Season Speculation, Free Agency & Trade Ideas: Our Johnson is finally working

[bwgood77]

I'd see if the Cavs would do something like this:

Warren
Jackson

for

Nance Jr
Osman

Warren would be a major upgrade for them on the wings - in the East, he'd easily be a 20 point scorer, and they could do with that talent. Jackson would also be someone whose option they have the ability to pick up (a lot of salaries expiring in 2020) and develop.

For us, I really like Nance's fit on this team. He's a dirt worker with a high IQ, and would really fit in well with the hustle and defense approach we've started seeing lately. He's also added a 3 ball of late to his game, so I can see him as a good long term fit at PF next to Ayton.

Osman's been inconsistent, but he's a better shooter than Jackson, and if he gets it together, we'd have a good shooter to bring off the bench.

I love Nance, plus, you know, we had his dad. But he's a nice player. He's much better than Aaron Gordon, for example, though few probably don't think so just by guessing, not having watched either of them much or looking at their numbers. He would be solid. Osman's good too.

Not sure if they'd go for that but makes sense.

[Wilber85]

I'd see if the Cavs would do something like this:

Warren
Jackson

for

Nance Jr
Osman

Warren would be a major upgrade for them on the wings - in the East, he'd easily be a 20 point scorer, and they could do with that talent. Jackson would also be someone whose option they have the ability to pick up (a lot of salaries expiring in 2020) and develop.

For us, I really like Nance's fit on this team. He's a dirt worker with a high IQ, and would really fit in well with the hustle and defense approach we've started seeing lately. He's also added a 3 ball of late to his game, so I can see him as a good long term fit at PF next to Ayton.

Osman's been inconsistent, but he's a better shooter than Jackson, and if he gets it together, we'd have a good shooter to bring off the bench.

I love Nance, plus, you know, we had his dad. But he's a nice player. He's much better than Aaron Gordon, for example, though few probably don't think so just by guessing, not having watched either of them much or looking at their numbers. He would be solid. Osman's good too.

Not sure if they'd go for that but makes sense.

Warren and Jackson > Nance and Osman.

Y'all have completely lost it. Also Nance>Gordon. I would take Gordon over all 4 of those players you mentioned.

[bwgood77]

I we can draft Ja, I would do it. Look at Trae, look at Shai. There are lots of guards who are effective in their first year. Ja is that type of guard.

If we end up with the third pick. I take Barrett and figure the rest out. I know we have a ton of small forwards but that is no reason to pass on talent. We can trade him or other of our sf's.

If we end up with the 4-5 pick, I would consider trading it. But unless we get a good offer, I would swing for the fences on that pick and draft Bol Bol. That kid is 7-3, handles the ball like a wing, has inside moves and outside moves, has a sweet shot from three, and is a human flyswatter. He is 7-3 but has stretch 4 skills. He is Gobert with a three pointer. I think could play along side Ayton. He is way down on draft boards right now, but the closer we get to the draft, the more he is going to shoot up the draft boards.

What makes you so sure Ja is a guy that it THAT type of guard who would be effective in his first year? He wasn't nearly as effective in college in a small bad conference in his first year. And his step to the pros from such a small conference would be much bigger than Trae and Shai's steps. And then his two biggest flaws, 3 pt shooting and defense are the two biggest Suns flaws.

I don't have a ton of knowledge on Ja, but I don't if he's for a sure can't miss who will be highly effective immediately in the NBA. Only few players are, and most of the guys from small schools were elite shooters.

Personally I think Ja shouldn't start next year but I could see him as a 20 minute a night go get buckets off the bench type guard. Basically in the Crawford role. Start Johnson but if Ja is hot he could finish some games.

Considering the other options if they don't land Zion my favorite offseason plan is draft either Ja or Garland, keep Johnson for a year then go find a starting PF like Aminu then add another cheap vet or two. Keep oubre at a reasonable price and move Jackson.

Speaking of Ja

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?s=19

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Well hopefully he can pull out his semifinal game to get to the OVC Championship tonight. They've had a lot of time off as the lower level conf teams knocked each other out. They should be able to beat Jax St. Belmont might be tougher but you'd think if he's a top tier draft pick he could at least beat these small school teams to win their tourney and get into the big dance. It's not like any of these other schools have big name recruits.

[Gorilla Warfare]

Why in the F is Robert Sarver scouting players? We need a GM to tell this guy to stay away and just collect his money like a normal owner while the GM's and actual scouts are at games watching players like Zion/Ja/Barrett.

