Suns @ Grizzlies Monday game thread 3-10-2025

[Mainstreet]

The Beal trade was an attempt to reanimate the deceased corpse. The Ayton trade was slathering it in perfume to keep the smell of death hidden. This body needs buried, still.

Problem is, it's going to take years and years to bury the body and reminders will keep popping up for decades to come.

 

[Covert Rain]

I was right there with you until the last line. The Suns had two ways to go after adding KD. More offense, or more defense. They choose at almost every point to add offense. We became one dimensional. Arguably, you take two of the top ten scorers in the league, then surround them with defensive players, and you will win your share of NBA games. No. We thought we could just outscore the Denvers of the world, and defense be damned. I think it was the moves after the KD trade that nailed the coffin shut.

Yep. This could have still worked. The Beal trade shut that door completely. When we look back 10 years from now at KD, we are going to say great player, played really well for the Suns but couldn't get it done. When we look back at Beal???

Not one person is going to say that. He has not been a great player here. Can't stay healthy and wasn't worth that contract by long shot.

 

[Phrazbit]

Yep. This could have still worked. The Beal trade shut that door completely. When we look back 10 years from now at KD, we are going to say great player, played really well for the Suns but couldn't get it done. When we look back at Beal???

Not one person is going to say that. He has not been a great player here. Can't stay healthy and wasn't worth that contract by long shot.

We already knew these things about Beal! It's why he was so cheap to get in the first place! He's on a terrible contract and he can't stay healthy... this has been Bradley Beal for like 8 years now.

This was NEVER going to work.

In 10 years we are going to look back at KD and say that the Suns made one of the worst and most damaging trades in NBA history.

 

[Superbone]

We already knew these things about Beal! It's why he was so cheap to get in the first place! He's on a terrible contract and he can't stay healthy... this has been Bradley Beal for like 8 years now.

This was NEVER going to work.

In 10 years we are going to look back at KD and say that the Suns made one of the worst and most damaging trades in NBA history.

I bet the Wizards brass had to work really hard to contain their joy when the Suns approached them about the deal.

 

[Hoop Head]

I bet the Wizards brass had to work really hard to contain their joy when the Suns approached them about the deal.

Why? They got second round picks and a player we were going to waive and turned him into Jordan Poole, who is one of the worst contracts of a player under 30. The Wizards didn't win the trade and the Suns didn't either.

The consensus at the time was that the Suns fleeced Washington because of Beal's NTC. That was also a highlight of having an owner who will spend recklessly. A lot of folks said Ishbia wouldn't allow us to be bad because he'd spend as much as needed to compete while ignoring how many have tried to do that before and failed. You can spend recklessly but you can't buy wins. The Beal deal is an example of that, attempting to spend our way into help for Booker and KD. It wasn't a good fit but most looked past the fit, Beal's injury history, and the low cost. Point is, Washington didn't fool the Suns. The Suns fooled themselves. Trades can produce multiple losers also.

 

[GatorAZ]

Why? They got second round picks and a player we were going to waive and turned him into Jordan Poole, who is one of the worst contracts of a player under 30. The Wizards didn't win the trade and the Suns didn't either.

The consensus at the time was that the Suns fleeced Washington because of Beal's NTC. That was also a highlight of having an owner who will spend recklessly. A lot of folks said Ishbia wouldn't allow us to be bad because he'd spend as much as needed to compete while ignoring how many have tried to do that before and failed. You can spend recklessly but you can't buy wins. The Beal deal is an example of that, attempting to spend our way into help for Booker and KD. It wasn't a good fit but most looked past the fit, Beal's injury history, and the low cost. Point is, Washington didn't fool the Suns. The Suns fooled themselves. Trades can produce multiple losers also.

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If the Suns swapped the Beal contract for the Poole contract we’d be under the 1st apron going into next season. The Wizards also have rights to our unprotected 1st in 2030 if they’re picking lower than us. Total fleecing.

 

[Hoop Head]

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If the Suns swapped the Beal contract for the Poole contract we’d be under the 1st apron going into next season. The Wizards also have rights to our unprotected 1st in 2030 if they’re picking lower than us. Total fleecing.

Beal makes $53 million next season and Poole makes $31 million. We're $13 million over the 2nd apron and would still be over the 1st apron unless we literally let everyone else walk, roughly $24 million over that apron. That isn't being fleeced. Beal is much better than Poole, even with the injury issues. Beal alone hasn't put us in a financial mess. Ishbia did that when he decided to ignore the CBA and aprons when he agreed to the KD deal.

The Wizards have swap rights on a pick that is already leveraged to Memphis as well. So Washington isn't alone in hoping the Suns collapse. Memphis, Brooklyn, Houston, Orlando, Utah, and I believe San Antonio all have a stake in our collapse. We're beyond leveraged regarding our picks. If Washington doesn't swap, Memphis could. That's our future for the next decade when we even have a pick.

 

[Mainstreet]

Remember when the Suns used two first round picks to move a still valuable Kurt Thomas?

Maybe the memory is starting to fade for some Suns fans, but the Kevin Durant trade will probably live on forever in infamy.

 

[GatorAZ]

Beal makes $53 million next season and Poole makes $31 million. We're $13 million over the 2nd apron and would still be over the 1st apron unless we literally let everyone else walk, roughly $24 million over that apron. That isn't being fleeced. Beal is much better than Poole, even with the injury issues. Beal alone hasn't put us in a financial mess. Ishbia did that when he decided to ignore the CBA and aprons when he agreed to the KD deal.

The Wizards have swap rights on a pick that is already leveraged to Memphis as well. So Washington isn't alone in hoping the Suns collapse. Memphis, Brooklyn, Houston, Orlando, Utah, and I believe San Antonio all have a stake in our collapse. We're beyond leveraged regarding our picks. If Washington doesn't swap, Memphis could. That's our future for the next decade when we even have a pick.

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The Suns are projected to be around $210m next season. The 2nd Apron is projected $208m. The 1st Apron is projected $196m. So yeah a $23m difference would put us below each apron.

Doesn’t matter if Beal is better because we’re not winning anything. The goal now is cutting salary and preserving assets. And Washington controls our 2030 draft pick while Memphis gets the next favorable pick. Washington signed Beal to the worst contract ever and gave him a NTC then got out of it. Props to them.