Suns 2024-2025 Season Discussions

[Covert Rain]

The only thing problematic about this is we couldn’t trade him for six months after signing.

They said it would be midseason trade.

 

[Cheesebeef]

They said it would be midseason trade.

Ah.

That would be a long time to try and fit a new impact player into this motley crew they’ve put together.

But makes sense considering the alternative… which is bleak AF.

 

[Covert Rain]

Ah.

That would be a long time to try and fit a new impact player into this motley crew they’ve put together.

But makes sense considering the alternative… which is bleak AF.

Yep. There just isn't a ton of options.

 

[Raindog]

Ah.

That would be a long time to try and fit a new impact player into this motley crew they’ve put together.

But makes sense considering the alternative… which is bleak AF.

Just FYI - you misspelled "Mötley Crüe."

 

[clyde2tw]

If we signed RO for say 15m the first year with 3rd year team option, who could we get midseason for RO + 1st rounder, similar to Mavs' deal for Washington and Garford?

 

[Mainstreet]

If we signed RO for say 15m the first year with 3rd year team option, who could we get midseason for RO + 1st rounder, similar to Mavs' deal for Washington and Garford?

That Mavs trade still irritates. Talk about giving a team two starters.

 

[taz02]

I have not felt this hopeless toward the Suns since 2016 when I first walked away. The front office built a poorly designed, massively top-heavy team that didn't care sufficiently to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Worse, it locked itself into this piece of junk for the foreseeable future. Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant can't be traded without their consent (because Beal has a NTC and a superstar of Durant's stature gets to control his trades). Why would anyone want to trade Devin Booker? He's too great a homegrown player in the regular season. But I concluded that what I just typed is all that should be expected of him. He wasn't even my favorite Suns player ever, but I appreciated him; I used to think he could lead the Suns to a championship. I no longer think that.

I don't know if anyone here wants to trade Booker, I sure don't.

If it turns out the current group, with the new coach and whatever tweaks they can pull off can't get it done then we will either 1.) Need to trade Booker and KD for sufficient assets to begin a complete rebuild or 2.) Trade KD after next season, and wait until Beal's contract expires in 2027-28.

If Booker is not the #1 guy to lead a team to a championship paying him 60 mil per is going to make building a championship team around him tough.

 

[CardNots]

I don't know if anyone here wants to trade Booker, I sure don't.

If it turns out the current group, with the new coach and whatever tweaks they can pull off can't get it done then we will either 1.) Need to trade Booker and KD for sufficient assets to begin a complete rebuild or 2.) Trade KD after next season, and wait until Beal's contract expires in 2027-28.

If Booker is not the #1 guy to lead a team to a championship paying him 60 mil per is going to make building a championship team around him tough.

I’m not going to complain for repeating another playoff run with improved motivational play

I would love a title but I don’t consider it a failure if it doesn’t happen.

Not making the playoffs a different conversation altogether…

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't know if anyone here wants to trade Booker, I sure don't.

If it turns out the current group, with the new coach and whatever tweaks they can pull off can't get it done then we will either 1.) Need to trade Booker and KD for sufficient assets to begin a complete rebuild or 2.) Trade KD after next season, and wait until Beal's contract expires in 2027-28.

If Booker is not the #1 guy to lead a team to a championship paying him 60 mil per is going to make building a championship team around him tough.

I don't "want" to trade Booker but I do believe it's our best course of action, and it's one we likely won't take until Devin asks for it to happen. It's a very safe bet we're going to try and fix this mess on the fly. I really hope it works but it's not a gamble I'd take.

I think Devin can be the best player on a title team but he'll never be the number one guy the way Giannis or Lebron or even Curry have been. Still, put a complete team around him including a couple of all star level players plus a strong coaching staff and I'd like our chances. I just think we've put ourselves in a position where that's highly unlikely to occur before Devin starts his decline.

 

[CardNots]

I don't "want" to trade Booker but I do believe it's our best course of action, and it's one we likely won't take until Devin asks for it to happen. It's a very safe bet we're going to try and fix this mess on the fly. I really hope it works but it's not a gamble I'd take.

I think Devin can be the best player on a title team but he'll never be the number one guy the way Giannis or Lebron or even Curry have been. Still, put a complete team around him including a couple of all star level players plus a strong coaching staff and I'd like our chances. I just think we've put ourselves in a position where that's highly unlikely to occur before Devin starts his decline.

Wouldn’t we be in the same situation we are in now if we put two all star level players with booker?

How do you afford a complete team given the salary of booker and two all star level players?

I’m counting on the players from our last run quit on the previous coaching staff.

 

[Mainstreet]

Wouldn’t we be in the same situation we are in now if we put two all star level players with booker?

How do you afford a complete team around given the salary of booker and two all star level players?

I’m counting on the players from our last run quit on the previous coaching staff.

The Suns essentially have two all star players next to Booker.

What the Suns ignored is they need quality depth that fills needs at point guard, power forward and center.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Wouldn’t we be in the same situation we are in now if we put two all star level players with booker?

How do you afford a complete team around given the salary of booker and two all star level players?

I’m counting on the players from our last run quit on the previous coaching staff.

Sure. It takes more than 3 good players to make a team. I've always felt that we weren't ready to make the jump to title contender, I backed off that for a year when CP3 and Booker took us to the finals but it's become obvious (to me) since then that our run was greatly due to a very down year in the NBA. That roster probably wouldn't compete for a title in today's NBA landscape even if CP3 hadn't fallen off a cliff.

