The Ayton Plan

[TJ]

You are for this?

It may get us out of Ayton's contract - but then we are stuck with a long term Kyrie one.

And no center.

I understand people here have an almost irrational hatred of Ayton, but I don't think this is smart at all. Kyrie is a team cancer.

The ****** thing is we have to get rid of Ayton. The relationship is irreparable the more I think about it. Fans are sick of him and wont give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m confident Monty is as well. I’m sure at this point, Ishbia has seen enough. Im also confident Ayton is done with the drama and just wants a clean slate. The focus then becomes how you get rid of him. Do you, for example, re-approach Indiana and take on Myles Turner and other commodities, or do you swing for the fences with another star like Irving, warts and all?

The organization holds a lot of responsibility for this mess. Ayton wanted his 5-year max and had every right to demand it after MPJ got his. Sarver and Jones peed all over that. That was the opportunity to lock Ayton in and keep him happy. The following offseason, when there was an obvious rift between Ayton and Monty, James Jones immediately matched the Pacer’s offer. I have to imagine that Ayton was not thrilled about that. Imagine in your life interviewing for another job because youre sick of the job you had and then that employer being able to unilaterally block the job change, even though they know youre burned out. You may not like Ayton’s mental approach to games. Frankly, I dont either. But can you blame him in that scenario?

The Ayton plan is this: Get him out of here and get what you can for him. It’s done. Wish him the best and hope you get a good haul for him.

 

[AzStevenCal]

You could be totally right but one thing is for sure. Ishbia isn't going to stand pat as our owner.

I like that he's willing to go big, I just wish he wasn't listening to Isiah.

 

[Phrazbit]

You could be totally right but one thing is for sure. Ishbia isn't going to stand pat as our owner.

Well, if is meddling based on Isiah Thomas' advice then it is going to be a serious problem.

Isiah Thomas was a horror show as an executive.

 

[Covert Rain]

I like that he's willing to go big, I just wish he wasn't listening to Isiah.

I am not convinced he is. I know that is everyone's worst fear but I am not buying it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

The ****** thing is we have to get rid of Ayton. The relationship is irreparable the more I think about it. Fans are sick of him and wont give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m confident Monty is as well. I’m sure at this point, Ishbia has seen enough. Im also confident Ayton is done with the drama and just wants a clean slate. The focus then becomes how you get rid of him. Do you, for example, re-approach Indiana and take on Myles Turner and other commodities, or do you swing for the fences with another star like Irving, warts and all?

The organization holds a lot of responsibility for this mess. Ayton wanted his 5-year max and had every right to demand it after MPJ got his. Sarver and Jones peed all over that. That was the opportunity to lock Ayton in and keep him happy. The following offseason, when there was an obvious rift between Ayton and Monty, James Jones immediately matched the Pacer’s offer. I have to imagine that Ayton was not thrilled about that. Imagine in your life interviewing for another job because youre sick of the job you had and then that employer being able to unilaterally block the job change, even though they know youre burned out. You may not like Ayton’s mental approach to games. Frankly, I dont either. But can you blame him in that scenario?

The Ayton plan is this: Get him out of here and get what you can for him. It’s done. Wish him the best and hope you get a good haul for him.

I just can't agree with the idea that this mess is because we didn't pay him at first opportunity. This mess existed well before that decision and it's what prompted the decision to wait on him. He played very well for a few playoff series but short of that, his career to that date had been far more disappointming than successful.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I am not convinced he is. I know that is everyone's worst fear but I am not buying it.

The facts say he is listening to him, almost every time Ishbia shows up on camera Isiah is next to him. But, yeah, it's supposition on my part (and others) that he's using what he heard from Isiah to make his decisions. Personally, I don't think there's any doubt.

 

[BirdGangThing]

Isaiah Thomas isn't calling the shots in Phx and you don't trade Aytons for unrestricted free agents - cap schmap

 

[AzStevenCal]

Isaiah Thomas isn't calling the shots in Phx and you don't trade Aytons for unrestricted free agents - cap schmap

Get back to us when you discover you went 0 for 2 with that post.

