ayton make sense. This is based off the fact that I think Simmons best position in PF in today's game and needs to play off a stretch big. Kinda like how Milwaukee built around Giannis honestly, but with more dynamic options around the perimeter.

That's why I think Minny is great for him, he does work inside and plays defense while KAT and Dlo operate outside bombing away. The fact that they're all friends makes it an even better fit.

DA has a rudimentary post game and is a good PnR finisher at this stage of his young career. He can't create offense for himself for jack but his faceup game should develop and eventually he should make a living off of corner 3s. Just needs to be mentored by someone like STAT to get there and he will be better than KAT giving you 22+/12/2 blocks a night on great efficiency if it everything goes ideally. Right now I agree with you tho, Simmons and DA aren't the best pairing. But I would still pull the trigger in a heartbeat to land him given that he is a premiere talent being sold at a diminished price and we should capitalize on that value

[kennydorglas]

Can we make Simmons to attack the basket like Giannis?

[BobbieL]

Minnesota is the team that I think should pull the trigger and get him when it's all said and done. Rubio and Ant for Simmons makes a ton of sense. I can also see Chicago for Lavine and maybe the Kings if they give up Fox. He'd look good in Portland next to Dame as well but all of those teams can beat a CJ/Roco package.

The question should be how good of an offer can we muster up and will the Sixers bite and will the salaries work? I think Ben moves the needle despite his horrendous shooting at the charity stripe and lack of development in midrange/perimeter shooting. He is a modern day Magic Johnson/Lebron lite. Just surround him with shooters and shot makers and you're golden. We have the complimentary pieces to make it all come together into something special

A couple seasons ago I was spamming our board with Simmons trades. Now, though it doesn't make sense I don't think the spacing between him and Ayton make sense. This is based off the fact that I think Simmons best position in PF in today's game and needs to play off a stretch big. Kinda like how Milwaukee built around Giannis honestly, but with more dynamic options around the perimeter.

That's why I think Minny is great for him, he does work inside and plays defense while KAT and Dlo operate outside bombing away. The fact that they're all friends makes it an even better fit.

Would Philly take Rubio and Beasley for Simmons? The dollars are pretty much even per the ESPN trade machine
Not sure who else to add - Twolves don't have a pick this year

[Puff]

I have no idea why so many are blaming Paul and Monty for our failure to win last night, as well as our defense. We held them to 105 points. We only scored 98 - that sucks.

The reason we lost is because Devin Booker Crapped the Bed. 0 for 7 from three point land ain't legendary. He also made numerous other errors on offense and defense. With a great game from him we are playing game 7 in Phoenix on Thursday. 19 points doesn't cut it. He needed to have at least 30. That is how this team is currently built.

This team needs another legit scorer, our defense was fine on everyone not named Portis or Giannis. We also could use a big with a nasty attitude. Keep everyone else in the top eight. Craig needs to be gone unless he wants the minimum. Where are his minutes going to come if we do get another big or Stix starts getting minutes?

Mr max contract Ayton was not effective on either end of the court last night either. I like him but I am really concerned with giving him a maximum contract. Unfortunately I think that is what it is going to take to keep him. I just hope he continues to improve and work on his game. There are not any legit replacements for what he gives on the horizon. He does need help.

[Biff]

We definitely need to get better if we want to make it back. What everyone said about us was true, we had a pretty easy path to the finals. Luck almost always plays a factor in the playoffs and we definitely benefited from that this year. No guarantees in the future and if all teams are healthy, I don't think we're one of the teams coming out ahead in the next year with our current squad. We need a decent backup big and Booker really needs to work on his 3 point shooting. Dude shot 22% from 3 in the finals and that's just horrendous for a SG in today's game. If he even shoots 33%, we maybe win this series.

[saintEscaton]

We definitely need to get better if we want to make it back. What everyone said about us was true, we had a pretty easy path to the finals. Luck almost always plays a factor in the playoffs and we definitely benefited from that this year. No guarantees in the future and if all teams are healthy, I don't think we're one of the teams coming out ahead in the next year with our current squad. We need a decent backup big and Booker really needs to work on his 3 point shooting. Dude shot 22% from 3 in the finals and that's just horrendous for a SG in today's game. If he even shoots 33%, we maybe win this series.

Booker went from looking like the next Klay Thompson/long lost Splash Brother to a well below league average shooter from beyond the arc this regular season especially and postseason and his free throw shooting percentage dipped uncharacteristically too unfortunately. He was only a league leading midrange shooter but is a below league effeciency average volume scorer. Again not a true #1 in my definitive book. Book it!

[saintEscaton]

Can we make Simmons to attack the basket like Giannis?