[Kerrsed]

I we can draft Ja, I would do it. Look at Trae, look at Shai. There are lots of guards who are effective in their first year. Ja is that type of guard.

If we end up with the third pick. I take Barrett and figure the rest out. I know we have a ton of small forwards but that is no reason to pass on talent. We can trade him or other of our sf's.

If we end up with the 4-5 pick, I would consider trading it. But unless we get a good offer, I would swing for the fences on that pick and draft Bol Bol. That kid is 7-3, handles the ball like a wing, has inside moves and outside moves, has a sweet shot from three, and is a human flyswatter. He is 7-3 but has stretch 4 skills. He is Gobert with a three pointer. I think could play along side Ayton. He is way down on draft boards right now, but the closer we get to the draft, the more he is going to shoot up the draft boards.

What makes you so sure Ja is a guy that it THAT type of guard who would be effective in his first year? He wasn't nearly as effective in college in a small bad conference in his first year. And his step to the pros from such a small conference would be much bigger than Trae and Shai's steps. And then his two biggest flaws, 3 pt shooting and defense are the two biggest Suns flaws.

I don't have a ton of knowledge on Ja, but I don't if he's for a sure can't miss who will be highly effective immediately in the NBA. Only few players are, and most of the guys from small schools were elite shooters.

Personally I think Ja shouldn't start next year but I could see him as a 20 minute a night go get buckets off the bench type guard. Basically in the Crawford role. Start Johnson but if Ja is hot he could finish some games.

Considering the other options if they don't land Zion my favorite offseason plan is draft either Ja or Garland, keep Johnson for a year then go find a starting PF like Aminu then add another cheap vet or two. Keep oubre at a reasonable price and move Jackson.

Speaking of Ja

Read on Twitter

?s=19

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NICE! Good to see that Sarver isnt just content taking over the GM and Coaching roles, and has now decided to implement himself as our head of scouting as well!

Im at a point where im almost ready to say screw Ja. If we dont land #1, send the pick and a Warren/Johnson combo to Memphis for Conley and their 1st. Draft Clarke with the Utah pick and Cameron Johnson in the 2nd. From there make a big push to get Cousins in FA (GS cant keep him and have already said its a 1 year deal).

Conley/Melton/Okobo
Booker/Jackson
Oubre/Bridges/Johnson
Cousins/Clarke/Spalding
Ayton/Holmes

[BobbieL]

I'd see if the Cavs would do something like this:

Warren
Jackson

for

Nance Jr
Osman

Warren would be a major upgrade for them on the wings - in the East, he'd easily be a 20 point scorer, and they could do with that talent. Jackson would also be someone whose option they have the ability to pick up (a lot of salaries expiring in 2020) and develop.

For us, I really like Nance's fit on this team. He's a dirt worker with a high IQ, and would really fit in well with the hustle and defense approach we've started seeing lately. He's also added a 3 ball of late to his game, so I can see him as a good long term fit at PF next to Ayton.

Osman's been inconsistent, but he's a better shooter than Jackson, and if he gets it together, we'd have a good shooter to bring off the bench.

I love Nance, plus, you know, we had his dad. But he's a nice player. He's much better than Aaron Gordon, for example, though few probably don't think so just by guessing, not having watched either of them much or looking at their numbers. He would be solid. Osman's good too.

Not sure if they'd go for that but makes sense.

I would add the Bucks pick to make the Cavs deal work. As it would be taking players on your roster and finding players that work better with Ayton, Booker, Bridges - Oubre, Tyler JOhnson.

Than with your cap space - and maybe using the 2019 FRP if not Zion - getting a PG.

I like the above move.

[WeekapaugGroove]

What makes you so sure Ja is a guy that it THAT type of guard who would be effective in his first year? He wasn't nearly as effective in college in a small bad conference in his first year. And his step to the pros from such a small conference would be much bigger than Trae and Shai's steps. And then his two biggest flaws, 3 pt shooting and defense are the two biggest Suns flaws.

I don't have a ton of knowledge on Ja, but I don't if he's for a sure can't miss who will be highly effective immediately in the NBA. Only few players are, and most of the guys from small schools were elite shooters.

Personally I think Ja shouldn't start next year but I could see him as a 20 minute a night go get buckets off the bench type guard. Basically in the Crawford role. Start Johnson but if Ja is hot he could finish some games.

Considering the other options if they don't land Zion my favorite offseason plan is draft either Ja or Garland, keep Johnson for a year then go find a starting PF like Aminu then add another cheap vet or two. Keep oubre at a reasonable price and move Jackson.

