Changes for Next Season?

[Proximo]

Vince Carter and Jamal Crawford had already been deteriorating. And how dare you compare them at that point in their careers to Chris Paul. They are light years worse than Paul at 36!

I am talking about how he will look in 3 years - when he is 39 - and No that it is very fair to compare.

 

[Mainstreet]

Then how will we distinguish if from actual rumors? We've seen nothing direct from the player or the organization but it has been reported many times from sources that we usually accept as legitimate (such as Woj) - and it first came out either just before the draft or early that night, it's not a rationalization after the fact.

In addition to having been passed along by the usual names, not once have I heard it challenged, not by any source. The only rebuttal I've heard to this story is that it just shouldn't have mattered, we should have drafted him against his will anyway.

I'm throwing the challenge flag.

The disparity in talent after #10 drops off so I think I would have drafted Haliburton anyway.

I think the Suns could have traded down and still drafted Jalen Smith, Precious Achiuwa or Isaiah Stewart.

 

[GoldGloveschmidt]

I could see him opting in and signing a smaller two year extension beyond 22’ to keep the salary down for other players getting raises.

It would very much surprise me if CP3 willingly gave up money for any reason

 

[1Sun]

A lottery team really?

How did that team go up on the Clippers 2-0 then?

Lowry is the same age and a worse player - that would just be stupid.
I would never want Ben Simmons on my team unless he was signed to near the minimum. Players that cannot shoot do not help you in the NBA
Kemba Walker has a ruined knee - no way is he a good idea.
Westbrook is not a team player and is old also.
Lillard is going to cost a lot more than CP3 but if a mikal and CP3 package did the trick - sure why not.

I guess you guys refuse to understand my point. Here it is again - We need a young point guard to go with the rest of our young core, locking up CP3 to a big dollar contract locks our roster into place. I do not believe this roster is good enough to win a title when CP3 will be deteriorating each year which will counteract any improvement in the rest of our young core.

And what young point guard to go with the rest of our young core do you propose? There aren't any out there that are available that are legitimate NBA starting point guards.

As for how we beat the Clippers, the first game was adrenaline, and as I am sure you can agree, the second game was pure luck, and in both Cam Payne went nuts before crashing back down to Earth. This team without CP3 is much closer to the team that got wiped off the court in the last 4 games of the NBA Finals.

 

[Finito]

A lottery team really?

How did that team go up on the Clippers 2-0 then?

Lowry is the same age and a worse player - that would just be stupid.
I would never want Ben Simmons on my team unless he was signed to near the minimum. Players that cannot shoot do not help you in the NBA
Kemba Walker has a ruined knee - no way is he a good idea.
Westbrook is not a team player and is old also.
Lillard is going to cost a lot more than CP3 but if a mikal and CP3 package did the trick - sure why not.

I guess you guys refuse to understand my point. Here it is again - We need a young point guard to go with the rest of our young core, locking up CP3 to a big dollar contract locks our roster into place. I do not believe this roster is good enough to win a title when CP3 will be deteriorating each year which will counteract any improvement in the rest of our young core.

right if your going to give a 100 million to a guy it needs to be a young star that fits the timeline with Booker and Ayton. You flat out can’t be paying Paul 35 million when he’s 39 years on. Your going to handicap your team

 

[1Sun]

right if your going to give a 100 million to a guy it needs to be a young star that fits the timeline with Booker and Ayton. You flat out can’t be paying Paul 35 million when he’s 39 years on. Your going to handicap your team

You're going to handicap it much more if you leave it without a legitimate NBA starting point guard, as we saw in 2016-2018. And no, Cam Payne is not a legitimate NBA starting point guard. Outside of Games 1 and 2 against the Clippers, I think we all saw that quite clearly in these playoffs.

 

[TJ]

This team with Cam Payne or Dennis Schroeder starting at the point instead of CP3 is back to being a lottery team. At that point, kiss Devin Booker goodbye, and we are back to being the laughing stock of the NBA.

