2024-2025 Around the NBA Thread

[Mainstreet]

Except the Nets can't put a winning team on the court. Closest they came lately was when KD was there, arguably.

The Nets are in rebuild mode.

They have acquired 9 first round picks, 8 unprotected, thanks to the Durant trade and will get more when they trade Cam Johnson.

What is Durant's value?

 

[Mainstreet]

That was the one good cap move we made.

Looking back, the Suns should have shopped for a better trade for Ayton. They might have been better keeping him.

 

[Yuma]

The Nets are in rebuild mode.

They have acquired 9 first round picks, 8 unprotected, thanks to the Durant trade and will get more when they trade Cam Johnson.

What is Durant's value?

It only helps having all those picks if they use them to make a championship team. Cool they have assets. How are they going to use them?

 

[Yuma]

Looking back, the Suns should have shopped for a better trade for Ayton. They might have been better keeping him.

I don't think so. Word was out on him being a head case. The only thing that made his trade was the hope new scenery would improve him. Arguably he got worse in Portland.

 

[Mainstreet]

It only helps having all those picks if they use them to make a championship team. Cool they have assets. How are they going to use them?

Look at what the Suns did recently did with a net 2-second round picks.

I think the Nets were glad to be rid of Durant and Irving.

 

[Yuma]

Look at what the Suns did recently did with a net 2-second round picks.

I think the Nets were glad to be rid of Durant and Irving.

But they didn't build on having Bridges. They are a mess. That doesn't give me confidence they will use those picks wisely. It's easier to get the picks than to build an empire from them.

 

[Mainstreet]

But they didn't build on having Bridges. They are a mess. That doesn't give me confidence they will use those picks wisely. It's easier to get the picks than to build an empire from them.

I don't we should prejudge them. They are probably looking to build upon a young foundation.

OKC has done well and they still have a boatload of assets.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Looking back, the Suns should have shopped for a better trade for Ayton. They might have been better keeping him.

No.

 

[Russ Smith]

Jordan Poole and GP2 were buddies when on the Warriors. during tonights game the Warriors are shooting FT's and Poole is standing next to GP2 on the line and GP reaches down and unties Poole's shoe. Poole immediately yells to the ref who blows the whistle before the ball is shot.

I'm so glad Gary is back, they're unlikely to go anywhere anyways but he's such a funny guy to watch.

Poole had 38 in the loss, he was a trainwreck last year but he's got his offensive game back. Still can't guard though

 

[Hoop Head]

That was the one good cap move we made.

I wouldn't say that. The Suns took in more salary in the form of Grayson, Nurkic, and Nassir Little trade when factoring in Grayson's extension. It would have been easier to move Ayton alone vs Nurkic given the luxury tax issues and how we can't aggregate players. Then you factor in dead money in the form of Little, who is being paid $3.1 million through the 2029-30 season and Keon Johnson who was paid $2.8 million and waived last year, and the Ayton deal didn't help financially. It was a push at best.

 

[Hoop Head]

It only helps having all those picks if they use them to make a championship team. Cool they have assets. How are they going to use them?

You didn't answer the question, what is Durant's value? What has he done for the Suns, as in have the Suns improved or regressed with him?

Yes, Brooklyn needs to use their picks. They have them. They have a boatload of cap space also, around $90 million this summer and that's before a Cam Johnson trade. Their options are limitless. Who has a brighter future, the Suns or Nets? If you say the Suns I'd like to know how it's brighter given the empty cupboard of draft assets and record breaking tax bill as well as Bradley Beal's virtually untradeable contract.

You say it's up to how the Nets use their assets and that's fair but you don't seem to be applying the same measures to the Suns. It's Nets vs 28 other teams and the Suns off on an island. The Nets won the KD trade and it appears they also won the Schroeder trade. The Nets gave up someone they didn't need and had just signed for someone with a similar contract but is injured but they added 2 extra 2nd round picks and potential upgraded a 2nd round pick also.

