2023 Phoenix Suns Offseason

JCSunsfan

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So. Our present depth chart.

Pg--Booker, Payne, Goodwin, Saban Lee (?)
Sg--Beal, Gordon, Lee
Sf--Keita, Okogie, Ish
Pf--Kd, Yuta, Todd, Camara,
C--Ayton, Eubanks, Metu

I would love to see Jemison from the summer league squad on this roster as a pf/c.

Or if you want to group them another way

Guards--Booker, Beal, Payne, Lee, Gordon
Wings--Keita, Okogie, Yuta, Todd, Camara, Lee
Bigs--Ayton Eubanks, Meta
Undefinable--KD
 

Cheesebeef

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We got Gordon!!

I would like to do a cart wheel if anyone is willing to kick in some cash for my medical bills.

If we sign Christian Wood that would complete it for me.
We already have one guy with a Christian Wood work ethic. This team doesn’t need two.

And probably needs to get down to zero and get someone else if we’re gonna win the whole thing.
 

Phrazbit

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I've been blaming the KD trade parameters on Isiah Thomas so I have to wonder if I should now be crediting him for the strong offseason we're having?

Eh, it’s still a gross overpay. We’re going to see Lillard move for a fraction of KDs cost and Dame should be worth more.
 

Cheesebeef

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Eh, it’s still a gross overpay. We’re going to see Lillard move for a fraction of KDs cost and Dame should be worth more.
Is it a gross overpay considering KD’s star power combined with Booker got us Beal who forced his way to us because of that combo’s presence as well as Gordon and the rest of the guys we got on minimum contracts?

I swear, some of you guys continue to view that trade in this little box where you only see what was traded and not all the things that trade brought with it in a domino fashion. Those that do and did swore up and down that the team would be hamstrung forever to add talent to the team, get peanuts for CP3 and go into next season even weaker than this one, with some people even musing that the Nets might win a title before we do.

The reality is that trade and the owner that forced it, completely changed the narrative about this team, and with that narrative brought All-Stars, good young pieces for cheap and probably the best ring chaser veteran for next to nothing. If you think all of that still qualifies for a gross overpay, I don’t know what to tell you.
 

Folster

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Eh, it’s still a gross overpay. We’re going to see Lillard move for a fraction of KDs cost and Dame should be worth more.
I think KD was an overpay with the extensive draft compensation, but the CBA realities are different now than they were at the deadline. Also, we got Beal for a song, so it kinda evens out. Cheese probably said it better.
 

Germz249

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I thought we over paid for KD but now looking back I am glad we made the move and did what it took.. I rather have a this team we just put together versus having a team with CP3, Shamet, Bridges and Cam Johnson. Even though its on paper if we had not made the trade I don’t think we could have had the depth and scoring power that we have now. Without KD I don’t think the Beal trade happens. Without KD, Book and Beal I don't think the free agents we picked up happens.

This front office made moves this off season that changed my view on the KD trade.

I am still a fan of Bridges and Johnson but I don’t think they would have got us to the top.
 

Pda4976

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I thought we over paid for KD but now looking back I am glad we made the move and did what it took.. I rather have a this team we just put together versus having a team with CP3, Shamet, Bridges and Cam Johnson. Even though its on paper if we had not made the trade I don’t think we could have had the depth and scoring power that we have now. Without KD I don’t think the Beal trade happens. Without KD, Book and Beal I don't think the free agents we picked up happens.

This front office made moves this off season that changed my view on the KD trade.
Totally agree. Any move we makes changes everything else. If we draft Luka then Book may no longer be here.
 

Germz249

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Totally agree. Any move we makes changes everything else. If we draft Luka then Book may no longer be here.

I would probably stop watching if we drafted Luka. The few games I seen us play against Dallas I am annoyed with how much crying he does to where if he was on our team I rather just watch something else. Instead of running down court to help on defense he rather cry to the refs.
 

JCSunsfan

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I think KD was an overpay with the extensive draft compensation, but the CBA realities are different now than they were at the deadline. Also, we got Beal for a song, so it kinda evens out. Cheese probably said it better.
However. Based on what we now know about the team, the swaps probably will not happen since we will likely have a better record.

Now the picks. If we have the power to draw free agents like, this, then it's just as good, maybe better, than drafting rookies. We would not be signing these free agents without KD. How many late first round picks over the next five years even have much of a chance of making this team given the free agents that are showing up?

What we will miss is the entertainment of draft day.
 

Phrazbit

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Is it a gross overpay considering KD’s star power combined with Booker got us Beal who forced his way to us because of that combo’s presence as well as Gordon and the rest of the guys we got on minimum contracts?

I swear, some of you guys continue to view that trade in this little box where you only see what was traded and not all the things that trade brought with it in a domino fashion. Those that do and did swore up and down that the team would be hamstrung forever to add talent to the team, get peanuts for CP3 and go into next season even weaker than this one, with some people even musing that the Nets might win a title before we do.

The reality is that trade and the owner that forced it, completely changed the narrative about this team, and with that narrative brought All-Stars, good young pieces for cheap and probably the best ring chaser veteran for next to nothing. If you think all of that still qualifies for a gross overpay, I don’t know what to tell you.

It's a gross overpay because we bid against ourselves. The Nets were in a position where they absolutely had to move him, we were their only real option, and despite that their situation had grown far more desperate, we met their original asking price.

Furthermore, I'd rather have a team with Lillard and Bridges with Booker instead of Beal and Durant and Booker. It appears that would have absolutely been a possibility.