Never change, 1Sun. Stay catastrophizing.

 

[1Sun]

Never change, 1Sun. Stay catastrophizing.

Did you not just witness what this team became in the last 4 games with CP3 no longer able to be his usual effective self?

And do you not recall that the trade for CP3 was made in the first place to placate Devin Booker, who wanted a legitimate NBA starting point guard by his side?

 

[GatorAZ]

It would very much surprise me if CP3 willingly gave up money for any reason

It’s the same amount just structured differently.

Opt in for his player option + 2 year/55 m extension. Rather than 3/100 which lessens those cap hits by ~10m to avoid the L-Tax in 2023+.

 

[TJ]

I am talking about how he will look in 3 years - when he is 39 - and No that it is very fair to compare.

Most of these extensions with older dudes are done with the mindset that they wont be productive during the final year.

 

[TJ]

Did you not just witness what this team became in the last 4 games with CP3 no longer able to be his usual effective self?

And do you not recall that the trade for CP3 was made in the first place to placate Devin Booker, who wanted a legitimate NBA starting point guard by his side?

But saying this team is a lottery team without CP3 is overblown. The team was a basket away from the playoffs the season prior. CP3 does make us a championship contender, though.

 

[Chaplin]

I am talking about how he will look in 3 years - when he is 39 - and No that it is very fair to compare.

That implies that both Carter and Crawford were as good at 36 as CP3 is now. And that is far from the case. Hell, Crawford was never as good as Paul is now in his entire career!

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Can we PLEASE stop all this Ayton for good but not superstar player fake trades? Sabonis is older, not as impactful, and doesn't have nearly the potential of Ayton, and some people want to do Ayton plus for that! Insanity.

 

[Chaplin]

But saying this team is a lottery team without CP3 is overblown. The team was a basket away from the playoffs the season prior. CP3 does make us a championship contender, though.

To be fair here, we DID have Ricky Rubio instead of CP3, so it wasn't a huge leap. But a leap nonetheless. If he is saying that we are a lottery team without CP3 as well as who we traded (Oubre, Rubio), then he might have a point. But that is completely theoretical and never was a possibility.

 

[Mainstreet]

It’s the same amount just structured differently.

Opt in for his player option + 2 year/55 m extension. Rather than 3/100 which lessens those cap hits by ~10m to avoid the L-Tax in 2023+.

I don't think you can do a contract this way if Paul opts-in for $44,211,146 contract next season.
It would have to be a new contract after the player option expires.

Expect Paul to opt out and sign a new contract around August 6th.

 

[1Sun]

To be fair here, we DID have Ricky Rubio instead of CP3, so it wasn't a huge leap. But a leap nonetheless. If he is saying that we are a lottery team without CP3 as well as who we traded (Oubre, Rubio), then he might have a point. But that is completely theoretical and never was a possibility.

That is precisely what I'm saying. With CP3 gone and no viable replacement, we are last year's lottery team minus Rubio (or with a downgrade from last year's version of Rubio if we trade for Schroeder), Oubre, Baynes and Saric and plus Crowder and Stix. How is that NOT a lottery team?

And if you're thinking, well, James Jones will just replenish in free agency and the draft, please note that in the end the only real rotation players James Jones brought in last offseason are CP3 and Crowder. The rest just ended up languishing on the bench or cut because they couldn't contribute. And instead of a Top 10 pick, our pick is now at the end of the first round.

CP3 was and is that much of a difference maker for this team.

 

[pokerface]

right if your going to give a 100 million to a guy it needs to be a young star that fits the timeline with Booker and Ayton. You flat out can’t be paying Paul 35 million when he’s 39 years on. Your going to handicap your team

Can't live with Paul...can't live without him? I can't picture this team without Paul right now.

It's so easy to name some nameless star that fits the "timeline". If we give up on Paul there better be a ton of specifics...just sayin'

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I also think CP3 showed the boys the way, but I'm really hesitant to give him 40M+ over the next 3 years.