Speaking of Ja

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

NICE! Good to see that Sarver isnt just content taking over the GM and Coaching roles, and has now decided to implement himself as our head of scouting as well!

Im at a point where im almost ready to say screw Ja. If we dont land #1, send the pick and a Warren/Johnson combo to Memphis for Conley and their 1st. Draft Clarke with the Utah pick and Cameron Johnson in the 2nd. From there make a big push to get Cousins in FA (GS cant keep him and have already said its a 1 year deal).

Conley/Melton/Okobo
Booker/Jackson
Oubre/Bridges/Johnson
Cousins/Clarke/Spalding
Ayton/Holmes

Looks like they sent the whole organization. I don't mind your idea. No one other than Zion excites me to the point that I would be sad if we traded out of any spot.

But absolutely no on cousins. I wouldn't want him if they actually had a need at center but even considering playing him with Ayton is ridiculous. He hasn't been very good with GS, he can't move.

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[Saberestar]

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[Wilber85]

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I am not really a fan of Ja Morant. Sophomore for a small school. When you watched Curry, he took the game over, and was the reason behind their success. He had something special.

Ja Morant is good, but not all star superstar good IMO.

[Crives]

Read on Twitter

I am not really a fan of Ja Morant. Sophomore for a small school. When you watched Curry, he took the game over, and was the reason behind their success. He had something special.

Ja Morant is good, but not all star superstar good IMO.

But do we need him to be a superstar?

[BobbieL]

Personally I think Ja shouldn't start next year but I could see him as a 20 minute a night go get buckets off the bench type guard. Basically in the Crawford role. Start Johnson but if Ja is hot he could finish some games.

Considering the other options if they don't land Zion my favorite offseason plan is draft either Ja or Garland, keep Johnson for a year then go find a starting PF like Aminu then add another cheap vet or two. Keep oubre at a reasonable price and move Jackson.

Speaking of Ja

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

NICE! Good to see that Sarver isnt just content taking over the GM and Coaching roles, and has now decided to implement himself as our head of scouting as well!

Im at a point where im almost ready to say screw Ja. If we dont land #1, send the pick and a Warren/Johnson combo to Memphis for Conley and their 1st. Draft Clarke with the Utah pick and Cameron Johnson in the 2nd. From there make a big push to get Cousins in FA (GS cant keep him and have already said its a 1 year deal).

Conley/Melton/Okobo
Booker/Jackson
Oubre/Bridges/Johnson
Cousins/Clarke/Spalding
Ayton/Holmes

Looks like they sent the whole organization. I don't mind your idea. No one other than Zion excites me to the point that I would be sad if we traded out of any spot.

But absolutely no on cousins. I wouldn't want him if they actually had a need at center but even considering playing him with Ayton is ridiculous. He hasn't been very good with GS, he can't move.

Read on Twitter

I have been on the "trade the 2019 FRP if not Zion" train for some time . I guess if you move Jackson and Warren as you think Barett is better - thats one thing. But this team does not need another young wing or point guard.


I think flipping with Memphis and getting Conley /Utah pick, and that deal could work. I agree, no COusins. In fact, Kerr should not be even playing Cousins as a starter. Find another PF option. I would take Bender back over Cousins.
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[Wilber85]

Read on Twitter

I am not really a fan of Ja Morant. Sophomore for a small school. When you watched Curry, he took the game over, and was the reason behind their success. He had something special.

Ja Morant is good, but not all star superstar good IMO.

But do we need him to be a superstar?

Pretty much, yes! Booker definitely isn't a superstar! He has yet to win, or lead the team to being better.

[Crives]

I am not really a fan of Ja Morant. Sophomore for a small school. When you watched Curry, he took the game over, and was the reason behind their success. He had something special.

Ja Morant is good, but not all star superstar good IMO.

But do we need him to be a superstar?

Pretty much, yes! Booker definitely isn't a superstar! He has yet to win, or lead the team to being better.

I think it’s to early to say we won’t have a future superstar from our current roster, we are so young. Ayton should have a good chance. Booker could definitely get there. And maybe Bridges or Oubre surprises us

[jcsunsfan]

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Notice that Morant's teammate failed to convert what should have been an easy shot. Imagine what his assist numbers would be on a team with real finishers.

Nah. Morant is the real deal. The Suns should take him. He is more athletic than Trae Young but not quite the shooter. He is DeAaron Fox but more of a distributor. And I do not get the knock on Morant's defense. That seems pretty good.