Yes after we trade for him we will make him more aggressive and an attack dog.

[BobbieL]

We definitely need to get better if we want to make it back. What everyone said about us was true, we had a pretty easy path to the finals. Luck almost always plays a factor in the playoffs and we definitely benefited from that this year. No guarantees in the future and if all teams are healthy, I don't think we're one of the teams coming out ahead in the next year with our current squad. We need a decent backup big and Booker really needs to work on his 3 point shooting. Dude shot 22% from 3 in the finals and that's just horrendous for a SG in today's game. If he even shoots 33%, we maybe win this series.

Booker went from looking like the next Klay Thompson/long lost Splash Brother to a well below league average shooter from beyond the arc this regular season especially and postseason and his free throw shooting dipped uncharacteristically too unfortunately

Going to say it again: Booker, Bridges, Ayton, the Cams - they still have room to improve their game. The WArriors hit their peak the third year they made the playoffs. Year 1 - they made it to the Conference Semis; Year 2 - they lost in the first round, tough 7 game series against the Clippers - years 3-7 - they were a juggernaut.

So the Suns are far from being a finished product in terms of the development of the team. Sure, they need CP3 to come back; they need to fortify the bench and for players to improve. Luck did play a part in getting to the finals but the Suns also should be a better team next year.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I have no idea why so many are blaming Paul and Monty for our failure to win last night, as well as our defense. We held them to 105 points. We only scored 98 - that sucks.

The reason we lost is because Devin Booker Crapped the Bed. 0 for 7 from three point land ain't legendary. He also made numerous other errors on offense and defense. With a great game from him we are playing game 7 in Phoenix on Thursday. 19 points doesn't cut it. He needed to have at least 30. That is how this team is currently built.

This team needs another legit scorer, our defense was fine on everyone not named Portis or Giannis. We also could use a big with a nasty attitude. Keep everyone else in the top eight. Craig need to be gone unless he wants the minimum. Where are his minutes going to come if we do get another big or Stix starts getting minutes?

To be fair, a couple of Booker's threes were late in the game, quick shots desperately trying to make up the deficit. Not legendary, no.

But as for the rest, we went to Book because no one else could do jack sh*t - and that includes, especially, Paul.

Too many of Paul's turnovers had nothing to do with the defense. He slipped and lost the ball down the stretch of game 4 and then made the exact same turnover in the 4th quarter last night. Those little mid-range jumpers weren't falling, and he passed up plenty of open threes from the top of the key. True, Booker couldn't carry us, but we went to him over and over because we had to. Ayton wasn't hitting, Paul wasn't getting anything, and Mikal can't (or allegedly, just doesn't) create his own shot.

The only way Paul doesn't deserve a big part of the blame for our finals losses is if you're blaming his wrist instead. But there's just no basis for claiming that he wasn't outplayed by opposing PGs in rounds 3 and 4 of these playoffs. As bw pointed out, he feasted on Denver's backups. He also killed Schroder. And no doubt he's the lynchpin that made this whole run possible. But am I eager to pay Paul what Jrue earns, and dramatically more than Reggie Jackson will get in free agency? Not eager, no. Resigned to it? Pretty much.

Truly, I'm not trying to demean him. I'm just saying it sucks to be hamstrung financially by a player I just watched get outplayed.

[saintEscaton]

We definitely need to get better if we want to make it back. What everyone said about us was true, we had a pretty easy path to the finals. Luck almost always plays a factor in the playoffs and we definitely benefited from that this year. No guarantees in the future and if all teams are healthy, I don't think we're one of the teams coming out ahead in the next year with our current squad. We need a decent backup big and Booker really needs to work on his 3 point shooting. Dude shot 22% from 3 in the finals and that's just horrendous for a SG in today's game. If he even shoots 33%, we maybe win this series.

Booker went from looking like the next Klay Thompson/long lost Splash Brother to a well below league average shooter from beyond the arc this regular season especially and postseason and his free throw shooting dipped uncharacteristically too unfortunately

Going to say it again: Booker, Bridges, Ayton, the Cams - they still have room to improve their game. The WArriors hit their peak the third year they made the playoffs. Year 1 - they made it to the Conference Semis; Year 2 - they lost in the first round, tough 7 game series against the Clippers - years 3-7 - they were a juggernaut.

So the Suns are far from being a finished product in terms of the development of the team. Sure, they need CP3 to come back; they need to fortify the bench and for players to improve. Luck did play a part in getting to the finals but the Suns also should be a better team next year.

