Durant to Suns

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I wasn't locked into trading for Durant at Brooklyn's asking price or adding another superstar. It would have been nice to see what other options were on the table, keeping Bridges.

My guess is it was collins. Not sure there many other options out there.

 

[Cheesebeef]

You really misrepresent posters when you do this with no quotes and no context. And you do it often.

I wanted to keep Oubre and Rubio but neither player was a big deal to me and I made that point several times. In fact I valued the pick we were rumored to give up more than those two players. My concern about the rumored trade was about CP's salary and his injury history. And then, a few days before the trade was made, I changed my mind (and my posts reflected it) once the story came out that Booker was pushing for it. I still didn't like the trade but agreed we had to do it.

I'm too lazy to search but here's a comment from the day after the trade was announced.

Spoiler

From November 17th 2020: I agree that the pick has more value to us than the two throw-in guards but for me it's all about Paul, good or bad. If we get 2 years of the Chris Paul of last season, this is a good deal regardless of what happens in the future with the pick or the outgoing players. Neither of the two young guards or the pick are going to blossom soon enough to keep Booker in Phoenix (assuming that's even possible) and this was mostly about Devin.

I really don’t Steve. You didn’t like the trade. You thought it would hurt us immediately and in the long run but decided to get behind it for Devin’s sake. But thought it would fail. Plain and simple.

And you’ve accused me of misrepresenting you in the past as well… like when I requoted that absolutely insane comment that Earl Watson and Walton would end up the best coaches of all time for the Suns and Lakers respectively. And then I showed you EXACTLY where you posted that mind-boggling comment. So keep your BS accusation crap to yourself. It’s not my fault you repeatedly post ridiculous things.

 

[Raindog]

The other point that gets neglected in all of the skepticism over trading for Durant is that without this trade, the Suns were rapidly headed toward the threshold of irrelevancy with one more disappointing exit from the playoffs... which I think we can all agree was likely coming without some kind of serious upgrade at the trade deadline.

Then we would be faced with another off season of searching for a needed upgrade but with the additional handicap of also needing to replace CP3 AND most likely still having to move Cam J. and one of either Ayton or Bridges in order to acquire a top level upgrade.

Except at that point, we probably look even more desperate, and the attractiveness of our trade pieces looks less appealing because we (most likely) have stumbled to an even more ignominious ending to the season. In other words, likely dealing from an even weaker position... which means either having to include the same or more assets to acquire another player who might actually upgrade the team. Alternatively, we would be likely looking at trades that would be at best lateral moves.

There is of course no guarantee that getting Durant will work out to be the best outcome. But I see the Suns as having "struck while the iron was hot," and I really can't fault them for it, even if it isn't ultimately successful.

 

[SunsTzu]

Uh Houston got all star guard Oladipo, dante exum, kurucs, and four first round picks and four swaps for harden.

It was Levert no Oladipo. The Rockets actually would have had more value if they just cut Cleveland out imo. The extra first they got from the Cavs was nowhere near as valuable as Allen imo(it was Milwaukee's pick and ended up going back to Milwaukee in the PJ Tucket trade).

 

[Phrazbit]

Uh Houston got all star guard Oladipo, dante exum, kurucs, and four first round picks and four swaps for harden.

Whoops, dementia moment.

Yet, Harden was 30 and coming off an a season where he averaged 34 a game and was the runner up for MVP.

Durant is 34, has missed more games than he's played the last several years and is currently injured.

And, I cannot think of a guy in his mid 30s getting traded for even a fraction of what we gave up.

We've heard the talk that the Grizz offered the full pick package... we didn't hear about them offering JJJ and Clarke, because that would be an overpay... on the scale of our overpay.

 

[Phrazbit]

The CP3 trade was met with a lot of skepticism but the only poster I remember being deeply negative about it was 1Sun... but he hated everything.

 

[Cheesebeef]

My God… the relative trash we got rid of in that trade was so meaningless that I didn’t even remember Rubio was in it.

Man… and people were bent about losing him… Oubre… and what was likely going to be a mid-late-ish 1st rounder. That’s called not being able to see the forest from the trees.

 

[Phrazbit]

My God… the relative trash we got rid of in that trade was so meaningless that I didn’t even remember Rubio was in it.

Man… and people were bent about losing him… Oubre… and what was likely going to be a mid-late-ish 1st rounder. That’s called not being able to see the forest from the trees.