I can't prove that Thomas is the one calling the shots and I'm not positive that we will trade DA for the best talent we can find (unrestricted free agent or not) but I certainly wouldn't bet against either one.

 

[Hoop Head]

Isaiah Thomas isn't calling the shots in Phx and you don't trade Aytons for unrestricted free agents - cap schmap

It would be a sign and trade, not a trade for a unrestricted free agent.

 

[95pro]

That "absolute waste of a #1 pick" was the catalyst to a Finals appearance a couple of years ago.

Nope it was cp3.

 

[Phrazbit]

It would be a sign and trade, not a trade for a unrestricted free agent.

It would be an awful idea.

I cannot fathom that Irving will have any suitors... aside from the desperate Mavericks.

As mercurial as Ayton can be, he's a puddle of water compared to Irving... and I don't see him retiring or going on a sabbatical randomly.

Gifting the Mavs Ayton, who would be perfect for them, in exchange for the most toxic player in the league (who we would promptly hand a completely undradeable contract) would be the ultimate humiliation.

 

[elindholm]

Also, this would be another very "Knicks" move and IMO, would cement that Thomas is the defacto GM.

Ishbia is starting to remind me of Pokhorov. Eager to throw money around and draw attention to himself, but no discipline about how to do it intelligently.

It's weird to think that Ishbia may end up doing more damage to the franchise in his first six months than Sarver did in 19 years.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Gambo had an in with Sarver. We'll see how well his sources are now that Sarver is out. I believe he still has connections but I'd be surprised if we swapped Ayton for Kyrie.


I do think Dallas would be a good landing spot for Ayton. Playing with Luka would remove any pressure of being the #1 overall pick taken before him. He'll always be compared to him to a certain extent because of that but if they're playing together their success is linked.

How many of us wanted this during that draft? I think Dallas defense would be worse then last year.

 

[Hoop Head]

How many of us wanted this during that draft? I think Dallas defense would be worse then last year.

People wanted it because as fans we're greedy. Rather than accept and choose who is better at #1 we somehow convinced ourselves of ways to get 2 of the top prospects in that draft, which was always delusional. There was no possible way that would happen short of dealing Booker, which I don't believe anyone here actually presented as a path worth going down to get both Ayton and Luka.

If we had the #1 pick the following year then we would have heard ways we could potentially snag Morant to pair with Zion also. Fans aren't always realistic in what it takes to bring in franchise altering talent, we just want those guys on our team.

 

[Phrazbit]

Ishbia is starting to remind me of Pokhorov. Eager to throw money around and draw attention to himself, but no discipline about how to do it intelligently.

It's weird to think that Ishbia may end up doing more damage to the franchise in his first six months than Sarver did in 19 years.

Well... I wouldn't go that far.

I think Ishbia is making big mistakes but even as bad as they may end up being, I don't see them leading to the humiliation level of the 2010s Suns.

I also think his commitment to improving the fan experience gives him a huge leg up on Sarver.

 

[GatorAZ]

Gambo had an in with Sarver. We'll see how well his sources are now that Sarver is out. I believe he still has connections but I'd be surprised if we swapped Ayton for Kyrie.


I do think Dallas would be a good landing spot for Ayton. Playing with Luka would remove any pressure of being the #1 overall pick taken before him. He'll always be compared to him to a certain extent because of that but if they're playing together their success is linked.

Haynes, Stein and Gambo have all insinuated that the Suns could have interest in Kyrie. I think it has more to do with KD more than anything. As Steve said once you go down the superstar road you’re all in with them. Ishbia sounds like a win-at-all-cost type owner who doesn’t care about the common sense opinions he hears.

 

[Hoop Head]

Haynes, Stein and Gambo have all insinuated that the Suns could have interest in Kyrie. I think it has more to do with KD more than anything. As Steve said once you go down the superstar road you’re all in with them. Ishbia sounds like a win-at-all-cost type owner who doesn’t care about the common sense opinions he hears.

