2021-22 Season/Offseason Speculation

[Ghost of Kleine]

Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) Tweeted:
The @Suns got it wrong a couple of years ago, but a 2017 NBA Re-Draft sees the team add a superstar who takes things to another level. https://t.co/t2MtO2wAKn

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[Ghost of Kleine]

The Bright Side (@BrightSideSun) Tweeted:
Center of the Sun: Suns history does not indicate quick return to NBA Finals https://t.co/wbjmQiBCd1

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[Saberestar]

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[lilfishi22]

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Is he on point? Or is Barnes just being Salty over his history with the suns?

What's your take on the Warriors being pencilled in at #2?

I like it...IF Klay is back to form. Him and Curry together are unstoppable. Curry has the MOST gravity in the league, and Klay is the best shooter in the league, or one of the best. KD made it back and Klay relies on less.

Curry was unstoppable last year.

Then people underestimate Draymond as a 3rd guy and perfect complement to those two when they are healthy. Obviously he can't be the #1 or #2 guy on your team.

Then Wiggins is better. If Otto Porter gets even close to previous self, that is a dangerous team.

Then Wiseman in year 2 probably makes a major leap, and they got, what two top 7 rookies? They are probably at least solid reserves...or at least one of them.

Iguodala back for leadership, Kevon Looney is solid, Moses Moody solid big last year, Bjelica decent backup.

Pretty deep with high end starting talent and a top 3-4 player in the NBA in my opinion.

Also you can't discount a TON of finals experience.

I think they are going to be a really good team. The question I have is whether they'll have the chemistry and health to be a top 2 team in the West. I think when you have young, raw players like Wiseman and the rookies, it's going to be a hella juggling act to bring them into the fold of the other vets who are solely focused on winning a title. No matter what, they will be fun to watch again.

[lilfishi22]

After hearing Flex speak about how the reason the Thad deal hasn't gone down is because they have to wait the 60 days and other players/teams may be involved, I wanted to see how people will react if he's right again.

It's a pretty specific thing to add. If he's right, I'm not saying people need to love this guy, but I'd have to think that's enough to believe the guy has real contacts and didn't get lucky on the Paul move.

Yes and no - I mean the 60 day period is a well know thing, read it elsewhere when Thad rumours only circulated on Suns forums, and weren't aired on national(ish) media. Flex only picked this reasoning up now(ish), his previous "reports" (read: tweets) were about "lots of moving parts", "might not come to fruition" "asking too much", etc... Those were NOT about this very simple and well known rule. Again, he is not bringing up groundbreaking stuff here. And again, I would have no problem with him if he were a poster here making logical points about the suns moves / possible moves in a normal fashion like we all do. But with him trying to grab fame and composing tweets in a deliberately vague way while trying to sound all smart and in the know is a bit much for my taste. #pukegif

I don't mind him wanting his 15 minutes and taking advantage to all those people on twitter craving sources and falling under the spell, but I am just surprised so many actually do take it seriously, particularly knowledgeable long time Suns fans.

But I understand how he is entertaining to some. I listened a little to his Bridges/Ayton extension thing and a lot of what he said has already been talked about extensively here...some of it almost verbatim.

With how tight and professional our front office has been in terms of leaks and rumours, it almost seems unfathomable that the one spilling the beans is this guy who's trying to get on every podcast/show to give his 2c on what the Suns are doing. Not here to make a judgement on whether he has a legit source or not (I don't mind giving him his 15min) but it just seems really odd that if the Suns were tactically leaking info that they would be leaking it to Flex of all people.

[lilfishi22]

When does the Suns official training camp begin or has it already begun?

[Saberestar]

When does the Suns official training camp begin or has it already begun?

Sept. 27. Media Day.
Sept. 28. Training Camp.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) Tweeted:
Going live on @PHNX_Suns in 1 hour! We're talking Monty for Team USA coach, Kyrie trade rumors and getting some updates from @FlexFromJersey:

https://t.co/MPTrQXZi7g https://t.co/gAGu6tUnbS

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[lilfishi22]

When does the Suns official training camp begin or has it already begun?

Sept. 27. Media Day.
Sept. 28. Training Camp.

