2021-22 Season/Offseason Speculation

[Jarlaxle0204]

I'd give Stix another year and see what we have. On paper he's the perfect compliment to our team. I wouldn't give up on him after a year and especially a shortened year where we couldn't really play a ton of youth.

[thamadkant]

Not against trading Smith, but not particularly high on moving him for Thad Young. He's solid, not really a needle mover though. Feels really short sighted moving Dario and Smith for a 33 year old back-up power forward on an expiring contract. Nance makes a bit more sense.

I like Nance Jr’s skillset but he’s a very injury prone player.

I’d rather just keep Smith and tell him to add weight and then give him mins next season alongside CP3 and then evaluate him.

We should just call it now. Jalen Smith is a bust. Add him to the list that incudes Chriss, Bender and Jackson. I think it sucks that we missed in last years draft. There were much better players at 10, and I think if JJ had to do it over again he doesn't take Smith.

If there was something salvagable or redeeming about Jalen, I believe JJ would have found it by now. He has had some moments, but so did the others. The guy may put it together in 2-3 years, but his cieling is a current day M. Chriss from this casual Suns fan.

Our core is set. Book, Paul, Bridges, Ayton, Crowder, C Johnson, Payne was enough to make the finals. Let's run it back with some complimentary pieces. Jalen Smith is not a player who will get minutes next year. Let's move on. Sorry.

Rubbish take on Smith because we only saw him on the floor for total of 15 minutes in an entire season.

A rookie 20 year old big man would never get minutes on a competing team.

But Jalen Smith ticks a lot of the needs for the Suns. A rim protector who can shoot 3s.

[bwgood77]

It seems many fans, and maybe particularly Saberestar, who seemingly wants to trade picks and rookie contract guys for a one year expiring guy, thought we had super depth last year, even before Craig. This year we may not have Saric, our backup C, but he has been replaced with McGee. And we now have a big upgrade at 4th guard. We also have a guy who should be better than last year in Smith.

But we have 3 very good players who can play the 3/4 and switch and all could play 32 minutes a game, taking all the minutes there, with a backup in Nader who is fine for emergencies.

Sure it would be nice to have another nice player, particularly if you don't like the idea of Cam, Bridges or Crowder playing that many minutes, but I don't see a huge need to make some sort of move, as we really don't have that many minutes. If we truly wanted to trade Crowder he would have plenty of suitors but I seriously doubt they want to trade him.

And yeah, a guy like Thad Young could very well be bought out later. I doubt they take on a big salary from a guy that is out with a major injury, who has another year on his contract and there is no telling how he will come back. He already couldn't jump and is a 6'10 guy we only saw jump once, and even didn't look all that smooth running.

[BobbieL]

Mizell moving to the Philadelphia Inquirer

It was great she still covered the Suns but the Inquirer is getting a good one - Mizell is excellent (plus she will be a train ride from her beloved Broadway and those shows)

[BobbieL]

It seems many fans, and maybe particularly Saberestar, who seemingly wants to trade picks and rookie contract guys for a one year expiring guy, thought we had super depth last year, even before Craig. This year we may not have Saric, our backup C, but he has been replaced with McGee. And we now have a big upgrade at 4th guard. We also have a guy who should be better than last year in Smith.

But we have 3 very good players who can play the 3/4 and switch and all could play 32 minutes a game, taking all the minutes there, with a backup in Nader who is fine for emergencies.

Sure it would be nice to have another nice player, particularly if you don't like the idea of Cam, Bridges or Crowder playing that many minutes, but I don't see a huge need to make some sort of move, as we really don't have that many minutes. If we truly wanted to trade Crowder he would have plenty of suitors but I seriously doubt they want to trade him.

And yeah, a guy like Thad Young could very well be bought out later. I doubt they take on a big salary from a guy that is out with a major injury, who has another year on his contract and there is no telling how he will come back. He already couldn't jump and is a 6'10 guy we only saw jump once, and even didn't look all that smooth running.

Just let the Spurs find another option but not moving Smith for him - thats short sighted by the Suns. The Spurs will probably buy him out. Spurs pay 10m - Suns pay $4.5m

[Puff]

We should just call it now. Jalen Smith is a bust. Add him to the list that incudes Chriss, Bender and Jackson. I think it sucks that we missed in last years draft. There were much better players at 10, and I think if JJ had to do it over again he doesn't take Smith.

If there was something salvagable or redeeming about Jalen, I believe JJ would have found it by now. He has had some moments, but so did the others. The guy may put it together in 2-3 years, but his cieling is a current day M. Chriss from this casual Suns fan.

Our core is set. Book, Paul, Bridges, Ayton, Crowder, C Johnson, Payne was enough to make the finals. Let's run it back with some complimentary pieces. Jalen Smith is not a player who will get minutes next year. Let's move on. Sorry.

