2021-22 Season/Offseason Speculation

[Mr Puddles]

Kevin Love in an Aaron Baynes type role would be legit. He's also way better then Saric.

We're thin at the 5 and we could use a court stretcher. Love fits the bill

CP3/Payne/Elf
Booker/Shamet
Bridges/Cam
Crowder/Frank
Ayton/Love/McGee

I love it.

Exactly. I could see Love playing the Saric role as a stretch back-up 5 except he's much better suited to play the 5 than Saric and a much better rebounder.

Assuming Love would be willing to sign for the remainder of the MLE, the Suns could move Saric + Smith and a second rounder for Favors and our team would be able to put a legit amount of size on the floor and have a nice combination of shooters at the 4 & 5 (Love, Cam, Frank), Defensive bigs (Ayton & Favors) and athletic bigs (Ayton + McGee) - to pretty much match any line-up:

CP3/Payne/Elf
Booker/Shamet/Puddles
Bridges/Cam/Nader
Crowder/Favors/Frank
Ayton/Love/McGee

[Saberestar]

It is gonna be interesting to see where Love plays at the start of the season.

He will bought out, no doubt in my mind.

His favorite option probably Lakers...but I think he would be a better fit and starter on the Mavs. We will see.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Gambo seems sceptical about us getting Kevin Love based on his lack of defense being exploited in a switching scheme.

Says Jones is looking for a defensive minded player at PF, which I agree on if quality is close.

[Barkley6]

Gambo seems sceptical about us getting Kevin Love based on his lack of defense being exploited in a switching scheme.

Says Jones is looking for a defensive minded player at PF, which I agree on if quality is close.

That makes sense, except that Saric and McGee aren't switchable bigs either. Nor is Kaminsky. It hasn't exactly been Jones' MO to sign switchable bigs, now I don't know if that's by design or just a result of what was available, but it doesn't seem to be a deal breaker.

[Saberestar]

BTW, Love will be bought out IF he wants to play basketball for real next season.

He probably just does not have any motivation in doing it, so in that case he will be on the Cavs getting checks and waiting for retirement.

[Jdiddy701]

Let's trade AtheJ415 for picks....or at least cash considerations.

With just how badly he coached this series I have 0 faith he will ever become the type of coach who is capable of winning it all. I hope I'm wrong, but this was just about the most dumbfounding decisionmaking in key situations that I can recall in finals history. You don't buzzsaw a team the opening 2 games and then abandon your entire offensive system for large portions of games.

Watch on YouTube

;feature=youtu.be

Well, Chris Paul loves him. I wonder why… oh I do. Because he’s a GREAT coach. Also, not sure if you heard Woj’s podcast with Monty from last month. Woj mentioned that every NBA team is trying to find the next Monty Williams. I’m pretty sure we have one of the best coaches in the NBA. We don’t come close to winning a series in the playoffs this past year without Monty IMO.


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[Frank Lee]

Love should have us high on his list. He has his short comings, but damn, it would be nice to see an crisp outlet pass or two this year. Upgrade over Saric, the masquerading NBAer Shank, and very likely Mr Anonymous

[Saberestar]

Love should have us high on his list. He has his short comings, but damn, it would be nice to see an crisp outlet pass or two this year. Upgrade over both Saric and the masquerading NBAer Shank.

He has a great relationship with Westbrook and Lebron and he has always been linked to LA, so I think that Lakers will be his first option. They need another big, so he fits there.

Love is super skilled and talented on offense but he has serious problems on defense because of his lack of mobility and overall athleticism at this point of his career.

Mixed feelings about him as a player, but I think that a healthy and motivated Love can be a game changer yet on a playoff team.

[Saberestar]

Read on Twitter

[bigfoot]

Love addresses the one major flaw remaining on the team ... rebounding. Ayton is the only legitimate rebounder and when Crowder is your starting PF who averages only 4.7 rebounds per game you have an issue. Now McGee will certainly help in that department but McGee and Ayton on the floor would not work as well as Love and Ayton on the offensive side of the ball.

Paul/Payne
Booker/Shamet
Bridges/Johnson
Love/Crowder
Ayton/McGee

[RunDogGun]

BTW, Love will be bought out IF he wants to play basketball for real next season.

He probably just does not have any motivation in doing it, so in that case he will be on the Cavs getting checks and waiting for retirement.

Also, if he comes out and says he has no interest in being bought out, it gives him an opportunity to get more money out of the Cavs if they do in fact want to buy him out.

As for the board talking about deep bench spots, what else are we supposed to talk about? We can't have honest discussions about one of the players we traded for, and we didn't change any other part of the team. So what else are fanatics from a NBA finals team supposed to talk about...NFL?