 

[Yuma]

You didn't answer the question, what is Durant's value? What has he done for the Suns, as in have the Suns improved or regressed with him?

Yes, Brooklyn needs to use their picks. They have them. They have a boatload of cap space also, around $90 million this summer and that's before a Cam Johnson trade. Their options are limitless. Who has a brighter future, the Suns or Nets? If you say the Suns I'd like to know how it's brighter given the empty cupboard of draft assets and record breaking tax bill as well as Bradley Beal's virtually untradeable contract.

You say it's up to how the Nets use their assets and that's fair but you don't seem to be applying the same measures to the Suns. It's Nets vs 28 other teams and the Suns off on an island. The Nets won the KD trade and it appears they also won the Schroeder trade. The Nets gave up someone they didn't need and had just signed for someone with a similar contract but is injured but they added 2 extra 2nd round picks and potential upgraded a 2nd round pick also.

He has improved the Suns. They are making the playoffs and play ins. He is obviously the guy the players throw the ball to at the end of the games when they need a basket. I am looking at the lens of having watched Devin Booker not go to the playoffs for nearly a decade under Sarver. Are we better with KD. Yep!

Personally, I really enjoy watching KD play. In basketball you need guys to put the ball in the hoop. Scoring is basically the name of the game. Did we build around Booker and KD the right way? Nope. Is it all their fault? Nope.

A guy can win two lotteries in his lifetime, but if he squanders his winnings on junk and ends up bankrupt, I guess it was nice he won two lotteries. Plus people are counting trades made after the KD trade as adding assets to the trade we made itself. I don't see it that way. They could have just as easily kept the players we gave them. And probably should have seeing how poorly they are playing. My point is great, they got stuff, But at the end of the day, their team on the court looks worse than ours. If I was a Nets fan, I'd be pissed. WTF are they doing with those assets? Why as a Nets fan am I watching crap?

 

[GatorAZ]

He has improved the Suns. They are making the playoffs and play ins. He is obviously the guy the players throw the ball to at the end of the games when they need a basket. I am looking at the lens of having watched Devin Booker not go to the playoffs for nearly a decade under Sarver. Are we better with KD. Yep!

Personally, I really enjoy watching KD play. In basketball you need guys to put the ball in the hoop. Scoring is basically the name of the game. Did we build around Booker and KD the right way? Nope. Is it all their fault? Nope.

A guy can win two lotteries in his lifetime, but if he squanders his winnings on junk and ends up bankrupt, I guess it was nice he won two lotteries. Plus people are counting trades made after the KD trade as adding assets to the trade we made itself. I don't see it that way. They could have just as easily kept the players we gave them. And probably should have seeing how poorly they are playing. My point is great, they got stuff, But at the end of the day, their team on the court looks worse than ours. If I was a Nets fan, I'd be pissed. WTF are they doing with those assets? Why as a Nets fan am I watching crap?

.
The Suns are worse off now than they were at the deadline two years ago. When KD left the Warriors to join Kyrie (and get Kenny Atkinson fired) that should’ve been our first clue. He got a titles and just wanted to chill and hoop going forward. Of course he blamed the Nets for being a flawed team instead of himself. What a coincidence that the Suns are now a version of the failed Nets experiment with name brand players that don’t fit well together.

 

[Yuma]

Last year we were 23-18 at this point. A lot of people that cover the NBA were saying to watch out for the Suns as a sleeper team. This year 21-20. Two wins/losses different. The overall negativity form last year to this year on this forum seems way more. We are only talking a two game difference.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Last year we were 23-18 at this point. A lot of people that cover the NBA were saying to watch out for the Suns as a sleeper team. This year 21-20. Two wins/losses different. The overall negativity form last year to this year on this forum seems way more. We are only talking a two game difference.

And if I were only looking at wins and losses, I might agree with you. I love Dunn and have medium-high hopes for Oso but this team has played a lot of uninspired and uninspiring basketball this season. I saw glimpses of a very good team last year, I've not seen that this season.