How high is their ceiling, How much more could they improve realistically. We have two star caliber players on Booker and Ayton but neither are great enough to build a team around it was the addition of CP3 as a force multiplier, player's coach and facilitator that took us from a team that hadn't made the playoff in forever to the freakin' NBA Finals

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Minnesota is the team that I think should pull the trigger and get him when it's all said and done. Rubio and Ant for Simmons makes a ton of sense. I can also see Chicago for Lavine and maybe the Kings if they give up Fox. He'd look good in Portland next to Dame as well but all of those teams can beat a CJ/Roco package.

Ant>>>Simmons

And I consider myself a Simmons fan.

[Slim Charless]

Minnesota is the team that I think should pull the trigger and get him when it's all said and done. Rubio and Ant for Simmons makes a ton of sense. I can also see Chicago for Lavine and maybe the Kings if they give up Fox. He'd look good in Portland next to Dame as well but all of those teams can beat a CJ/Roco package.

Ant>>>Simmons

And I consider myself a Simmons fan.

Maybe. But KAT>>>Ant

He might want to start winning now with a guy who fits his game much better and is a good friend to boot.

[saintEscaton]

Minnesota is the team that I think should pull the trigger and get him when it's all said and done. Rubio and Ant for Simmons makes a ton of sense. I can also see Chicago for Lavine and maybe the Kings if they give up Fox. He'd look good in Portland next to Dame as well but all of those teams can beat a CJ/Roco package.

Ant>>>Simmons

And I consider myself a Simmons fan.

Ant looks really promising and is stud in the making but I still take Simmons over him. Also pretty sure the TWolves want to field a Big 4 with him, KAT, DLo, Simmons and keep him and not include him in a package for Ben

[Biff]

I like Ant more than Simmons long-term overall but Simmons is a better fit with the Wolves and helps them more right now. Conversely, Ant is a much better fit on the 76ers. Would be a good trade for both teams.

[Biff]

I do think this experience was really helpful, especially for someone like Ayton. He really benefited from this atmosphere and I think he is starting to figure out what it takes to be a great big man in today's game. He had a hard time against Giannis but he's only 22 and that's a tough matchup for anyone. I'm hoping we see more consistency and growth from him next year now that his confidence seems to be getting better.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I like Ant more than Simmons long-term overall but Simmons is a better fit with the Wolves and helps them more right now. Conversely, Ant is a much better fit on the 76ers. Would be a good trade for both teams.

I'm a Simmons believer but I don't think I'd trade Ant for him. Ant might never get there but his upside is ridiculous.

If I'm the wolves I offer DLo and another small asset.

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[Ghost of Kleine]

Can we trade Carter for Aron Baynes? Shores up the Suns backup center problems and also gives the Suns that veteran presence, not to mention the big screens Baynes can provide with potential pick and pop opportunities with CP3. I feel like Baynes could solve a lot of the issues the Suns had with the Bucks.

It's interesting that you mention that, As I actually had a trade with the Raptors that brought back Baynes a little over a month ago. They were However interested in a Saric for Baynes swap. And were even willing to throw in a 2nd rounder to boot. I wonder if they would do a Carter for Baynes trade? Although...........

They do have Bembry and Flynn ( a slightly better 2 way guard) But he's still a rookie, So it could be possible? I would love to somehow still swap Saric for Baynes honestly though. Maybe a Saric and the 29th pick for Baynes and the 47th perhaps?

Minnesota was also willing to swap Carter for Okogies' expiring contract upon discussion in the trade forum. Also might look to Boston possibly for a Carter /29 for Robert Williams and the 45th pick?

[PittsburghSuns]

Booker went from looking like the next Klay Thompson/long lost Splash Brother to a well below league average shooter from beyond the arc this regular season especially and postseason and his free throw shooting dipped uncharacteristically too unfortunately

Going to say it again: Booker, Bridges, Ayton, the Cams - they still have room to improve their game. The WArriors hit their peak the third year they made the playoffs. Year 1 - they made it to the Conference Semis; Year 2 - they lost in the first round, tough 7 game series against the Clippers - years 3-7 - they were a juggernaut.

So the Suns are far from being a finished product in terms of the development of the team. Sure, they need CP3 to come back; they need to fortify the bench and for players to improve. Luck did play a part in getting to the finals but the Suns also should be a better team next year.

How high is their ceiling, How much more could they improve realistically. We have two star caliber players on Booker and Ayton but neither are great enough to build a team around it was the addition of CP3 as a force multiplier, player's coach and facilitator that took us from a team that hadn't made the playoff in forever to the freakin' NBA Finals

I agree that CP3 is what took us over the edge but I would tread very lightly on what type of contract you give him. He has proven he can’t stay healthy for an entire season playoff run time and time again. He may still have a great year left in him but I would question 2 and doubt 3.