[RunDogGun]

Love addresses the one major flaw remaining on the team ... rebounding. Ayton is the only legitimate rebounder and when Crowder is your starting PF who averages only 4.7 rebounds per game you have an issue. Now McGee will certainly help in that department but McGee and Ayton on the floor would not work as well as Love and Ayton on the offensive side of the ball.

Paul/Payne
Booker/Shamet
Bridges/Johnson
Love/Crowder
Ayton/McGee

Then the question becomes: do we address the rebounding at the expense of some defense, or do we keep the stronger defenders in starting roles at the expense of rebounds? This is why Craig was a better fit for our team than many thought. He went after every rebound, and had he received more minutes, he would have been one of our top rebounders after Ayton. And we could play him 2-4 defensively.

If we can get Love, I think we should go for it. If not, I would hope we would find two athletic young guys to fill the two way contracts, and leave the 15th spot open for later. Get a 2/3 and a 4/5 that can defend and rebound, who have mad hops. If they can shoot, then that is a bonus.

[Mulhollanddrive]

I think Jones wants to give Smith every chance because he picked him, though I'm not sure what we're doing with the last spot which is irrespective of that.

[Ghost of Kleine]

I think Jones wants to give Smith every chance because he picked him, though I'm not sure what we're doing with the last spot.

As well he should! Especially considering what he showed ( Double/Double average) in the summer league when he finally was able to get some playing time. And that was with him playing with other players NOT making him a primary focus. But rather many seeking to score and make a name for themselves! Smith gets a lot of flack for not being ready to contribute last season. But none of that was of his making obviously. As Jones himself mentioned, Smith fell into a really tough situation, In which Covid prevented him from even getting a summer league and preseason to develop with minutes and be able to really showcase himself.

Just consider, IF he actually was able to have that summer league post draft, AND was able to average a double/ double, Would we have possibly deemed him worthy of some modicum of actual playing time last season? Perhaps even in the playoffs at times too? And if he was able to contribute during our run, How much better would his value appear currently? On top of all that, Also finding himself with a severe ankle injury and then in Covid Protocol right after too. Legitimately, This summer IS his offseason! And so far in the summer league, So far, Post summer league, He's absolutely validating Jones selection of him with the 10th pick.

It's important to remember exactly how rare his skillset is for our needs. He's 6'10 maybe will get to 6'11 even! With a 7'2 wingspan, Mobile, and ELITE rebounder and shotblocker. But he's also a 37% three point shooter with a great shooting stroke and averages of 15/ 10 with 2.5 blocks per game and a 12.0 BPM. He's contractually controlled on an affordable rookie scale contract too. This becomes increasingly paramount with our immenent large scale core max extensions. These smaller rookie scale contracts are also critical post core extensions, As even aside from our core max extensions, Cam Johnson will be due for his scale extensions along with Smith as well.

Smith is going to be a very good, possibly great rotation player for us. He's definitely worth giving more significant playing time this season at the very least!

[Barkley6]

Love should have us high on his list. He has his short comings, but damn, it would be nice to see an crisp outlet pass or two this year. Upgrade over both Saric and the masquerading NBAer Shank.

He has a great relationship with Westbrook and Lebron and he has always been linked to LA, so I think that Lakers will be his first option. They need another big, so he fits there.

Love is super skilled and talented on offense but he has serious problems on defense because of his lack of mobility and overall athleticism at this point of his career.

Mixed feelings about him as a player, but I think that a healthy and motivated Love can be a game changer yet on a playoff team.

So here's the way I look at it, Love, if bought out, probably only signs a 1 year deal. Tax payer MLE or less is what he's going to make. BUT if he shows that he can still be a solid rotation piece, he's a guy that could easily play 3-4 more years without dropping off too much because his game doesn't rely on athleticism. So he's looking for another contract, whether with the team he ends up with post buyout or someone else.

But, if he goes to the Lakers, already a team with A LOT of questions marks on defense and he gets incredibly exposed on that side of the ball, he's likely doing what Paul Millsap is doing right now, holding out for more money that he doesn't seem likely to get.

Whereas in the Suns system, we have a very sound defensive system that can hide his shortcomings, and put him in positions to be successful. We've also shown that we can take guys not really know for their defense and make them into solid defenders because of the system we play (Book, and CamJo come to mind). He could easily parlay that defensive improvement, and his diverse offensive skillset into a multi-year contract with someone in the future.

[matt131]

Read on Twitter

Well that settles that.

The price for nance jr didn't seem too high. I wonder if we tried and just didn't have the right deal for them.

I wonder also if Jones just feels comfy with Jalen Smith. It would be AMAZING if he turned into a reliable shooter/rebounder/shot blocker off the bench for about 10 to 15 minutes per game. I think the shooting and rebounding is possible, but he played pretty terrible defense in summer league

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

Well that settles that.

The price for nance jr didn't seem too high. I wonder if we tried and just didn't have the right deal for them.

