Suns updates and discussion for the 2021-22 season

[Covert Rain]

Cracking the rotation is completely different although Smith took Nader's minutes against the Cavaliers.

If you watch him there is a huge improvement from last season, summer league and NOW.

Also there is this.

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Inserting someone into the lineup to try and get a spark is not the same thing. I also wouldn't expect his own team to be anything but supportive. I have watched him since he got here. He has never struck me as anything special and a project. I never thought of him has a phenom waiting to break out.

 

[Hoop Head]

By all accounts Stix has been showing progress and even flashed some of his ability against the Cavaliers.

In fairness it's not like Monty or JJ are going to say he sucks. So everything they said was basically an attempt to add value for a trade, which didn't work.

 

[Mainstreet]

Inserting someone into the lineup to try and get a spark is not the same thing. I also wouldn't expect his own team to be anything but supportive. I have watched him since he got here. He has never struck me as anything special and a project. I never thought of him has a phenom waiting to break out.

Jalen Smith was raw when the Suns drafted him. It was obvious he would need more time to develop than many other players in the draft.

If a GM didn't want to invest money and time in a player he drafted, that's on him.

 

[Mainstreet]

In fairness it's not like Monty or JJ are going to say he sucks. So everything they said was basically an attempt to add value for a trade, which didn't work.

This may be true but I think Smith has dramatically improved since last season and summer league. I'm believing my own eyes.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think it's more we picked up Crowder, who we were not expecting, and the Suns will start because of his experience. Plus then we got Chris Paul, which made it more of a reason to play Crowder. Then we started to make a run, so no time to play a rookie.
I can't help but think, if Stix was hitting three's consistently in games, he would get more playing time, and we would have picked up his option.

It all goes back to Stix being more of a 5 than a 4 but James Jones is the one that drafted him. I wanted Haliburton.

 

[Hoop Head]

This may be true but I think Smith has dramatically improved since last season and summer league. I'm believing my own eyes.

I agree but he's still not at a level where you want a #10 pick to be. If we're in the luxury tax next year, which it's likely we will be, then paying him about the same as McGee or twice the amount of Nader, Kaminsky, Payton, etc is a bit much for someone they don't believe can be a regular rotation player.

Personally I would have picked up the option, it provides more options. The only way this makes sense if they trade him soon as an expiring contract. It doesn't make sense to do this if they believe he'll improve this year or another team has shown interest in him because now he'd be an unrestricted free agent.

 

[Covert Rain]

Jalen Smith was raw when the Suns drafted him. It was obvious he would need more time to develop than many other players in the draft.

If a GM didn't want to invest money and time in a player he drafted, that's on him.

You are assuming they don't want to invest in him. Likely, they are seeing little return on him which is about I think what most people see. The fact the Suns couldn't move him is only further confirmation. Drafting him 10th overall was widely considered a reach and he was predicted on many boards to go in the 20's. Many rated it as an average to poor pick by the Suns at the time.

 

[Mainstreet]

I agree but he's still not at a level where you want a #10 pick to be. If we're in the luxury tax next year, which it's likely we will be, then paying him about the same as McGee or twice the amount of Nader, Kaminsky, Payton, etc is a bit much for someone they don't believe can be a regular rotation player.

Personally I would have picked up the option, it provides more options. The only way this makes sense if they trade him soon as an expiring contract. It doesn't make sense to do this if they believe he'll improve this year or another team has shown interest in him because now he'd be an unrestricted free agent.

I think Jalen Smith will be traded minimally by the trade deadline.

If he shows anything the Suns know they can't keep him for more than the tender of $4.5 million.

To a team wanting to wanting a young prospect on the cheap, they may trade for him hoping to keep him or use him to unload salary.

 

[Hoop Head]

You are assuming they don't want to invest in him. Likely, they are seeing little return on him which is about I think what most people see. The fact the Suns couldn't move him is only further confirmation. Drafting him 10th overall was widely considered a reach and he was predicted on many boards to go in the 20's. Many rated it as an average to poor pick by the Suns at the time.

Part of why I saw people rated it average had to do with James Jones hitting on the Cam Johnson pick a year prior, which was also considered a reach at the time. Trusting JJ at the time made sense since he proved everyone who doubted him wrong. It was a reach still and today's actions prove that.

The only upside is it's a little refreshing to know JJ won't waste time on players who haven't shown enough to warrant the investment. That's quite different than the McD years where we stuck with young guys for far too long.

 

[Mainstreet]

You are assuming they don't want to invest in him. Likely, they are seeing little return on him which is about I think what most people see. The fact the Suns couldn't move him is only further confirmation. Drafting him 10th overall was widely considered a reach and he was predicted on many boards to go in the 20's. Many rated it as an average to poor pick by the Suns at the time.

There is no doubt Smith was a reach at #10. I'm not defending that at all. I just think the Suns are giving up on him too quickly.

Other teams know the Suns have been trying to trade him. If interested, they can sign him as a free agent to likely a cheaper contract.