[Revived]

Read on Twitter

I am not really a fan of Ja Morant. Sophomore for a small school. When you watched Curry, he took the game over, and was the reason behind their success. He had something special.

Ja Morant is good, but not all star superstar good IMO.

But do we need him to be a superstar?

The expectation for top 2 picks is generally to become a superstar.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

Notice that Morant's teammate failed to convert what should have been an easy shot. Imagine what his assist numbers would be on a team with real finishers.

Nah. Morant is the real deal. The Suns should take him. He is more athletic than Trae Young but not quite the shooter. He is DeAaron Fox but more of a distributor. And I do not get the knock on Morant's defense. That seems pretty good.

Agreed, Morants' going to be a star for sure. Who really cares if he doesn't blow everyone away in his first year in the NBA, his numbers are unbelievable and his talent and athletic ability is insane.

If he even develops halfway along the lines of De Aaron Fox, Then we have an all star caliber point guard. A lot of his projections and comparisons have been comparable to Westbrook anda taller Iverson or a Super athletic De Angelo Russell.

I'd take any of those guys and be happy for it. I mean honestly, the last time that we had a guard with similar talent and athleticism was K.J.

Pay attention to the similiar style of play and skillset:

KJ: https://youtu.be/Eiv0uBVuwiw .( similar style of play and athleticism).

KJs' college stats: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kevin-johnson-1.html .



I personally see the Westbrook comparisons, and think he's got a little bit of Derrick Rose mixed in too......

Westbrook: https://youtu.be/JhsIbXBI2Tk .

Westbrooks' college stats: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/russell-westbrook-1.htm .

Ja Morant: https://youtu.be/3-17JhQTrjs . (Similar ridiculous athleticism and aggressiveness).

https://youtu.be/cK_I74A0wfI .

Also comparing Morant to Rose:

Derrick Rose: https://youtu.be/ser5xS85IsI .

Rose's college stats: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/derrick-rose-1.html .

And now Morant:

https://youtu.be/hLd00X79ygY . Morant is also the only player in over 20 years to average over 20 points and 10 assists.

Ja Morants' college stats: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/temetrius-morant-1.html .

The closest player that he matches up to stat wise in this group is KJ, And he ended up pretty good for us I'd say.

The point is, he's comparable in athleticism, talent and aggressiveness to all of the players mentioned above, and absolutely has the trajectory to become a star.


The only real difference is in that Morant is more of a distributor by choice than primarily a scorer first as Westbrook, Rose, and De Angelo Russell are.

Yes, he needs to improve his shooting some, but he's working on it, and he has a strong work ethic, so he'll be fine.

And a distributor and team leader is what we need most anyways.

[Revived]

Read on Twitter

Notice that Morant's teammate failed to convert what should have been an easy shot. Imagine what his assist numbers would be on a team with real finishers.

Nah. Morant is the real deal. The Suns should take him. He is more athletic than Trae Young but not quite the shooter. He is DeAaron Fox but more of a distributor. And I do not get the knock on Morant's defense. That seems pretty good.

Agreed, Morants' going to be a star for sure. Who really cares if he doesn't blow everyone away in his first year in the NBA, his numbers are unbelievable and his talent and athletic ability is insane.

If he even develops halfway along the lines of De Aaron Fox, Then we have an all star caliber point guard. A lot of his projections and comparisons have been comparable to Westbrook anda taller Iverson or a Super athletic De Angelo Russell.

I'd take any of those guys and be happy for it. I mean honestly, the last time that we had a guard with similar talent and athleticism was K.J.

Pay attention to the similiar style of play and skillset:

KJ: https://youtu.be/Eiv0uBVuwiw .( similar style of play and athleticism).

I personally see the Westbrook comparisons, and think he's got a little bit of Derrick Rose mixed in too......

Westbrook: https://youtu.be/JhsIbXBI2Tk .

Ja Morant: https://youtu.be/3-17JhQTrjs . (Similar ridiculous athleticism and aggressiveness).

Also comparing Morant to Rose:

Derrick Rose: https://youtu.be/ser5xS85IsI .

And now Morant: https://youtu.be/hLd00X79ygY . Morant is also the only player in over 20 years to average over 20 points and 10 assists.

The point is, he's comparable in athleticism, talent and aggressiveness to all of the players mentioned above, and absolutely has the trajectory to become a star.


The only real difference is in that Morant is more of a distributor by choice than primarily a scorer first as Westbrook, Rose, and De Angelo Russell are.