Maybe we will see those glimpses now with a decent-ish starting center in the lineup? That plus the fact that Booker seems to be more like his old self at times and Grayson is playing more like we expected gives me a little hope for this season - as long as I ignore that we've traded much of our future to put together a team that can only hope to be pretty good.

 

[Ronin]

Evan Sidery

@esidery
·
1h

The Bulls have recently made Patrick Williams available in trade talks, per
@JCowleyHoops
(https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2025/01/18/according-to-a-source-add-patrick-williams-to-bulls-trade-block…).Williams just signed a five-year, $90 million extension with Chicago in the offseason.

 

[Yuma]

Evan Sidery
@esidery
·
1h

The Bulls have recently made Patrick Williams available in trade talks, per
@JCowleyHoops
(https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2025/01/18/according-to-a-source-add-patrick-williams-to-bulls-trade-block…).Williams just signed a five-year, $90 million extension with Chicago in the offseason.

What I am seeing in a google search doesn't look good about this guy. Unathletic 6'7" forward that can't dunk. The Suns have had plenty of those. No wonder the Bulls are trying to get off that contract. The Bulls keep giving out bad contracts. That is where Jimmy Butler needs to go! LOL!

 

[elindholm]

.
The Suns are worse off now than they were at the deadline two years ago. When KD left the Warriors to join Kyrie (and get Kenny Atkinson fired) that should’ve been our first clue. He got a titles and just wanted to chill and hoop going forward. Of course he blamed the Nets for being a flawed team instead of himself. What a coincidence that the Suns are now a version of the failed Nets experiment with name brand players that don’t fit well together.

No one could possibly have foreseen this.

 

[Hoop Head]

Last year we were 23-18 at this point. A lot of people that cover the NBA were saying to watch out for the Suns as a sleeper team. This year 21-20. Two wins/losses different. The overall negativity form last year to this year on this forum seems way more. We are only talking a two game difference.

And we aren't better with Durant. They were 30-26 when they traded for him. It doesn't matter what pundits said, we got swept. Those same pundits have talked about what a woeful position we're in. Results matter and not the opinions of analysts.

He has improved the Suns. They are making the playoffs and play ins. He is obviously the guy the players throw the ball to at the end of the games when they need a basket. I am looking at the lens of having watched Devin Booker not go to the playoffs for nearly a decade under Sarver. Are we better with KD. Yep!

Personally, I really enjoy watching KD play. In basketball you need guys to put the ball in the hoop. Scoring is basically the name of the game. Did we build around Booker and KD the right way? Nope. Is it all their fault? Nope.

The Booker/Mikal/CP3/Ayton team didn't get swept in round 1. The Suns aren't contenders now and won't be so long as KD here due to the financial limits to improve the team as a whole around him.

We were over 3 seasons removed from Booker missing the playoffs so that's irrelevant as the Suns had improved beyond being a lottery team. The team we broke up never failed to leave round 1.

Durant hasn't improved the Suns in terms of record, seed, or post season success. I'm not sure how anyone could claim he has because he scores. So did Bridges and Cam. Those picks we traded also provide more depth, which is sorely needed.

A guy can win two lotteries in his lifetime, but if he squanders his winnings on junk and ends up bankrupt, I guess it was nice he won two lotteries. Plus people are counting trades made after the KD trade as adding assets to the trade we made itself. I don't see it that way. They could have just as easily kept the players we gave them. And probably should have seeing how poorly they are playing. My point is great, they got stuff, But at the end of the day, their team on the court looks worse than ours. If I was a Nets fan, I'd be pissed. WTF are they doing with those assets? Why as a Nets fan am I watching crap?

They're developing youngsters and tanking for ping pong balls. They're taking the OKC route, which looks pretty damn good. Only 1 team wins a title and the Nets weren't winning a title with Mikal and Cam Johnson as their best players. They had to get their picks back, which they did last offseason, before going full tank and now they have. Just like the Suns they won't win a title this year but they're in a better place to add talent and be competitive for the next decade.