A week away! Awesome!

[Barkley6]

After hearing Flex speak about how the reason the Thad deal hasn't gone down is because they have to wait the 60 days and other players/teams may be involved, I wanted to see how people will react if he's right again.

It's a pretty specific thing to add. If he's right, I'm not saying people need to love this guy, but I'd have to think that's enough to believe the guy has real contacts and didn't get lucky on the Paul move.

Yes and no - I mean the 60 day period is a well know thing, read it elsewhere when Thad rumours only circulated on Suns forums, and weren't aired on national(ish) media. Flex only picked this reasoning up now(ish), his previous "reports" (read: tweets) were about "lots of moving parts", "might not come to fruition" "asking too much", etc... Those were NOT about this very simple and well known rule. Again, he is not bringing up groundbreaking stuff here. And again, I would have no problem with him if he were a poster here making logical points about the suns moves / possible moves in a normal fashion like we all do. But with him trying to grab fame and composing tweets in a deliberately vague way while trying to sound all smart and in the know is a bit much for my taste. #pukegif

I'm neutral on Flex, but I think that the 'moving parts' and 'asking too much' actually fit what he said on the podcast with Dave King. He said San Antonio is asking for a 1st, and Phoenix is refusing (that's asking too much). That meant a third team needed to get involved, which meant other players being sent out with Thad Young. So, that checks 'a lot of moving parts'. Additionally, that 60 day rule only comes into play if another player is being dealt out WITH Young, so if the deal expands to include a 3rd team, then that detail would only now make sense to include.

I think Flex is a bit smug tbh and it rubs me the wrong way, but I don't necessarily think his info is bad.

[bwgood77]

What's your take on the Warriors being pencilled in at #2?

I like it...IF Klay is back to form. Him and Curry together are unstoppable. Curry has the MOST gravity in the league, and Klay is the best shooter in the league, or one of the best. KD made it back and Klay relies on less.

Curry was unstoppable last year.

Then people underestimate Draymond as a 3rd guy and perfect complement to those two when they are healthy. Obviously he can't be the #1 or #2 guy on your team.

Then Wiggins is better. If Otto Porter gets even close to previous self, that is a dangerous team.

Then Wiseman in year 2 probably makes a major leap, and they got, what two top 7 rookies? They are probably at least solid reserves...or at least one of them.

Iguodala back for leadership, Kevon Looney is solid, Moses Moody solid big last year, Bjelica decent backup.

Pretty deep with high end starting talent and a top 3-4 player in the NBA in my opinion.

Also you can't discount a TON of finals experience.

I think they are going to be a really good team. The question I have is whether they'll have the chemistry and health to be a top 2 team in the West. I think when you have young, raw players like Wiseman and the rookies, it's going to be a hella juggling act to bring them into the fold of the other vets who are solely focused on winning a title. No matter what, they will be fun to watch again.

True, but they were basically the 8 seed already without Klay and all that extra depth. I don't think the young guys need to do too much, just contribute like Cam did, and if Wiseman could be close to what Ayton was in his 2nd year than they could be really tough because they already have Draymond and Looney there anyway to play 5 or 4 if needed. It mainly depends on whether Klay gets back to form and how good Porter was.

The 73 win team was Curry (who was just about as good last year as any), Klay, Barnes (Wiggins is probably better, Porter too if he is back to form), Draymond and then an old Bogut. Bogut was good. Also Iguodala.

But obviously I'm not taking near 73 wins but in the 50s if Klay/Porter healthy and back to form. If not, then I would put them more like 5/6 if those guys struggle some.

[lilfishi22]

Yeah a lot relies on Klay's form. I think if he's anywhere near 80%-90% of what he was, they are going to be fighting for a top 3 spot and assuming everyone else pitches in the way they are expected to.

But the West is tough. I don't necessarily think the Lakers got better but a team with a healthy Lebron and AD is enough to get them a ton of wins. Utah is also just consistent as hell in the regular season with their defense and improving offense. Then we have had a whole year and a Finals run to get used to playing with each other, we've basically running it back so we should be firing on all cylinders unlike last season. And Denver still looked solid last season after losing Murray so you can't write them off their since they have the reigning MVP.