I wonder also if Jones just feels comfy with Jalen Smith. It would be AMAZING if he turned into a reliable shooter/rebounder/shot blocker off the bench for about 10 to 15 minutes per game. I think the shooting and rebounding is possible, but he played pretty terrible defense in summer league

Thank God all these assumptions based on a Flex tweet (even by Sidery, Max, etc) will end. I don't see the Love appeal anyway.

Some players don't want to give up millions of dollars which obviously is understandable.

I think the Cavs probably think he might have some trade value next summer where a team might want his expiring deal and the Cavs could take on someone useful with a longer contract another team wants to get out of. If not, they could probably negotiate a buyout that year if they are not utilizing him or once they are out of playoff contention.

[bwgood77]

David Aldridge ranks our offseason moves #15 out of all the teams:

15) Phoenix Suns
2020-21 record: 51-21; lost in NBA Finals

Added: G Landry Shamet (acquired from Brooklyn); C JaVale McGee (one year, $5 million); G Elfrid Payton (one year, $2.2 million)

Lost: G Jevon Carter (traded to Brooklyn); C Day’Ron Sharpe (draft rights traded to Brooklyn)

Retained: G Chris Paul (four years, $120 million); G Cameron Payne (three years, $19 million); F/C Frank Kaminsky (one year, $2 million): F Abdel Nader (two years, $4.1 million)

Extended: None

Returning from injury: F Dario Saric (torn ACL)

The skinny: The Suns’ quick summer depended solely on whether they’d pay up for what CP3 delivered last season — leading a turnaround that reversed a decade of losing and irrelevance, rolling through the West in the playoffs and winding up in the Finals. They did, taking Paul through at least his age 39 season. It’s easy to say it was an overpay. (It turns out that keeping a championship-caliber team together more than a year or two is expensive.) Paul wasn’t giving Robert Sarver any hometown discount, and he shouldn’t have. So, with Paul and Payne back to take care of the ball and Devin Booker to put it in the basket, Phoenix will run it back, along with Shamet and McGee, who’ll step in for Saric and provide solid backup center minutes behind Deandre Ayton. Shamet rises to a more traditional sixth-/seventh-man role in Phoenix after serving more as backcourt insurance in Brooklyn. If Monty Williams can manage Paul through the regular season and get him to the postseason healthy, there’s no reason Phoenix can’t make another real run at it next year.

[matt131]

Read on Twitter

Well that settles that.

The price for nance jr didn't seem too high. I wonder if we tried and just didn't have the right deal for them.

I wonder also if Jones just feels comfy with Jalen Smith. It would be AMAZING if he turned into a reliable shooter/rebounder/shot blocker off the bench for about 10 to 15 minutes per game. I think the shooting and rebounding is possible, but he played pretty terrible defense in summer league

Thank God all these assumptions based on a Flex tweet (even by Sidery, Max, etc) will end. I don't see the Love appeal anyway.

Some players don't want to give up millions of dollars which obviously is understandable.

I think the Cavs probably think he might have some trade value next summer where a team might want his expiring deal and the Cavs could take on someone useful with a longer contract another team wants to get out of. If not, they could probably negotiate a buyout that year if they are not utilizing him or once they are out of playoff contention.

Yeah it seems like everyone was piggybacking off everyone else. It makes for some fun during the off-season, but oh well. I guess the situation is fluid and that's why it didn't work. Or perhaps this wasn't a smart chess move for us to make. We're waiting for a check mate, not just check.

[bwgood77]

Well that settles that.

The price for nance jr didn't seem too high. I wonder if we tried and just didn't have the right deal for them.

I wonder also if Jones just feels comfy with Jalen Smith. It would be AMAZING if he turned into a reliable shooter/rebounder/shot blocker off the bench for about 10 to 15 minutes per game. I think the shooting and rebounding is possible, but he played pretty terrible defense in summer league

Thank God all these assumptions based on a Flex tweet (even by Sidery, Max, etc) will end. I don't see the Love appeal anyway.

Some players don't want to give up millions of dollars which obviously is understandable.

I think the Cavs probably think he might have some trade value next summer where a team might want his expiring deal and the Cavs could take on someone useful with a longer contract another team wants to get out of. If not, they could probably negotiate a buyout that year if they are not utilizing him or once they are out of playoff contention.

Yeah it seems like everyone was piggybacking off everyone else. It makes for some fun during the off-season, but oh well. I guess the situation is fluid and that's why it didn't work. Or perhaps this wasn't a smart chess move for us to make. We're waiting for a check mate, not just check.

Can't really make a checkers move if there is no game. It is strange so many speculating on whether we'd sign a player after he is bought out when he has 2 years left on contract.

Even if he was bought out, a GM giving money to his best friend or good friend might be viewed as nepotism anyway. Doesn't seem like a good fit either. He would certainly be a 3rd stringer who isn't in shape and is always out averaging 30 games a year for 3 years.