 

[Yuma]

They're developing youngsters and tanking for ping pong balls. They're taking the OKC route, which looks pretty damn good. Only team 1 wins a title and the Nets weren't winning a title with Mikal and Cam Johnson as their best players. They had to get their picks back, which they did last offseason, before going full tank and now they have. Just like the Suns they won't win a title this year but they're in a better place to add talent and be competitive for the next decade.

That remains to be seen. I have seen all kinds of Suns teams now. You have too. Ones with lots of assets. Some with no assets. Talent rich and talent poor. We shouldn't equate having assets as a sign that a team will be successful. This fanbase should know this more than others. When I see NJ hoist up a Larry Obrien, then it will be worth it. Until then, they are just a crappy team to watch, no matter what strategy they are doing.

 

[AzStevenCal]

That remains to be seen. I have seen all kinds of Suns teams now. You have too. Ones with lots of assets. Some with no assets. Talent rich and talent poor. We shouldn't equate having assets as a sign that a team will be successful. This fanbase should know this more than others. When I see NJ hoist up a Larry Obrien, then it will be worth it. Until then, they are just a crappy team to watch, no matter what strategy they are doing.

I'm sorry, I just can't agree with your logic. Brooklyn has 1,000 bucks, we have 74 cents. Yes, they could very well waste their 1,000 bucks but I'd still much rather have their bank account than ours.

 

[Yuma]

I'm sorry, I just can't agree with your logic. Brooklyn has 1,000 bucks, we have 74 cents. Yes, they could very well waste their 1,000 bucks but I'd still much rather have their bank account than ours.

What I am saying is their bank account may be bigger, but we have better assets than them right now. Their bank account is potential. Potential could be good, but shouldn't be assumed that it can't turn out bad either. We can't just look at their bank account and concede, they WILL be a great team in the future. You and I have both seen teams squander their assets and amount to nothing.

 

[Mainstreet]

.
The Suns are worse off now than they were at the deadline two years ago. When KD left the Warriors to join Kyrie (and get Kenny Atkinson fired) that should’ve been our first clue. He got a titles and just wanted to chill and hoop going forward. Of course he blamed the Nets for being a flawed team instead of himself. What a coincidence that the Suns are now a version of the failed Nets experiment with name brand players that don’t fit well together.

The NBA needs an Ishbia rule that restricts new owners from gutting the franchise.

 

[Finito]

He has improved the Suns. They are making the playoffs and play ins. He is obviously the guy the players throw the ball to at the end of the games when they need a basket. I am looking at the lens of having watched Devin Booker not go to the playoffs for nearly a decade under Sarver. Are we better with KD. Yep!

Personally, I really enjoy watching KD play. In basketball you need guys to put the ball in the hoop. Scoring is basically the name of the game. Did we build around Booker and KD the right way? Nope. Is it all their fault? Nope.

A guy can win two lotteries in his lifetime, but if he squanders his winnings on junk and ends up bankrupt, I guess it was nice he won two lotteries. Plus people are counting trades made after the KD trade as adding assets to the trade we made itself. I don't see it that way. They could have just as easily kept the players we gave them. And probably should have seeing how poorly they are playing. My point is great, they got stuff, But at the end of the day, their team on the court looks worse than ours. If I was a Nets fan, I'd be pissed. WTF are they doing with those assets? Why as a Nets fan am I watching crap?

This post is a flat out joke I’m sorry. Wow talk about having blinders on.

We’ve improved? Wow. There is no question who is in a better position moving forward and it’s the Nets. We are old, in salary cap hell, don’t control our draft until like 2032 this franchise is probably worse off today than it ever was under Sarver.

 

[Finito]

The NBA needs an Ishbia rule that restricts new owners from gutting the franchise.

Bill Simmons called this. All new NBA owners make a drastic trade right away.