He's shown us that he can still be an MVP level player, but the opera of his injuries playing out over every playoff series is tough to watch. It's hard to imagine that getting any better with age or a short offseason. Teams were targeting him defensively and attacking him offensively. Yes, he was injured, but he's ALWAYS injured in the playoffs. He's 36 and small in a league full of young giants. Not a great combo, and he got beat up by the Bucks.

If there were a guarantee we'd get the same level of production moving forward, that would be one thing, but even at his best it wasn't good enough this year.

The hope is that the continued growth of a young roster coupled with a couple savvy moves will have this team right back on track for a championship next year. I'm mostly sad because the road back to the Finals is really really hard.

 

[AZman5103]

Imo you go hard after at KAT trade. Ayton raised his value on the playoffs, and with the right seed planted...KAT can force his way out of Minny.

To be clear, I think Ayton has way more potential as a defender...but like it or not we need a 2nd legit offensive weapon, and Ayton may never get there. KAT gives us a 1a option for Booker, and I think if we just target rebounding and defense we can find an acceptable Center. I do not want to give Ayton a max deal. He doesn't have the mindset to be our go to guy...which we need. Paul, Booker, Bridges, KAT, Noel....with Cam, Carter, Crowder, Stix, as the bench

 

[pokerface]

We don't give up on Ayton. He showed a lot and is still improving. And he fits the "timelime" that some of you spout about.

Ayton isn't going anywhere....get off it. He's getting max or near max. We roll with him for better or worse....book it.

 

[1Sun]

Imo you go hard after at KAT trade. Ayton raised his value on the playoffs, and with the right seed planted...KAT can force his way out of Minny.

To be clear, I think Ayton has way more potential as a defender...but like it or not we need a 2nd legit offensive weapon, and Ayton may never get there. KAT gives us a 1a option for Booker, and I think if we just target rebounding and defense we can find an acceptable Center. I do not want to give Ayton a max deal. He doesn't have the mindset to be our go to guy...which we need. Paul, Booker, Bridges, KAT, Noel....with Cam, Carter, Crowder, Stix, as the bench

The only way we can match salaries in a KAT trade is to include Booker or CP3. It's not happening.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

A lottery team really?

How did that team go up on the Clippers 2-0 then?

Lowry is the same age and a worse player - that would just be stupid.
I would never want Ben Simmons on my team unless he was signed to near the minimum. Players that cannot shoot do not help you in the NBA
Kemba Walker has a ruined knee - no way is he a good idea.
Westbrook is not a team player and is old also.
Lillard is going to cost a lot more than CP3 but if a mikal and CP3 package did the trick - sure why not.

I guess you guys refuse to understand my point. Here it is again - We need a young point guard to go with the rest of our young core, locking up CP3 to a big dollar contract locks our roster into place. I do not believe this roster is good enough to win a title when CP3 will be deteriorating each year which will counteract any improvement in the rest of our young core.

No no we get your point. But apparently you don’t get our’s. You still haven’t provided a replacement for Paul that allows this team not to backslide. Right now, that’s more important than two years in the future. Time and time again the league has proven that unmovable contracts can be moved.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

right if your going to give a 100 million to a guy it needs to be a young star that fits the timeline with Booker and Ayton. You flat out can’t be paying Paul 35 million when he’s 39 years on. Your going to handicap your team

Right, so who is that star that’s available this offseason that keeps us a contender?

 

[1Sun]

Right, so who is that star that’s available this offseason that keeps us a contender?

Or that even keeps us a playoff team (considering how obviously instrumental CP3 was to this team's success in the regular season and in the entire postseason other than Games 1 and 2 versus the Clippers).

 

[AZman5103]

The only way we can match salaries in a KAT trade is to include Booker or CP3. It's not happening.

Stop it. You know that's silly. There are lots of ways to make things work in the nba. The nets have 4 max players.