The Durant Sweepstakes

[Covert Rain]

Maybe for a sure thing yeah but that's not what we're talking about. Durant has been surrounded by more talent than what we'll have on several occasions without winning it all. So basically we're taking the equivalent of an even money bet on a long shot.

I love the fact that the DBacks won a World Series. I watched every game from their inaugural season through that championship win. I'll bet I haven't watched a hundred Arizona games since then. I still follow them, check the box scores and such but that title put them in salary hell and they've been unviewable more often than not since then. I hate the idea of that happening to the Suns, especially after we finally got past that horrible Ryan McD run.

When is too much not too much? 4 picks, 3 pick swaps, Ayton, Bridges, Shamet, Payne and Crowder is way, way, way too much. Ayton (or Mikal) plus 4 picks and 3 picks swaps is too much but it's a "too much" I can understand. Anything beyond that, no way.

I can't predict the future but if the Suns win a title, nobody will be saying it's too much. It all hinges on if the Suns win one for sure. It's a risk if you give away too much but the end game for every team is a title. That is especially true of a franchise that is one of the most successful in all of sports without a title.

 

[1tinsoldier]

hold the phone on all these sacrifices to get Durant here.

why isn't anyone taking into consideration that he missed 27 games last season
and 37 the year before
and there's no reason to believe he'll miss any less after he's 34 in a couple of months?

 

[Proximo]

hold the phone on all these sacrifices to get Durant here.

why isn't anyone taking into consideration that he missed 27 games last season
and 37 the year before
and there's no reason to believe he'll miss any less after he's 34 in a couple of months?

The year before last was still due to the achilles injury.

Yeah he might very well miss 20 or 30 games. It's really only going to matter that he plays enough to get chemistry with the team and that he is healthy for the playoffs.

 

[Proximo]

Maybe but I'd be surprised if he's an elite player for 4 more years. Between his age and his achilles repair, it's a real gamble. He's such a special player I can understand taking a gamble but I can't understand paying full price for him as if we were getting a player in his prime.

I've mentioned it before but look at his last 8 seasons and how many games he's missed. Adding him doesn't make us a lock, I'm not even sure it makes us the favorite. Mortgaging our future for him should be scary for any fan.

He won two championships but look at all the talent he's played alongside on teams that didn't win it all. Are we really any better than all of those teams he played on that came up short? I'm okay with gambling on him, but I'm not willing to bet the house on a long shot and that's what we're all talking about here if it costs us Ayton, Bridges, 4 picks and 3 pick swaps plus filler.

I don't think it's that big of a gamble.

Dude is a top 5 jump shooter in the league, and can get his shot on almost anyone. That is a skill that ages very well.

Just look at Lebron last year - he was almost strictly a jump shooter, and not nearly as good as KD yet he still had a very good year at 38.

 

[GatorAZ]

They took his lunch money the last two years in the playoffs.

Bridges has become wildly overrated on this board.

The last 4 primary wing scorers we’ve faced in the playoffs have had massive games against us; Luka, Ingram, Middleton, George…. Mikal earned his regular season accolades but he’s not turning a conference finals or finals like KD.

I understand the backfire possibilities of a mega trade but the Suns could always blow it up in a few years and recoup some picks.

 

[Phrazbit]

The last 4 primary wing scorers we’ve faced in the playoffs have had massive games against us; Luka, Ingram, Middleton, George…. Mikal earned his regular season accolades but he’s not turning a conference finals or finals like KD.

I understand the backfire possibilities of a mega trade but the Suns could always blow it up in a few years and recoup some picks.

Bridges covered McCollum for most of the Pelicans series... and made his life pretty miserable.

 

[Proximo]

The last 4 primary wing scorers we’ve faced in the playoffs have had massive games against us; Luka, Ingram, Middleton, George…. Mikal earned his regular season accolades but he’s not turning a conference finals or finals like KD.

I understand the backfire possibilities of a mega trade but the Suns could always blow it up in a few years and recoup some picks.

Yeah, I don't think we would have had a realistic title chance if we just ran the same team back this year.

DA would likely be disgruntled, and quite frankly I am very worried CP3's game is falling off a cliff.

 

[GatorAZ]

Bridges covered McCollum for most of the Pelicans series... and made his life pretty miserable.

He’s good on smaller guys like Curry/Lillard.

 

[Phrazbit]

He’s good on smaller guys like Curry/Lillard.

If we snag Durant and keep Bridges then it will allow Bridges to play those matchups all the more often.

 

[GatorAZ]

If we snag Durant and keep Bridges then it will allow Bridges to play those matchups all the more often.

If CP, Book, KD and Mikal are in the court together the Suns could put an ASFN poster at center and get by.