And a distributor and team leader is what we need most anyways.

D’Angelo Russel was an excellent 3pt shooter in college. Morant is on the complete opposite end of that.

It’s not just you, but I don’t get why so many people are comparing Morant to players who were good 3pt shooters in college. It’s somewhat disrespectful and wildly inaccurate.

Trae Young, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum etc are all other players he’s been compared to and yet all them were vastly better 3pt shooters than Morant at his same age.

I can’t wait for the Steph Curry comparison next...

[Ghost of Kleine]

Notice that Morant's teammate failed to convert what should have been an easy shot. Imagine what his assist numbers would be on a team with real finishers.

Nah. Morant is the real deal. The Suns should take him. He is more athletic than Trae Young but not quite the shooter. He is DeAaron Fox but more of a distributor. And I do not get the knock on Morant's defense. That seems pretty good.

Agreed, Morants' going to be a star for sure. Who really cares if he doesn't blow everyone away in his first year in the NBA, his numbers are unbelievable and his talent and athletic ability is insane.

If he even develops halfway along the lines of De Aaron Fox, Then we have an all star caliber point guard. A lot of his projections and comparisons have been comparable to Westbrook anda taller Iverson or a Super athletic De Angelo Russell.

I'd take any of those guys and be happy for it. I mean honestly, the last time that we had a guard with similar talent and athleticism was K.J.

Pay attention to the similiar style of play and skillset:

KJ: https://youtu.be/Eiv0uBVuwiw .( similar style of play and athleticism).

I personally see the Westbrook comparisons, and think he's got a little bit of Derrick Rose mixed in too......

Westbrook: https://youtu.be/JhsIbXBI2Tk .

Ja Morant: https://youtu.be/3-17JhQTrjs . (Similar ridiculous athleticism and aggressiveness).

Also comparing Morant to Rose:

Derrick Rose: https://youtu.be/ser5xS85IsI .

And now Morant: https://youtu.be/hLd00X79ygY . Morant is also the only player in over 20 years to average over 20 points and 10 assists.

The point is, he's comparable in athleticism, talent and aggressiveness to all of the players mentioned above, and absolutely has the trajectory to become a star.


The only real difference is in that Morant is more of a distributor by choice than primarily a scorer first as Westbrook, Rose, and De Angelo Russell are.

And a distributor and team leader is what we need most anyways.

D’Angelo Russel was an excellent 3pt shooter in college. Morant is on the complete opposite end of that.

It’s not just you, but I don’t get why so many people are comparing Morant to players who were good 3pt shooters in college. It’s somewhat disrespectful and wildly inaccurate.

Trae Young, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum etc are all other players he’s been compared to and yet all them were vastly better 3pt shooters than Morant at his same age.

I can’t wait for the Steph Curry comparison next...

Nobody's saying he's a great 3 pt shooter in college, he's at about 33%, But that doesn't mean that he can't get better and improve obviously. He's only in college and nowhere near a finished product.

Also, in my above post as i mentioned , he's trying to lead his team, and doing a damn good job of it by the way so far. He's not primarily a scorer, but more of a distributor, leader, and gamer can he get better at shooting?

Of course!!!....Any player can improve their skillset if they have the determination to work at it after all.

The comparisons made to those great shooters in college was also to point out the jump in improvement and overall impact with similar talent and athleticism once they got into the NBA.

For a potential trajectory comparison more or less.

For my part, I think he's going to be a star, and should we not land Zion, I absolutely hope that we get him, but that's just my opinion. And you guys are welcome to hold me to it.

Personally (if we didn't get Zion) I' d still love to see us take Ja at #2, and then trade Jackson/ and the Milwaukee pick for Brandon Clarke.

I'd call that a win for us on draft day!!!.....Then in free agency, go and get Beverly on a veterans minimum or with our exception. And have both morant and melton study under a premiere defender and ball hawk such as him(Beverly ).

Resign Oubre, and Holmes. With whatever we have leftover cash wise, get the best sharpshooter available at cost and roll out with that lineup, build continuity and experience under Kokoskov.

[sunsbum]

I am not really a fan of Ja Morant. Sophomore for a small school. When you watched Curry, he took the game over, and was the reason behind their success. He had something special.

Ja Morant is good, but not all star superstar good IMO.

But do we need him to be a superstar?

Pretty much, yes! Booker definitely isn't a superstar! He has yet to win, or lead the team to being better.

So i guess lebron isnt a superstar anymore.

[starbosa10]

Zion and Ja are really the only ones I want. If not deal the pick