I don't know how much I buy into the rumor, as presented. I believe Kyrie has interest in coming here. That's been rumored for a while now. I think the rest is conjecture since the only way it can happen in a way where Kyrie gets paid is a sign and trade for Ayton because Ayton is the only sizable contract we have outside of Book and KD. Making that swap doesn't really help the Suns though.

If we could somehow unload CP3's final deal for Kyrie, I'd do it. I can't see that happening though. Outside of Kyrie signing for the minimum or MLE, I'm not interested.

 

[Proximo]

The ****** thing is we have to get rid of Ayton. The relationship is irreparable the more I think about it. Fans are sick of him and wont give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m confident Monty is as well. I’m sure at this point, Ishbia has seen enough. Im also confident Ayton is done with the drama and just wants a clean slate. The focus then becomes how you get rid of him. Do you, for example, re-approach Indiana and take on Myles Turner and other commodities, or do you swing for the fences with another star like Irving, warts and all?

The organization holds a lot of responsibility for this mess. Ayton wanted his 5-year max and had every right to demand it after MPJ got his. Sarver and Jones peed all over that. That was the opportunity to lock Ayton in and keep him happy. The following offseason, when there was an obvious rift between Ayton and Monty, James Jones immediately matched the Pacer’s offer. I have to imagine that Ayton was not thrilled about that. Imagine in your life interviewing for another job because youre sick of the job you had and then that employer being able to unilaterally block the job change, even though they know youre burned out. You may not like Ayton’s mental approach to games. Frankly, I dont either. But can you blame him in that scenario?

The Ayton plan is this: Get him out of here and get what you can for him. It’s done. Wish him the best and hope you get a good haul for him.

If we are going to trade Ayton the focus should be on getting good role players. We aren't going to build some depth any other way. Book and Durant are more than enough scoring, we don't need Kyrie as well who doesn't even care about defense.

 

[TJ]

If we are going to trade Ayton the focus should be on getting good role players. We aren't going to build some depth any other way. Book and Durant are more than enough scoring, we don't need Kyrie as well who doesn't even care about defense.

Yeah I’ve thought it over. It’s dumb for the simple reason that you’re making Dallas significantly better for the long term. Go back to Indiana, Toronto, Atlanta, San Antonio and the other teams interested in Ayton and see what you can get

 

[Covert Rain]

The facts say he is listening to him, almost every time Ishbia shows up on camera Isiah is next to him. But, yeah, it's supposition on my part (and others) that he's using what he heard from Isiah to make his decisions. Personally, I don't think there's any doubt.

I have seen him multiple times without him and podcasts without him. I see no evidence of that. Plus, JJ doesn’t strike me as someone who will stick around if he is getting bypassed.

 

[Covert Rain]

I don't know how much I buy into the rumor, as presented. I believe Kyrie has interest in coming here. That's been rumored for a while now. I think the rest is conjecture since the only way it can happen in a way where Kyrie gets paid is a sign and trade for Ayton because Ayton is the only sizable contract we have outside of Book and KD. Making that swap doesn't really help the Suns though.

If we could somehow unload CP3's final deal for Kyrie, I'd do it. I can't see that happening though. Outside of Kyrie signing for the minimum or MLE, I'm not interested.

Well all he said is internally they are going to explore possibilities. It’s not like he said anything was imminent. It’s still a significant revelation that inside the organization they would be considering it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I have seen him multiple times without him and podcasts without him. I see no evidence of that. Plus, JJ doesn’t strike me as someone who will stick around if he is getting bypassed.

Of course it's an exagerration. But the point remains, he's been caught on camera multiple times with Isiah at his side.

 

[Covert Rain]

Of course it's an exagerration. But the point remains, he's been caught on camera multiple times with Isiah at his side.

They are friends. I am not worried about it until JJ is fired and they announce Isiah is a candidate.

 

[GatorAZ]

Trade him for the best return possible. I’ve watched him for 6 years and have zero faith of him unlocking something and becoming great for a different team. He’ll drive whatever next fanbase mad.

 

[Sparky16]

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The fact that Burns does not like it means its a plus cuz he does not know squat about sports.