[bwgood77]

Yeah a lot relies on Klay's form. I think if he's anywhere near 80%-90% of what he was, they are going to be fighting for a top 3 spot and assuming everyone else pitches in the way they are expected to.

But the West is tough. I don't necessarily think the Lakers got better but a team with a healthy Lebron and AD is enough to get them a ton of wins. Utah is also just consistent as hell in the regular season with their defense and improving offense. Then we have had a whole year and a Finals run to get used to playing with each other, we've basically running it back so we should be firing on all cylinders unlike last season. And Denver still looked solid last season after losing Murray so you can't write them off their since they have the reigning MVP.

I just don't know that there will be a lot of difference between the top 3-5 seeds or so in record.

[King4Day]

After hearing Flex speak about how the reason the Thad deal hasn't gone down is because they have to wait the 60 days and other players/teams may be involved, I wanted to see how people will react if he's right again.

It's a pretty specific thing to add. If he's right, I'm not saying people need to love this guy, but I'd have to think that's enough to believe the guy has real contacts and didn't get lucky on the Paul move.

Yes and no - I mean the 60 day period is a well know thing, read it elsewhere when Thad rumours only circulated on Suns forums, and weren't aired on national(ish) media. Flex only picked this reasoning up now(ish), his previous "reports" (read: tweets) were about "lots of moving parts", "might not come to fruition" "asking too much", etc... Those were NOT about this very simple and well known rule. Again, he is not bringing up groundbreaking stuff here. And again, I would have no problem with him if he were a poster here making logical points about the suns moves / possible moves in a normal fashion like we all do. But with him trying to grab fame and composing tweets in a deliberately vague way while trying to sound all smart and in the know is a bit much for my taste. #pukegif

I'm neutral on Flex, but I think that the 'moving parts' and 'asking too much' actually fit what he said on the podcast with Dave King. He said San Antonio is asking for a 1st, and Phoenix is refusing (that's asking too much). That meant a third team needed to get involved, which meant other players being sent out with Thad Young. So, that checks 'a lot of moving parts'. Additionally, that 60 day rule only comes into play if another player is being dealt out WITH Young, so if the deal expands to include a 3rd team, then that detail would only now make sense to include.

I think Flex is a bit smug tbh and it rubs me the wrong way, but I don't necessarily think his info is bad.

That's what I'm thinking too. I'm not saying he's a godly insider, but he's got fans. Insider or a likeable personality/voice of reason. The Suns podcasters gave him a job, Gambo recently gave props to him, and Jon Bloom (who he sounds like may get an official role on the post game show too).

He did break the Paul discussions (a week after Ray Ray ).
And while the points about how long it'd take for the Spurs to trade Thad with another player are obvious, that's never been discussed previously. His pointing out that a 3rd team might give the Spurs what they want is where I think he'll get his props if that happens. Probably Smith and a 2nd to a 3rd team (maybe a fringe contender who has extra firsts like New Orleans or Houston) for a crappy first, that goes to the Spurs along with Dario.
Yes, he could just be coming up with his own thoughts and hoping one happens, he's been specific. Let's see if it happens by around camp. If it does, I don't care what anyone says, he's got some type of connections. Like it or not. Or he's great at guessing.


EDIT: Not saying Houston is a contender of any sort. Had my thoughts mixed up when I was typing and just thinking about 2 teams with lots of cruddy firsts. OKC would be another possibility.

[lilfishi22]

Yeah a lot relies on Klay's form. I think if he's anywhere near 80%-90% of what he was, they are going to be fighting for a top 3 spot and assuming everyone else pitches in the way they are expected to.

But the West is tough. I don't necessarily think the Lakers got better but a team with a healthy Lebron and AD is enough to get them a ton of wins. Utah is also just consistent as hell in the regular season with their defense and improving offense. Then we have had a whole year and a Finals run to get used to playing with each other, we've basically running it back so we should be firing on all cylinders unlike last season. And Denver still looked solid last season after losing Murray so you can't write them off their since they have the reigning MVP.

I just don't know that there will be a lot of difference between the top 3-5 seeds or so in record.