You may be right but it’s too early to say. He’s barely played to show he’s a bust. Bender and Chriss actually played in their first two years and looked garbage and knew they were busts.

Smith is supposed to be the Saric replacement. McGee is not a guy that will play every night because we may not need him to. Only against teams with size. For the other teams and other games, we need a small ball PF like we used Saric last year at C. This year, that will be Smith’s role so we can see firsthand what he has to provide.

For me, if a player doesn’t show anything good by the end of his first 2 yrs then you can start thinking about them as busts. Even then there are some players who turn out nice even after not showing anything for 2-3 yrs or more but those are usually a bit more rare.

Smith is high character, a hard worker, has the perfect skill set for a stretch 4 (or did coming out of college) and Maryland fans are extremely high on him. As I've said he needs time. In many ways it's like his rookie season with first summer league, training camp, etc. Not only was last season a shortened one, he was out with COVID for what seemed like forever and same with the injury.

So he really got set back. Now he is playing with a bunch of scrubs who look like awful players.

He is second in RPG for all players in all 3 summer leagues, which is a very good thing given his thin frame, almost half of them offensive rebounds.

When a guy isn't shooting well and remains that engaged with hustle and rebounding, that's a good sign. Shooting will come and go.

He also seems to take it hard to the rim and dunk if he has the space, and doesn't settle for those layups like most of our bigs do.

I was going to make a similar comment on Smith. He is doing this while playing on a team that is absolutely awful. They have him standing in the corner waiting to take a three. The guard play is non existent and no one can pass. If he gets minutes during the regular season he will get better scoring opportunities and could be a very good contributor. His rebounding will always be there. He appears to be very quick and will get better. He is 22.

On the other hand I do not like Tshon Alexander at all. He is horrible. He makes a few shots but his over all game is just not there. I would think we can pick up another guard to take his spot on the roster, virtually anyone.

[mg]

Cavs follower here...I'm really not sure if they would have a ton of interest in Saric or Smith esp after drafting Mobley. You guys are selling LNJ short though. He's probably the best backup defensive big in the league. He's been working on his ball skills and will get minutes at the 3 too...

Unfortunately he is injury prone. Just a lot of flukey stuff. I think he would've played more games at the end of the season but Cavs were tanking by that point so they sat out a few guys a little bit longer. Doesn't matter to anybody but me but I was attending ASU when the Suns traded his dad to the Cavs in the KJ deal. Recall eating at a restaurant near campus (Fuddruckers I think) when the trade hit the news.

[Crives]

I mean, you have to check on trade value for young guys like Jalen when you have a shot to win a chip. Doesn’t mean you should trade him

[matt131]

Oof

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[WeekapaugGroove]

I mean, you have to check on trade value for young guys like Jalen when you have a shot to win a chip. Doesn’t mean you should trade him

Agreed. Of course you check on options but unless it's someone whos a legit impact guy I'd probably keep him.

Also it's good to have some trade chips later in the year. You could have an injury that completely changes what you need.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[BobbieL]

I mean, you have to check on trade value for young guys like Jalen when you have a shot to win a chip. Doesn’t mean you should trade him

Agreed. Of course you check on options but unless it's someone whos a legit impact guy I'd probably keep him.

Also it's good to have some trade chips later in the year. You could have an injury that completely changes what you need.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

The more I think about - the more I am either
1) doing my version of a trade with the SPurs since its likely they buy him out at some point
2) just bring on Millsap
3) sign a non guaranteed guy for the first two months and wait for the buyout market

[bwgood77]

I was thinking about Bridges extension if they extend him. My guess is it would be a contract something like 4 years, $18.5, $20, $21.5, $23. That is 4 years/$83 but the first year is lower while we still have Paul had full salary and the second year a little lower than the next two when we only may be on the hook for $15 million for Paul. That seems like a pretty reasonable contract for his skills.

[Saberestar]

It seems many fans, and maybe particularly Saberestar, who seemingly wants to trade picks and rookie contract guys for a one year expiring guy, thought we had super depth last year, even before Craig. This year we may not have Saric, our backup C, but he has been replaced with McGee. And we now have a big upgrade at 4th guard. We also have a guy who should be better than last year in Smith.

But we have 3 very good players who can play the 3/4 and switch and all could play 32 minutes a game, taking all the minutes there, with a backup in Nader who is fine for emergencies.

Sure it would be nice to have another nice player, particularly if you don't like the idea of Cam, Bridges or Crowder playing that many minutes, but I don't see a huge need to make some sort of move, as we really don't have that many minutes. If we truly wanted to trade Crowder he would have plenty of suitors but I seriously doubt they want to trade him.

And yeah, a guy like Thad Young could very well be bought out later. I doubt they take on a big salary from a guy that is out with a major injury, who has another year on his contract and there is no telling how he will come back. He already couldn't jump and is a 6'10 guy we only saw jump once, and even didn't look all that smooth running.

