2024-2025 Around the NBA Thread

[hcsilla]

What could have been…

The Suns might have been better off keeping Ayton.

Losing Camara is (very) painful, he is already a quite good 3 and D combo F and definitely has potential as well. He would create a formidable defensive duo with Dunn at the forward spots.

 

[Mainstreet]

Yes, and he is way overpaid and I just don't see the IQ required to mature.

There are other centers to be had, but if Stewart gets his act together, no one is going to be kicking sand in the Suns faces.

I'm a bit tired of the Suns soft image. The Suns could have done a lot worse than keeping Ayton.

 

[Phrazbit]

Pelicans lose Murray for the year with an achillies tear.

Them getting Aaron Nelson to run their training has not yielded strong results, they've gotta be the most injured team in basketball over the last few seasons.

 

[AzStevenCal]

There are other centers to be had, but if Stewart gets his act together, no one is going to be kicking sand in the Suns faces.

I'm a bit tired of the Suns soft image. The Suns could have done a lot worse than keeping Ayton.

Ayton is better than Nurkic is and better than Nurkic was, not even that close. But I still think we'd burned all our bridges with him (and vice versa) so moving on was the right decision IMO, just should have found a better deal.

 

[Phrazbit]

Ayton is better than Nurkic is and better than Nurkic was, not even that close. But I still think we'd burned all our bridges with him (and vice versa) so moving on was the right decision IMO, just should have found a better deal.

Ayton deserves every amount of criticism this board hurls at him, however, I wish we'd given him a chance with Vogel, or more precisely, I wish we'd given Vogel a chance with him. Vogel without any interior defense was a doomed proposition.

I also think we really settled for a garbage trade. Allen is, thankfully, turning his season around, but Nurkic, at his best, was a sub standard starter on a bad contract who got hurt all the time. Throwing in Camara was just another glimps of the Suns caving in just about every aspect imaginable in trade situations the last few years.

 

[ProdigalSun]

If we end up not trading all our picks, James Jones has at least shown a knack for picking decent players like Cam Johnson, Camara, and Dunn with lower picks. Maybe the optimal route is to do the minimum or nothing by the trade deadline

 

[leclerc]

Get anything we can for Nurkic without giving up Dunn. Nurkic + a low 1st round pick for an athletic big would be cool. Any other ways we can get rid of Nurkic? I imagine he wants out.

 

[Mainstreet]

If we end up not trading all our picks, James Jones has at least shown a knack for picking decent players like Cam Johnson, Camara, and Dunn with lower picks. Maybe the optimal route is to do the minimum or nothing by the trade deadline

The verdict is still out for me if James Jones should get credit for all those draft picks.

I know a couple that he missed or traded, including a 2 X NBA All-Star.

 

[Mainstreet]

Dejounte Murray is reported out for the season with the Pelicans.

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[Cheesebeef]

Get anything we can for Nurkic without giving up Dunn. Nurkic + a low 1st round pick for an athletic big would be cool. Any other ways we can get rid of Nurkic?

Call Jerod Mustaf?

 

[BirdGangThing]

clippers aren't stupid - and they have a better record than us

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[Germz249]

The verdict is still out for me if James Jones should get credit for all those draft picks.

I know a couple that he missed or traded, including a 2 X NBA All-Star.

Credit could be given to me. I take responsibility for Bender, Chriss and Josh Jackson also..

 

[Mainstreet]

clippers aren't stupid - and they have a better record than us

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A certain Western Conference team has beaten the Clippers three times this season…

 

[Mainstreet]

Credit could be given to me. I take responsibility for Bender, Chriss and Josh Jackson also..

This can't be true. I know we had a discussion about drafting De'Aaron Fox.

You did relay my messages to draft Fox didn't you?

Also trade for Shai and draft Haliburton?

 

[BirdGangThing]

wtf happened to this dude

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Mainstreet]

Credit could be given to me. I take responsibility for Bender, Chriss and Josh Jackson also..

You are too loyal, Germz. Never fall on a sword for a GM.

 

[Superbone]

Ayton is better than Nurkic is and better than Nurkic was, not even that close. But I still think we'd burned all our bridges with him (and vice versa) so moving on was the right decision IMO, just should have found a better deal.

Or at the very least, not given up Camara in the deal.

 

[Yuma]

I'm desperate enough to trade for Isaiah Stewart. At least no one would be sticking fingers in his face.

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He pushed him in the chest and the guy flopped over like warm tortilla. I imagine both guys had been going back and forth all game long, and the recipient knew it was coming because he got into a taking a charge stance.

I always think of NBA old school players saying they would not necessarily retaliate that game the refs are watching, but would wait until the teams played again, maybe even a couple games later. I remember watching as a kid, some guy would get a hard foul seemingly for no reason. Occasionally the announcer would say something like this goes back a few games.

 

[Yuma]

Dejounte Murray is reported out for the season with the Pelicans.

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It was a non contact injury, which sometimes turn out to be worse.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Or at the very least, not given up Camara in the deal.

Yeah they really saw us coming on that deal. Even if we hadn't included Camara, Portland wins that trade.

 

[Yuma]

Yeah they really saw us coming on that deal. Even if we hadn't included Camara, Portland wins that trade.

We gave up Ayton and a second round pick and netted Grayson Allen and a bunch of just players. I say we won that trade! Grayson Allen has been by far the better player. Even getting Nurkic has been a plus since we arguably got better play from Nurkic than Ayton up until this season. Only giving up Ayton and a second round pick? That's arguably like STEALING Grayson Allen. LOL!

I am not including Camara since you said "Even if we hadn't included Camara..."

 

[Superbone]

Yeah they really saw us coming on that deal. Even if we hadn't included Camara, Portland wins that trade.

I think we win it if we had kept Camara due to Allen's play. And the money has to come into play too. It's not all about talent. Ayton had an albatross contract for what he gives on the court on a nightly basis with no interest in forcing any contact and in fact, actively avoiding any.

 

[Yuma]

The 2025 NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET.

Trades are no longer permitted during the season after this point.

 

[AzStevenCal]

We gave up Ayton and a second round pick and netted Grayson Allen and a bunch of just players. I say we won that trade! Grayson Allen has been by far the better player. Even getting Nurkic has been a plus since we arguably got better play from Nurkic than Ayton up until this season. Only giving up Ayton and a second round pick? That's arguably like STEALING Grayson Allen. LOL!

I am not including Camara since you said "Even if we hadn't included Camara..."

I disagree. I think you can argue that Nurkic gave us more his first two months but I think he was a waste most nights from late February on and he's been even worse this season. Getting Grayson was a plus but IMO he exceeded expectations by quite a bit. Ignoring contracts, I still believe DA is a better player than Nurkic (easily) or Grayson (solidly) and at the time, giving up Camara just made a slightly bad deal even worse. JMO.

 

[Yuma]

Suns rookie Ryan Dunn named 2025 Rising Stars replacement​

In addition to Dunn, another Phoenix draft pick and current Portland Trail Blazers guard Toumani Camara also cracked the NBA Rising Stars player pool as a replacement.