I'm thinking of them more as power ranking tiers. ie there isn't anything to say that a #4 seed couldn't win it all. But just in terms of where I see them, I think we're in that group/tier that is a smidge a head of the others.

[bwgood77]

Yes and no - I mean the 60 day period is a well know thing, read it elsewhere when Thad rumours only circulated on Suns forums, and weren't aired on national(ish) media. Flex only picked this reasoning up now(ish), his previous "reports" (read: tweets) were about "lots of moving parts", "might not come to fruition" "asking too much", etc... Those were NOT about this very simple and well known rule. Again, he is not bringing up groundbreaking stuff here. And again, I would have no problem with him if he were a poster here making logical points about the suns moves / possible moves in a normal fashion like we all do. But with him trying to grab fame and composing tweets in a deliberately vague way while trying to sound all smart and in the know is a bit much for my taste. #pukegif

I'm neutral on Flex, but I think that the 'moving parts' and 'asking too much' actually fit what he said on the podcast with Dave King. He said San Antonio is asking for a 1st, and Phoenix is refusing (that's asking too much). That meant a third team needed to get involved, which meant other players being sent out with Thad Young. So, that checks 'a lot of moving parts'. Additionally, that 60 day rule only comes into play if another player is being dealt out WITH Young, so if the deal expands to include a 3rd team, then that detail would only now make sense to include.

I think Flex is a bit smug tbh and it rubs me the wrong way, but I don't necessarily think his info is bad.

That's what I'm thinking too. I'm not saying he's a godly insider, but he's got fans. Insider or a likeable personality/voice of reason. The Suns podcasters gave him a job, Gambo recently gave props to him, and Jon Bloom (who he sounds like may get an official role on the post game show too).

He did break the Paul discussions (a week after Ray Ray ).
And while the points about how long it'd take for the Spurs to trade Thad with another player are obvious, that's never been discussed previously. His pointing out that a 3rd team might give the Spurs what they want is where I think he'll get his props if that happens. Probably Smith and a 2nd to a 3rd team (maybe a fringe contender who has extra firsts like New Orleans or Houston) for a crappy first, that goes to the Spurs along with Dario.
Yes, he could just be coming up with his own thoughts and hoping one happens, he's been specific. Let's see if it happens by around camp. If it does, I don't care what anyone says, he's got some type of connections. Like it or not. Or he's great at guessing.

Yeah, I think the fact he has a lot of fans/followers is why he gets on those podcasts so they can discuss all the various speculations. I actually listened to him talking about contracts as if he knew something about discussions between agents and our FO. Zero chance they leak those types of negotiations. And his stuff is the EXACT stuff I said about Bridges 5/$95 (though now I think it might be more) and that he may just take a lesser deal for security...$100 million security when you could get injured is huge for a young guy getting his first big contract. And although the agent and him may think they could get more later the agent probably wants that secured commission too.

Anyway, it's a lot of fun for the fans and podcasters. I have it on pretty good authority though that the Suns FO doesn't leak anything. They will of course do due diligence with calls around the league and maybe there are leaky parts around the league, but getting info from so many other teams, etc, would not be easy when we are talking deals with different teams.

Saying he definitely knows something if Thad happens though...he has also mentioned Love, Nance Jr, Paul Millsap, Jarred Vanderbilt, Justise Winslow, Lou Williams, Danny Green, George Hill, Talen Horton Tucker, Daniel Theis, Richaun Holmes, Doug McDermott, Jeff Green, JaMychael Green, Nerlens Noel and more.

Now of course he's mentioned Thad more but of course all those other guys already signed.

I think due to common sense it's almost certain Thad gets traded though, since he expires, is a good vet and SA isn't competing. Shams mentioned we would be in the mix.

It's tough for SA to take back 2 players as well because they have 17 under contract...so that's where the 3rd team may come in, for Saric to go to..but not sure who would have any interest in trading for an injured Saric..unless SA sent other players out to a 3rd team. Boston is a very strong possibility I think. They have a big trade exception to just take him and have a hole at PF.

Though I think they may already be in the tax...not sure. They could possibly re-sign him too especially if they cut Horford next summer who i think only has like $14 million guaranteed.