I do not want to trade Jalen Smith, I would like to trade a future FRP (Top 10 protected) + Saric for Thad Young or Larry Nance Jr.

We are talking about very good players, guys who can start on any team in the league or play an important role coming from the bench.

We need to replace Craig yet, and we need to sign or trade for a solid rotation player because we have just 13 players available (+ Saric).

We are contenders NOW and CP3 is not getting younger, a player like Young or Nance can be a game changer to get a nice seed in the RS or in a playoff series. A pick with protections will be a low price to pay for a player like that.

[bwgood77]

It seems many fans, and maybe particularly Saberestar, who seemingly wants to trade picks and rookie contract guys for a one year expiring guy, thought we had super depth last year, even before Craig. This year we may not have Saric, our backup C, but he has been replaced with McGee. And we now have a big upgrade at 4th guard. We also have a guy who should be better than last year in Smith.

But we have 3 very good players who can play the 3/4 and switch and all could play 32 minutes a game, taking all the minutes there, with a backup in Nader who is fine for emergencies.

Sure it would be nice to have another nice player, particularly if you don't like the idea of Cam, Bridges or Crowder playing that many minutes, but I don't see a huge need to make some sort of move, as we really don't have that many minutes. If we truly wanted to trade Crowder he would have plenty of suitors but I seriously doubt they want to trade him.

And yeah, a guy like Thad Young could very well be bought out later. I doubt they take on a big salary from a guy that is out with a major injury, who has another year on his contract and there is no telling how he will come back. He already couldn't jump and is a 6'10 guy we only saw jump once, and even didn't look all that smooth running.

I do not want to trade Jalen Smith, I would like to trade a future FRP (Top 10 protected) + Saric for Thad Young or Larry Nance Jr.

We are talking about very good players, guys who can start on any team in the league or play an important role coming from the bench.

We need to replace Craig yet, and we need to sign or trade for a solid rotation player because we have just 13 players available (+ Saric).

We are contenders NOW and CP3 is not getting younger, a player like Young or Nance can be a game changer to get a nice seed in the RS or in a playoff series. A pick with protections will be a low price to pay for a player like that.

Protections for how long though? How long until it isn't protected? I could see maybe a top 20 protected for a couple years and then convert into two seconds if not conveyed. I wouldn't give one up where protections evaporated though.

[Saberestar]

It seems many fans, and maybe particularly Saberestar, who seemingly wants to trade picks and rookie contract guys for a one year expiring guy, thought we had super depth last year, even before Craig. This year we may not have Saric, our backup C, but he has been replaced with McGee. And we now have a big upgrade at 4th guard. We also have a guy who should be better than last year in Smith.

But we have 3 very good players who can play the 3/4 and switch and all could play 32 minutes a game, taking all the minutes there, with a backup in Nader who is fine for emergencies.

Sure it would be nice to have another nice player, particularly if you don't like the idea of Cam, Bridges or Crowder playing that many minutes, but I don't see a huge need to make some sort of move, as we really don't have that many minutes. If we truly wanted to trade Crowder he would have plenty of suitors but I seriously doubt they want to trade him.

And yeah, a guy like Thad Young could very well be bought out later. I doubt they take on a big salary from a guy that is out with a major injury, who has another year on his contract and there is no telling how he will come back. He already couldn't jump and is a 6'10 guy we only saw jump once, and even didn't look all that smooth running.

I do not want to trade Jalen Smith, I would like to trade a future FRP (Top 10 protected) + Saric for Thad Young or Larry Nance Jr.

We are talking about very good players, guys who can start on any team in the league or play an important role coming from the bench.

We need to replace Craig yet, and we need to sign or trade for a solid rotation player because we have just 13 players available (+ Saric).

We are contenders NOW and CP3 is not getting younger, a player like Young or Nance can be a game changer to get a nice seed in the RS or in a playoff series. A pick with protections will be a low price to pay for a player like that.

Protections for how long though? How long until it isn't protected? I could see maybe a top 20 protected for a couple years and then convert into two seconds if not conveyed. I wouldn't give one up where protections evaporated though.

I would trade a pick with similar protections that the one that we gave up for CP3.

Top 12, Top 10, Top 8 and unprotected.

[BobbieL]

It seems many fans, and maybe particularly Saberestar, who seemingly wants to trade picks and rookie contract guys for a one year expiring guy, thought we had super depth last year, even before Craig. This year we may not have Saric, our backup C, but he has been replaced with McGee. And we now have a big upgrade at 4th guard. We also have a guy who should be better than last year in Smith.

But we have 3 very good players who can play the 3/4 and switch and all could play 32 minutes a game, taking all the minutes there, with a backup in Nader who is fine for emergencies.