 

[1tinsoldier]

between Paul's hand issues, Booker's hamstrings, and Durant's health risks we'd have to get lucky to not become Nets 2

i'm lowering my Durant bid instead of raising it
and considering their disrespect, i'm thinking about retracting it all-together

in fact, go back and tell the Nets,
"my offer is this: nothing. Not even the $20,000 for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally."

 

[Proximo]

If CP, Book, KD and Mikal are in the court together the Suns could put an ASFN poster at center and get by.

Yeah, that's what they are going to be counting on.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't think it's that big of a gamble.

Dude is a top 5 jump shooter in the league, and can get his shot on almost anyone. That is a skill that ages very well.

Just look at Lebron last year - he was almost strictly a jump shooter, and not nearly as good as KD yet he still had a very good year at 38.

Like Lebron, Durant was an elite defender. Like Lebron, that part of his game is dead or at least hibernating.

We make a big deal out of the drop off of Suns players this postseason, take a look at Durant. His 2022 regular season PER of 25.6 plummeted to 13.6 in the playoffs. And he's had a career playoff PER of 24.3 despite his disappearance this postseason. Not since his rookie year has he had a playoff PER under 20. Alarm bells should be ringing here.

The more I look into this the more upset this rumored trade has me. I thought he just looked a little off in the playoffs but the numbers say it was worse than that. For those that think CP3 just hit the career wall this last postseason and will be a non-factor going forward, do yourselves a favor and watch the way Kevin played in the playoffs.

 

[AzStevenCal]

between Paul's hand issues, Booker's hamstrings, and Durant's health risks we'd have to get lucky to not become Nets 2

i'm lowering my Durant bid instead of raising it
and considering their disrespect, i'm thinking about retracting it all-together

in fact, go back and tell the Nets,
"my offer is this: nothing. Not even the $20,000 for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally."

Besides agreeing with your points that's a great use of a movie quote.

 

[GatorAZ]

between Paul's hand issues, Booker's hamstrings, and Durant's health risks we'd have to get lucky to not become Nets 2

i'm lowering my Durant bid instead of raising it
and considering their disrespect, i'm thinking about retracting it all-together

in fact, go back and tell the Nets,
"my offer is this: nothing. Not even the $20,000 for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally."

The Nets last year were so toxic with the Kyrie/vaccine stuff and Harden trade demand that it was DOA. Two years ago KD averaged 35/10/5 vs Milwaukee and nearly single-handedly eliminated them if not for a size 18 shoe.

 

[elindholm]

I quit follow Ross a while ago because he was consistently wrong about pretty much everything.

Sounds like a great guy to follow! Just assume that the truth is the opposite of whatever he says.

 

[Finito]

Yeah, I don't think we would have had a realistic title chance if we just ran the same team back this year.

DA would likely be disgruntled, and quite frankly I am very worried CP3's game is falling off a cliff.

My dream scenario is Ayton comes back and we trade Bridges and filler for KD.

 

[AzStevenCal]

My dream scenario is Ayton comes back and we trade Bridges and filler for KD.

My dream scenario is we re-sign Ayton and trade something like Crowder, Saric, Payne and Shamet plus 4 picks and 3 swaps for Durant. Neither is going to happen. Yours has a better chance than mine and if it does, I suspect years from now you and others will look back on your dream scenario as the nightmare you wish you hadn't lived through.

 

[Mainstreet]

My fear is the Suns let Ayton go for peanuts.

 

[SirStefan32]

They took his lunch money the last two years in the playoffs.

Bridges has become wildly overrated on this board.

Well, he was a runner up for the defensive player of the year last season, so I am really not sure how we are overrating him on this board. The man is a damn beast. Do I trade him for KD? Yeah, I probably do. Do I do everything I possibly can to keep him? Absolutely!

 

[Finito]

My fear is the Suns let Ayton go for peanuts.

That might happen.

 

[Finito]

Well, he was a runner up for the defensive player of the year last season, so I am really not sure how we are overrating him on this board. The man is a damn beast. Do I trade him for KD? Yeah, I probably do. Do I do everything I possibly can to keep him? Absolutely!

Beast? As it’s been pointed out he’s kinda gotten abused when it matters most and that’s on defense what he’s supposed to best at. Let’s not even talk about his disappearing acts on offense.

 

[Mainstreet]

That might happen.

If it happens it will make be sick.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

They took his lunch money the last two years in the playoffs.

Bridges has become wildly overrated on this board.

To be fair he’s rated that way everywhere. (Psst, I’m pretty sure no one on this board was capable of voting him as 2nd in DPOY for the year).

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

My dream scenario is Ayton comes back and we trade Bridges and filler for KD.

That’s my pipe dream scenario. I don’t even think about it due to just how fanciful it is.