Suns 2024-2025 Season Discussions

[Sun Devil Mania]

Could a Cam Payne return be in the works? He never should have been dealt. For the minimum, he's a good pick up, IMO.

This was posted by Cam on Instagram today

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Look at the date! It's from 2023!!!

 

[Chaplin]

Look at the date! It's from 2023!!!

It's a memory -- so he reposted something from 2023.

 

[Covert Rain]

Cam Payne won't come close to solving our problems. He might be an OK bench pick up but that's it. I really hope they don't go back to him and find someone else. His disappearing act and out of control garbage I don't miss.

 

[Proximo]

Cam Payne won't come close to solving our problems. He might be an OK bench pick up but that's it. I really hope they don't go back to him and find someone else. His disappearing act and out of control garbage I don't miss.

He's about the best you are going to do for a minimum salary point guard, but yes I agree he will not come close to solving the teams problems.

There is only one solution and it's trading KD.

 

[AzStevenCal]

He's about the best you are going to do for a minimum salary point guard, but yes I agree he will not come close to solving the teams problems.

There is only one solution and it's trading KD.

There is only one solution and it involves a time machine.

 

[Cheesebeef]

There is only one solution and it involves a time machine.

only if you're talking about using the time machine to take Doncic instead of Ayton. Undoing the KD trade might give us a better chance at the future, but our present team would have been just as bad if not worse. A team built around Booker/Bridges is a play-in team at best. For proof, see how pathetic that Nets team was with Bridges and Cam in a weak East. Throw Booker on there and maybe they're a .500 team.

But, our future wouldn't look as bleak, still having our draft picks.

 

[Covert Rain]

only if you're talking about using the time machine to take Doncic instead of Ayton. Undoing the KD trade might give us a better chance at the future, but our present team would have been just as bad if not worse. A team built around Booker/Bridges is a play-in team at best. For proof, see how pathetic that Nets team was with Bridges and Cam in a weak East. Throw Booker on there and maybe they're a .500 team.

But, our future wouldn't look as bleak, still having our draft picks.

This. Drafting Ayton was the first domino.

 

[Cheesebeef]

This. Drafting Ayton was the first domino.

it's really the original sin of this who ish-show we're in right now. If that guy had any heart, this team would have been set up to be a contender for a decade.

 

[AzStevenCal]

only if you're talking about using the time machine to take Doncic instead of Ayton. Undoing the KD trade might give us a better chance at the future, but our present team would have been just as bad if not worse. A team built around Booker/Bridges is a play-in team at best. For proof, see how pathetic that Nets team was with Bridges and Cam in a weak East. Throw Booker on there and maybe they're a .500 team.

But, our future wouldn't look as bleak, still having our draft picks.

You can improve that team many ways without trading for KD. But let's say you look at our pre-KD roster and decide, "we can't win with this group"? Then breakup the group. A year ago we could probably sell high on Booker, turn Ayton into the centerpiece of our offense so he can pad his stats and then trade him at the first decent offer. With the failure of DA, we just weren't all that close to winning it all with or without KD.

 

[AzStevenCal]

it's really the original sin of this who ish-show we're in right now. If that guy had any heart, this team would have been set up to be a contender for a decade.

Ayton is a huge part of it but I think it goes back several years from there where we wasted high draft pick after high draft pick.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Ayton is a huge part of it but I think it goes back several years from there where we wasted high draft pick after high draft pick.

oh definitely, but that was supposed to be the pick that launched this team into the future after the previous swings and misses.

 

[Covert Rain]

oh definitely, but that was supposed to be the pick that launched this team into the future after the previous swings and misses.

Right. None of those other picks carried the weight of this pick. We are talking the overall #1 which is supposed to be a sure fire can't miss franchise player.

 

[Hoop Head]

You can improve that team many ways without trading for KD. But let's say you look at our pre-KD roster and decide, "we can't win with this group"? Then breakup the group. A year ago we could probably sell high on Booker, turn Ayton into the centerpiece of our offense so he can pad his stats and then trade him at the first decent offer. With the failure of DA, we just weren't all that close to winning it all with or without KD.

I find it amusing that the loudest voices who claim the pre-KD roster couldn't win were the biggest supporters of the KD trade, which made us worse. So why does their claim the pre-KD version of the Suns with the Twins carry any weight? Clearly their plan to improve upon that team failed spectacularly but for whatever reason they still claim the KD traded NEEDED to happen.