 

[Yuma]

I think it's also we are getting players, like Crowder, Paul, Shammet, etc., over developing guys. It may be that way for a bit now.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think it's also we are getting players, like Crowder, Paul, Shammet, etc., over developing guys. It may be that way for a bit now.

This is what is happening for sure.

 

[Covert Rain]

There is no doubt Smith was a reach at #10. I'm not defending that at all. I just think the Suns are giving up on him too quickly.

Other teams know the Suns have been trying to trade him. If interested, they can sign him as a free agent to likely a cheaper contract.

I would rather them invest that time and energy on improving the new guys who can crack the lineup. We are in win now mode anyway.

 

[Yuma]

Suns Exercise Cameron Johnson’s 2022/23 Option
November 1st 2021 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams
The Suns have picked up their fourth-year team option on Cameron Johnson‘s rookie scale contract, sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

The move locks in Johnson’s $5,887,899 salary for the 2022/23 season. The 25-year-old forward will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2022 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that point, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in 2023.

 

[Mainstreet]

I would rather them invest that time and energy on improving the new guys who can crack the lineup. We are in win now mode anyway.

It doesn't have to be either/or and some contenders are doing both.

 

[Covert Rain]

Part of why I saw people rated it average had to do with James Jones hitting on the Cam Johnson pick a year prior, which was also considered a reach at the time. Trusting JJ at the time made sense since he proved everyone who doubted him wrong. It was a reach still and today's actions prove that.

The only upside is it's a little refreshing to know JJ won't waste time on players who haven't shown enough to warrant the investment. That's quite different than the McD years where we stuck with young guys for far too long.

Jalen was on most draft boards in the 20's or later which had the most to do with it. If I recall Cam was on a couple boards as a mid first rounder. Many thought he still went early but that isn't nearly as bad as the Jalen pick.

 

[Covert Rain]

It doesn't have to be either/or and some contenders are doing both.

It doesn't have to be either/or but smart teams know when that return on investment isn't there either.

 

[Mainstreet]

Here are some mocks drafts 1-14 if anyone wants to go through it.

Final Mock Drafts Update - Draft Day

By Drew Packham, NBA.com Remember, the Consensus Mock Draft is a compilation of the best mock drafts around the web. We bring them together to come up with a good estimate of how the Draft could play out:

www.nba.com

 

[Mainstreet]

It doesn't have to be either/or but smart teams know when that return on investment isn't there either.

And some teams aren't interested in player development as a long term strategy. We know where the Suns are.

The Suns will reach a stage when they will need to look for cheap talent and the draft is where to find it providing a team is invested in scouting.

 

[Hoop Head]

Here are some mocks drafts 1-14 if anyone wants to go through it.

Final Mock Drafts Update - Draft Day

By Drew Packham, NBA.com Remember, the Consensus Mock Draft is a compilation of the best mock drafts around the web. We bring them together to come up with a good estimate of how the Draft could play out:

www.nba.com

Okoro would have been nice. I fear if we had him then we might have played hardball on Mikal's extension but outside of that I liked him and think he'll be a good 3&D wing for years to come.

At PF though I really wanted Precious. Oh well. Can't walk it back now.

 

[Mainstreet]

Okoro would have been nice. I fear if we had him then we might have played hardball on Mikal's extension but outside of that I liked him and think he'll be a good 3&D wing for years to come.

At PF though I really wanted Precious. Oh well. Can't walk it back now.

It was a deep draft with lots of options.

This is one of those drafts like the 2019 draft where James Jones could have traded down, picked up another asset and still got the same player. Smith was drafted too early.

 

[Covert Rain]

And some teams aren't interested in player development as a long term strategy. We know where the Suns are.

The Suns will reach a stage when they will need to look for cheap talent and the draft is where to find it providing a team is invested in scouting.

No doubt and I think they need to sprinkle in some younger talent where they can for the future. I just don't see Jalen as being part of that based on what we have seen. Having said that? It would be awesome if he went out there and proved everyone wrong.

 

[Mainstreet]

No doubt and I think they need to sprinkle in some younger talent where they can for the future. I just don't see Jalen as being part of that based on what we have seen. Having said that? It would be awesome if he went out there and proved everyone wrong.

I wish Jalen Smith well but it's going to haunt the Suns if he turns into a good player.

Last season I would have almost given him away (and something else) for a 4 that could play before the trade deadline.

Now when I see the light flicker, the Suns don't pick up his option. So frustrating.

 

[SirStefan32]

I don't understand why many people are upset. Smith is just not a good player. This is no different than Jones cutting Bender and Chriss by declining their options. It sucks that he blew the pick, but that's a whole different issues.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't understand why many people are upset. Smith is just not a good player. This is no different than Jones cutting Bender and Chriss by declining their options. It sucks that he blew the pick, but that's a whole different issues.

I'm amazed at how many times he's been the center of conversation here. If he'd gone un-drafted I suspect he would have been picked up, dropped, picked up, dropped again and today would be playing in the G League where he belongs.