I never really had an opinion, pro or con, on Vogel. I assumed he was a decent coach so I was okay with the hire but I've always been impressed by Bud. IMO though Bud's strength isn't managing huge egos, it's establishing a team first identity that competes on both ends. If we had the pieces, I believe Bud could shape them into a title contender but I just don't think KD is coachable enough at this stage of his career.

 

[95pro]

The Suns essentially have two all star players next to Booker.

What the Suns ignored is they need quality depth that fills needs at point guard, power forward and center.

And picks to add to sweeten deals.

 

[Hoop Head]

Wouldn’t we be in the same situation we are in now if we put two all star level players with booker?

How do you afford a complete team around given the salary of booker and two all star level players?

I’m counting on the players from our last run quit on the previous coaching staff.

Like @Mainstreet said, we have All-Star level players to surround Booker but their skill sets are too similar to Booker's for this team to be a contender. You swap a Bradley Beal for a DeAaron Fox and Kevin Durant for a Bam Abedeyo and I think this team goes a lot further. Both of those players offer more than elite scoring, which is really the main thing Booker, Beal, and Durant bring. Then we have the makeup a proper team with a pecking order also. If Booker isn't hitting, Fox takes over and Bam gets his from put backs and easy looks inside.

 

[Mainstreet]

And picks to add to sweeten deals.

The Suns will have a couple of picks available come draft day but are lacking a good assortment of players (contracts) to trade other than Nurkic and to a lesser extent Little.

 

[Mainstreet]

Other than the contract of the big three, this is what the Suns have to trade at the moment. See below.

I believe Allen can be traded in mid-October and O'Neale can be traded at the trade deadline after he is signed.

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[taz02]

Jusuf Nurkic ($18.1 million)
Nassir Little ($6.7 million)
David Roddy ($2.8 million)
No. 22 overall pick2031 1st

Ouch! To make it worse, Nurkic is our only real big/center, so if he's traded, you'll need a starting center in return.

Are there any, possibly available, starting centers making 18 mil per season that are better than Nurkic?

 

[Hoop Head]

Jusuf Nurkic ($18.1 million)
Nassir Little ($6.7 million)
David Roddy ($2.8 million)
No. 22 overall pick2031 1st

Ouch! To make it worse, Nurkic is our only real big/center, so if he's traded, you'll need a starting center in return.

Are there any, possibly available, starting centers making 18 mil per season that are better than Nurkic?

Seeing it spelled out like that makes things more realistic and jarring. There aren't quick fixes.

The only starting C's making less than Nurk who are better are on rookie deals. There's zero reason a team would swap them for Nurkic. Our #22 pick or pick in 2031 isn't enough to entice a team to downgrade in talent.

 

[95pro]

Nurk plus picks for Markkanen, if we had more picks

 

[Hoop Head]

Nurk plus picks for Markkanen, if we had more picks

No chance. Lauri is an All-Star who Utah was asking 3 1sts for at the deadline and reportedly are accelerating their timeline now and are supposed to start competing this season. They have no need for Nurkic since they have Kessler and John Collins already at Center. If Nurkic was expiring, maybe they wouldn't laugh before hanging up the phone.

 

[95pro]

No chance. Lauri is an All-Star who Utah was asking 3 1sts for at the deadline and reportedly are accelerating their timeline now and are supposed to start competing this season. They have no need for Nurkic since they have Kessler and John Collins already at Center. If Nurkic was expiring, maybe they wouldn't laugh before hanging up the phone.

just wishing out loud

 

[Hoop Head]

just wishing out loud

I wish we went after him when he was dealt previously. He was dealt for scraps before. Cleveland gave up Larry Nance Jr and a 2nd round pick to bring in Lauri. Then Lauri was dealt again as sort of a salary throw in as part of the Donovan Mitchell trade. So he was available twice for reasonable value. Now his price is too high.

I'd say screw it though and deal KD for Lauri and Collins. Have fun in Utah, KD! There's no chance Danny Ainge signs off on that unless he has a 3rd team lined up offering basically as much or more than we paid for KD from Brooklyn.

 

[Raindog]

The Suns essentially have two all star players next to Booker.

What the Suns ignored is they need quality depth that fills needs at point guard, power forward and center.

Let's not neglect the fact that part of the reason we don't have players at those positions is because James Jones doesn't think we need a PG, PF, or C.

Every time there has been a possibility of making moves to fill those spots, Jones inevitably instead goes after another undersized wing because he somehow believes that's the be all and end all to winning in the NBA.

 

[Yuma]

I don't believe with Nurkic trading for one guy like Markenen is the way to go. I think you need to do trades where we get at least two guys for each one we trade. We need depth. If we flip Nurk we obviously need a Big and then the long wing/PG too. I have seen trades where at least three guys come back in a trade for Nurkic. Some of them, I think are overly optimistic, have us getting two guys and a first round pick.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't believe with Nurkic trading for one guy like Markenen is the way to go. I think you need to do trades where we get at least two guys for each one we trade. We need depth. If we flip Nurk we obviously need a Big and then the long wing/PG too. I have seen trades where at least three guys come back in a trade for Nurkic. Some of them, I think are overly optimistic, have us getting two guys and a first round pick.

Obviously we don't just need bodies, we need to add some talented bodies. And I just don't see Nurkic bringing us even one talented body unless we sweeten the pot or we eat a bad contract.