A time machine would solve this mess. Short of that, I'm with @Proximo that KD needs traded. If we don't get some value this off-season then we'll be in a spot next off-season where we have to find a way to dump his salary, ala Shaq. The whole KD deal looks more like Shaq 2.0 by the day.

 

[Proximo]

There is only one solution and it involves a time machine.

Well, ok technically you are correct.

Don't get me wrong I think it will be years before this team will be able to compete for a title, but wasting KD's value by not trading him now will only make that timeline longer.

 

[Proximo]

it's really the original sin of this who ish-show we're in right now. If that guy had any heart, this team would have been set up to be a contender for a decade.

I could argue Josh Jackson instead of DeArron Fox.

Not drafting Halliburton afterwords was just as bad as Ayton IMO.

 

[95pro]

How many times are we going to revisit this ish on here.

 

[Covert Rain]

I find it funny that the pre-KD roster fan club is acting like the team had not regressed consistently since the Finals debacle. So....talking about weight and all......

Many here that supported the trade acknowledge that it may not work but it was worth trying something but sure carry on.

 

[AzStevenCal]

How many times are we going to revisit this ish on here.

How high can you count? Right now, there isn't much else to talk about and almost every conversation dovetails into the decision to trade for KD.

 

[Hoop Head]

How many times are we going to revisit this ish on here.

How many times is not signing Joe Johnson mentioned? That's something that happened 20 years ago. New Suns fans and NBA players have been born since that went down but it's still mentioned. The KD trade was a similar blunder made by a new owner.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I find it funny that the pre-KD roster fan club is acting like the team had not regressed consistently since the Finals debacle. So....talking about weight and all......

Many here that supported the trade acknowledge that it may not work but it was worth trying something but sure carry on.

Who is acting like that? We had an outside chance to win it all when we had CP3 playing like an all star and Ayton giving effort. With CP3's decline and Ayton mailing it in we were no longer all that close to being a contender and most of us knew it. Not wanting to give up way too many assets for KD is not the same thing as thinking we didn't need to improve.

 

[Covert Rain]

Who is acting like that? We had an outside chance to win it all when we had CP3 playing like an all star and Ayton giving effort. With CP3's decline and Ayton mailing it in we were no longer all that close to being a contender and most of us knew it. Not wanting to give up way too many assets for KD is not the same thing as thinking we didn't need to improve.

The people making up the mythical narrative that the KD trade had to be done. Nothing had to be done. Many just felt with the team regressing, Ayton looking more and more like a complete mistake, the team had to get a star. They don't grow on trees and there was only one clamoring to be here. Many said from jump it may not work and it was a huge risk.

 

[Hoop Head]

I find it funny that the pre-KD roster fan club is acting like the team had not regressed consistently since the Finals debacle. So....talking about weight and all......

Many here that supported the trade acknowledge that it may not work but it was worth trying something but sure carry on.

Lost in the finals and then won a franchise record 64 games before an embarrassing 2nd round loss the following year. That's it. That isn't regressing consistently. They did struggle the next season due to injuries, with Cam J missing over 2 months, Jae Crowder being out, no backup for Ayton, and Paul getting older and older by the day but to act as if the only direction to go was blowing it up for KD to improve the team is ridiculous. If that team regressed consistently then what do you call the nonsense wheeled out since?

 

[Phrazbit]

What the team was or wasn’t before the trade isn’t really relevant.

You don’t trade all that for a 35 year old. Period.

Factor in the injuries and the toxicity… it’s bonkers.

 

[Hoop Head]

The people making up the mythical narrative that the KD trade had to be done. Nothing had to be done. Many just felt with the team regressing, Ayton looking more and more like a complete mistake, the team had to get a star. They don't grow on trees and there was only one clamoring to be here. Many said from jump it may not work and it was a huge risk.

You say it yourself, I bolded it. You say no trade had to be done and then say we had to add a star. Which is it?

 

[Covert Rain]

You say it yourself, I bolded it. You say no trade had to be done and then say we had to add a star. Which is it?

I am saying the trade for KD didn't HAVE to happen. Getting another star to play alongside Booker did if we wanted to win a title. You good?