That first rounder was slated to be in the, now mythical, "double draft". That was the year the NBA's new age rule was supposed to kick in, that draft was going to have high school kids and the guys who entered college under the one and done rule, supposedly the last year of the 1 and done, from there on out forcing kids to either jump straight to the NBA out of high school or do 2 years in college.

If it had happened it would have been a stacked draft class... and I know a lot of people were bummed that we gave away our pick for that year. But... it didn't happen... and we went 64-18, send off the last pick of the round.

So, it worked out.

 

[Dr. Jones]

We won this trade. We got the best player in this trade. We got an top 15 player all time in this trade. We got Kevin Durant in this trade.

We just have to get players ready for the playoffs. We will be fine.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The other point that gets neglected in all of the skepticism over trading for Durant is that without this trade, the Suns were rapidly headed toward the threshold of irrelevancy with one more disappointing exit from the playoffs... which I think we can all agree was likely coming without some kind of serious upgrade at the trade deadline.

Then we would be faced with another off season of searching for a needed upgrade but with the additional handicap of also needing to replace CP3 AND most likely still having to move Cam J. and one of either Ayton or Bridges in order to acquire a top level upgrade.

Except at that point, we probably look even more desperate, and the attractiveness of our trade pieces looks less appealing because we (most likely) have stumbled to an even more ignominious ending to the season. In other words, likely dealing from an even weaker position... which means either having to include the same or more assets to acquire another player who might actually upgrade the team. Alternatively, we would be likely looking at trades that would be at best lateral moves.

There is of course no guarantee that getting Durant will work out to be the best outcome. But I see the Suns as having "struck while the iron was hot," and I really can't fault them for it, even if it isn't ultimately successful.

Exactly. The future, sans the KD trade, has no guarantees. Zero guarantee. As history has proven, there’s a greater likelihood of the suns not winning the championship as constructed and chasing trades/drafts than winning it Taking a shot now when book is great Ayton is what he is, Paul has something left and a KD is actually available has a higher chance of success than hoping something happens in the future that raises us to similar heights.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

It was Levert no Oladipo. The Rockets actually would have had more value if they just cut Cleveland out imo. The extra first they got from the Cavs was nowhere near as valuable as Allen imo(it was Milwaukee's pick and ended up going back to Milwaukee in the PJ Tucket trade).

I thought they got okadipo and flipped him. Didn’t levert go to Cleveland in deal? Regardless, Houston got a whole hell of a lot more than “nothing” for harden.

 

[Vacard]

People were in love with the twins but forgetting about Bridges being a regular season stud and disappearing in big games, including playoffs. We can’t have two chokers in him and CP3 when it counts. Cam can’t stay healthy. He’s not as good as crowder starting. He gives up size, rebounding, and defense but is a good shooter and better shot selection.

If KD stays healthy this is a win for us. Three legitimate shot creators and scorers who can score at will. And Ayton down low. This is what the suns needed drastically. They couldn’t have run it back with the same squad who got blown out by Dallas, a team we have owned in the last decade, at home during a game that mattered. That was the worst, abyssal showing for a home team I have ever seen.

 

[Ronin]

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[elindholm]

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That's cute! I wonder if his first word will be "ball." That's what my daughter's was.

 

[SunsTzu]

That's cute! I wonder if his first word will be "ball." That's what my daughter's was.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[elindholm]

I was thinking the same thing.

Cool, what was your daughter's second word? Mine's was "fish."

 

[Dr. Jones]

I guess TJ & Darius will be active tomorrow night?

 

[Mainstreet]

I guess TJ & Darius will be active tomorrow night?

They will speak to the media around noon today so I hope so.

 

[mjb21aztd]

I guess TJ & Darius will be active tomorrow night?

Gonna be fun see tj in a suns uni again very good productivity role guy off the bench!!!!

Plus he can kind of shoot the 3 ball always needed in Phoenix

 

[JCSunsfan]

My guess is it was collins. Not sure there many other options out there.

Collins is what media types including Windhorst were saying.

 

[Muggz]

We need to wrap CP3, Booker and KD in bubble wrap till the playoffs. Maybe those plastic Sumo suits they have at bars at the beach.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Collins is what media types including Windhorst were saying.

Yeah I just don’t see that as having been enough to get us over the hump, or even all much closer to the hump.

 

[Ronin]

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[elindholm]

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#JoeProFLEXski

 

[Dr. Jones]

I was hoping to hear that the OKC game would be his return. We play the Bucks Sunday the 26th at 1 pm est on ABC. That game was something I eyeballed right after the trade was announced. Bucks, Hornets, Bulls, Mavs (also Sunday at 1pm est on ABC)