Sure it would be nice to have another nice player, particularly if you don't like the idea of Cam, Bridges or Crowder playing that many minutes, but I don't see a huge need to make some sort of move, as we really don't have that many minutes. If we truly wanted to trade Crowder he would have plenty of suitors but I seriously doubt they want to trade him.

And yeah, a guy like Thad Young could very well be bought out later. I doubt they take on a big salary from a guy that is out with a major injury, who has another year on his contract and there is no telling how he will come back. He already couldn't jump and is a 6'10 guy we only saw jump once, and even didn't look all that smooth running.

I do not want to trade Jalen Smith, I would like to trade a future FRP (Top 10 protected) + Saric for Thad Young or Larry Nance Jr.

We are talking about very good players, guys who can start on any team in the league or play an important role coming from the bench.

We need to replace Craig yet, and we need to sign or trade for a solid rotation player because we have just 13 players available (+ Saric).

We are contenders NOW and CP3 is not getting younger, a player like Young or Nance can be a game changer to get a nice seed in the RS or in a playoff series. A pick with protections will be a low price to pay for a player like that.

Young takes another smaller contract - Saric alone won't cut it

Nance I think would work with Saric alone.

[alamin330]

Not against trading Smith, but not particularly high on moving him for Thad Young. He's solid, not really a needle mover though. Feels really short sighted moving Dario and Smith for a 33 year old back-up power forward on an expiring contract. Nance makes a bit more sense.

I like Nance Jr’s skillset but he’s a very injury prone player.

I’d rather just keep Smith and tell him to add weight and then give him mins next season alongside CP3 and then evaluate him.

How much longer do you all think cp3 has left in the tank?
Guys his age can break at any time and be done for good.

[alamin330]

Not against trading Smith, but not particularly high on moving him for Thad Young. He's solid, not really a needle mover though. Feels really short sighted moving Dario and Smith for a 33 year old back-up power forward on an expiring contract. Nance makes a bit more sense.

I like Nance Jr’s skillset but he’s a very injury prone player.

I’d rather just keep Smith and tell him to add weight and then give him mins next season alongside CP3 and then evaluate him.

We should just call it now. Jalen Smith is a bust. Add him to the list that incudes Chriss, Bender and Jackson. I think it sucks that we missed in last years draft. There were much better players at 10, and I think if JJ had to do it over again he doesn't take Smith.

If there was something salvagable or redeeming about Jalen, I believe JJ would have found it by now. He has had some moments, but so did the others. The guy may put it together in 2-3 years, but his cieling is a current day M. Chriss from this casual Suns fan.

Our core is set. Book, Paul, Bridges, Ayton, Crowder, C Johnson, Payne was enough to make the finals. Let's run it back with some complimentary pieces. Jalen Smith is not a player who will get minutes next year. Let's move on. Sorry.

Don’t disrespect chriss and Bender and Josh like that. Lol. Those guys are better than Jalen smith they just lack the iq in Chriss and JJ case or confidence in Benders case. Smh. What a wasted pick. James Jones is always trying to be cute during the draft.

[bwgood77]

Not against trading Smith, but not particularly high on moving him for Thad Young. He's solid, not really a needle mover though. Feels really short sighted moving Dario and Smith for a 33 year old back-up power forward on an expiring contract. Nance makes a bit more sense.

I like Nance Jr’s skillset but he’s a very injury prone player.

I’d rather just keep Smith and tell him to add weight and then give him mins next season alongside CP3 and then evaluate him.

How much longer do you all think cp3 has left in the tank?
Guys his age can break at any time and be done for good.

2 years, but anything can happen. I think he can play past that but I imagine his productivity would start to drop. However, guys these days, especially him, train and eat a lot more healthy than players in the past, so who really knows?

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I like Nance Jr’s skillset but he’s a very injury prone player.

I’d rather just keep Smith and tell him to add weight and then give him mins next season alongside CP3 and then evaluate him.

We should just call it now. Jalen Smith is a bust. Add him to the list that incudes Chriss, Bender and Jackson. I think it sucks that we missed in last years draft. There were much better players at 10, and I think if JJ had to do it over again he doesn't take Smith.

If there was something salvagable or redeeming about Jalen, I believe JJ would have found it by now. He has had some moments, but so did the others. The guy may put it together in 2-3 years, but his cieling is a current day M. Chriss from this casual Suns fan.

Our core is set. Book, Paul, Bridges, Ayton, Crowder, C Johnson, Payne was enough to make the finals. Let's run it back with some complimentary pieces. Jalen Smith is not a player who will get minutes next year. Let's move on. Sorry.

Don’t disrespect chriss and Bender and Josh like that. Lol. Those guys are better than Jalen smith they just lack the iq in Chriss and JJ case or confidence in Benders case. Smh. What a wasted pick. James Jones is always trying to be cute during the draft.

Damn dude you need some zoloft or something?