They probably don't mind too much about the tax because they have had a net income of $80-100 million each year up until last year (no info but probably down a lot due to COVID), because their revenue hovers between about $275-$300 million a year.

[Bogyo]

Yes and no - I mean the 60 day period is a well know thing, read it elsewhere when Thad rumours only circulated on Suns forums, and weren't aired on national(ish) media. Flex only picked this reasoning up now(ish), his previous "reports" (read: tweets) were about "lots of moving parts", "might not come to fruition" "asking too much", etc... Those were NOT about this very simple and well known rule. Again, he is not bringing up groundbreaking stuff here. And again, I would have no problem with him if he were a poster here making logical points about the suns moves / possible moves in a normal fashion like we all do. But with him trying to grab fame and composing tweets in a deliberately vague way while trying to sound all smart and in the know is a bit much for my taste. #pukegif

I'm neutral on Flex, but I think that the 'moving parts' and 'asking too much' actually fit what he said on the podcast with Dave King. He said San Antonio is asking for a 1st, and Phoenix is refusing (that's asking too much). That meant a third team needed to get involved, which meant other players being sent out with Thad Young. So, that checks 'a lot of moving parts'. Additionally, that 60 day rule only comes into play if another player is being dealt out WITH Young, so if the deal expands to include a 3rd team, then that detail would only now make sense to include.

I think Flex is a bit smug tbh and it rubs me the wrong way, but I don't necessarily think his info is bad.

That's what I'm thinking too. I'm not saying he's a godly insider, but he's got fans. Insider or a likeable personality/voice of reason. The Suns podcasters gave him a job, Gambo recently gave props to him, and Jon Bloom (who he sounds like may get an official role on the post game show too).

He did break the Paul discussions (a week after Ray Ray ).
And while the points about how long it'd take for the Spurs to trade Thad with another player are obvious, that's never been discussed previously. His pointing out that a 3rd team might give the Spurs what they want is where I think he'll get his props if that happens. Probably Smith and a 2nd to a 3rd team (maybe a fringe contender who has extra firsts like New Orleans or Houston) for a crappy first, that goes to the Spurs along with Dario.
Yes, he could just be coming up with his own thoughts and hoping one happens, he's been specific. Let's see if it happens by around camp. If it does, I don't care what anyone says, he's got some type of connections. Like it or not. Or he's great at guessing.

I'm with Bakley on this one. I guess he is just better summing up my feelings than I'am. I find Flex a bit smug and he is rubbing me the wrong way. His info and takes are logical - although nothing earth shattering if you do follow the Suns (and the league) closely. I mean I listen to about 4 Suns specific podcasts regularly, and about 2-3 leaguewide too.

The Paul trade was the only thing he "broke" about 2 days prior to national media. However, the educated guessing was there about 2 weeks prior. The facts were that Paul wanted to get traded, and he was in the position to dictating where he wanted to go. Obviously he wanted to go to a good (contending? or at least decent chance of contending) team, and be close to his family as much as possible. Now if you looked at the teams at the time who would fit those criteria, and looked at their rosters/salaries which needed 2 things at the time:1. Have enough contracts/cap space to fit Paul into a trade, have enough remaining good players to be a good (contending?) team we were pretty much the only logical choice. Add the fact that it has been known that he is shopping for a house here - and I don't see the "news". And it's pretty much like this with all the other info too, I'm just lazy to break it down further.

[sunsbg]

After all this attention sign this Flex guy to at least a two-way contract.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) Tweeted:
5 reasons the Suns can win the West again in 2022 - https://t.co/wZnrRLmjEb via @PHNX_Suns https://t.co/GkeT1fMzKC

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[Ghost of Kleine]

Locked On Suns Podcast (@LockedOnPHXSuns) Tweeted:
Start your week off with Locked On Suns (feat @ZonaHoops_)

☀️ Could Monty replace Pop with Team USA?
☀️ What will Mikal's next deal really look like?
☀️ What will the Suns' training camp roster look like?

https://t.co/DMNxP3p4k5
https://t.co/PgrXGx2ioV https://t.co/YhehoHQIgr

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