Opportunity cost.
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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It's a gross overpay because we bid against ourselves. The Nets were in a position where they absolutely had to move him, we were their only real option, and despite that their situation had grown far more desperate, we met their original asking price.

Furthermore, I'd rather have a team with Lillard and Bridges with Booker instead of Beal and Durant and Booker. It appears that would have absolutely been a possibility.

Opportunity cost.
They did not have to move him at the deadline. They absolutely could have waited for the offseason for more teams to potentially get involved. It's also not like he had a no trade clause so they could have dealt him to any team that could pay up.
 

AzStevenCal

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It's a gross overpay because we bid against ourselves. The Nets were in a position where they absolutely had to move him, we were their only real option, and despite that their situation had grown far more desperate, we met their original asking price.

Furthermore, I'd rather have a team with Lillard and Bridges with Booker instead of Beal and Durant and Booker. It appears that would have absolutely been a possibility.

Opportunity cost.
Obviously I agree with your first paragraph but I'm not sure I buy the second part of your post. To me, the only reason we got Beal was because of his no trade clause and Beal's desire to play in Phoenix. Whether that was due to KD or Booker doesn't matter, if you take KD off this roster I'm not sure he'd have pushed himself towards us. There were still many ways to improve us had we not given away so much in the KD trade but we've made smart moves since then that quite possibly don't get made without the addition of Durant.
 

Phrazbit

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They did not have to move him at the deadline. They absolutely could have waited for the offseason for more teams to potentially get involved. It's also not like he had a no trade clause so they could have dealt him to any team that could pay up.

No one was going to trade for him if he didn't want to play for them.

And you're right, they didn't have to trade him, they could have sat on him, had him (most likely) sit out, or get hurt again, or, struggle in the playoffs again. His value was decreasing rapidly.

We paid too much, way too much. The result might end up being great, but it is still an overpay.
 

Phrazbit

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Obviously I agree with your first paragraph but I'm not sure I buy the second part of your post. To me, the only reason we got Beal was because of his no trade clause and Beal's desire to play in Phoenix. Whether that was due to KD or Booker doesn't matter, if you take KD off this roster I'm not sure he'd have pushed himself towards us. There were still many ways to improve us had we not given away so much in the KD trade but we've made smart moves since then that quite possibly don't get made without the addition of Durant.

In my post I was assuming Beal does not come here.

I think a Booker, Lillard, Bridges core is just as strong as what we've got right now and also projects much better down the road. And I 100% think we could have pulled it off. Lillard is either going to end up in Miami for a pittance of what we paid or in Brooklyn, with a deal largely surrounding our draft picks.
 

AzStevenCal

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They did not have to move him at the deadline. They absolutely could have waited for the offseason for more teams to potentially get involved. It's also not like he had a no trade clause so they could have dealt him to any team that could pay up.
KD was injured. Again. And after already missing most of his time in Brooklyn. I think they had every intention to move him at the deadline no matter what. We caved in several hours early despite reports that there wasn't much interest and no big deals being offered for him.

Sure, they could have waited till the offseason but they'd already found the market bare the previous offseason and that was before KD went down with yet another injury. IMO they needed to recoup some of what they'd invested in him and they had plenty of reasons to believe his value was dropping every day. We bailed them out and they'll be sending us Thank You For Panicking cards every Holiday for years to come.

Ultimately I blame Ishbia for that trade and at the time, I really thought it was such a bad deal that it would haunt his ownership for the next decade. But IMO, this offseason has undone almost all the damage that first move created and I did not think that was possible. Now, we are legitimate contenders for a couple of years and have positioned ourselves to be a player for years to come as we move off of expiring contracts down the road.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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I don't think too many people were doubting that the Suns could add talent this year. Ring-chasing is a well-documented phenomenon, and the Suns looked like a contender on paper even before the Beal trade. Jones has done well to talk up the Suns' chances.

Whether guys are going to be falling over themselves to join the Suns on minimum contracts once Durant is gone remains to be seen. The current crop are all signed for only a year or two, and a core of Booker/Beal/Ayton (or whatever Ayton fetches in a trade) screams 50-and-fade at best.
You must have been on hiatus from the suns board . . .
 

Sunburn

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In my post I was assuming Beal does not come here.

I think a Booker, Lillard, Bridges core is just as strong as what we've got right now and also projects much better down the road. And I 100% think we could have pulled it off. Lillard is either going to end up in Miami for a pittance of what we paid or in Brooklyn, with a deal largely surrounding our draft picks.
This assumes Portland would not have demanded Bridges to be included in the trade package. Maybe they wouldn't have, but I'm not sure that's a safe assumption considering the value he reportedly has across the league.
 

Phrazbit

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This assumes Portland would not have demanded Bridges to be included in the trade package. Maybe they wouldn't have, but I'm not sure that's a safe assumption considering the value he reportedly has across the league.

You just have to outbid the other teams, you don't have to give the seller exactly what they want.

IE, the reason I still think the Durant trade was a gross overpay.
 

CardNots

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Look, I'm very happy and very optimistic about this team's direction, this new owner's drive and commitment, with how JJ is operating, about watching Book/KD/Beal play together, and having these talented free agents view Phx as the premier place to play for a championship. It's all been very exciting and I wish I could say I couldn't be happier, but there's still one final move to make, one last problem to deal with, and if that happens I believe it'd make us the clear favorites to dethrone Denver
and a new coaching staff
 

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