Rockets acquire Suns picks, return Nets picks to Brooklyn

I would agree with that assessment but after seeing them play and the way Durant has been shouting at people it is pretty clear this has been an ongoing frustration. Jabari and Sengun are young guys figuring it out. If Durant and Booker are shouting at people and no one is calling them out for being bad teammates then it tends to reason they had a reason for shouting at people. Especially with that roster and losing for very bad reasons.

When the Rocket were shooting sub 40% and had no clue on D, losing made sense. Growing pains. When you are winning as many stats as the Suns are and consistently losing with a team full of veterans it is a very bad sign. If you go look at Beal's stats he is shooting well and averaging 18 points a game. He's also missed 20 games. Clearly that is not telling the real story. There is something internally very rotten within that team and the coach is basically zen about it. We can both agree on reasons of roster construction why that team doesn't work as a contender but it is also clear that team is drastically underperforming with the talent available and the lack of effort is clear.

 

He is the highest paid Sun if he isnt playing the best there is a problem.

 

But Suns do own several FRP from Jazz.

 

Considering the Wizards are far and away the worst team in the NBA, it probably is not as bad as it looks for the Suns giving up swaps every other year? I did not realize they traded a bunch of swaps lol, what good are swaps when your team is that bad. I think the Wizards are likely not exercising some or all of those swaps. The Suns can still tank and get top picks the next few years if they wanted to, including next year.

 

I thought it was a swap, not outright ownership, in 2025 for the Rockets.

 

Correct, we have the last swap with OKC where they can get our pick and then we have the right to swap with PHX.

 

Yeah and if Stone is smart he can trade Cam Whitmore for those swaps.

Anyway my point is if not us I am sure contenders would want those swaps so Wizards should be trying to cash those swaps in if they are unlikely to use them.

 

BS posturing

 

If Stone can't get Booker with those picks or someone of equal value then he completely ****ed up the trade. I mean, it was intentionally done to try to get Booker. Woj said it, Shams said it. Some thought it was for Durant but it was quickly said that it was for Booker. If we draft more mid instead of turning these picks into an actual all star then Stone needs to go. I think he needs to go regardless but that will be the stamp.

 

Booker is not worth giving up those picks. Before this season, i thought it was a reasonable idea but now it's not. Jalen has improved, booker has regressed, and having him on a 35% of the cap contract is a negative not a positive.

 

Why is it posturing? Because it ruins the Rockets plans for Booker? They may want to do that and we can't do anythings about it.

 

I don't know, man. Occam's razor- why would Phoenix announce any player's upcoming status *now* if they weren't posturing to take advantage of a desperate team loaded with assets?
I mean, what is the play here? Just informing the fans? Telling GMs to back off?

 

You might need to read up on the swaps.
They are much worse than you just speculated.

Eg: 2026 draft they will get the worst pick of WASH; PHX; ORL and MEM.

They lose the option in the swap (ie, the other team/s always get to choose whether or not to swap).

 

It's posturing because it is almost impossible for them to do anything meaningful to build around Booker.
Their best option is going to be trading Durant for a pu pu platter of mediocre vets and hoping that Booker and Beal can give enough scoring thrust to win games.

eg Durant to Dallas for Klay; PJ Washington; Gafford and Hardy (may need to pay a 3rd team to balance out the transaction since neither team can exceed the outgoing salary)

 

That’s what they get for announcing their plan. Stone didn’t learn from the draft debacle with Paolo. How did 3 different reporters know the plan to get Booker within mins of the trade? Suns will purposely deal him elsewhere. It’s what the Pacers did to the Lakers with PG and Spurs with Kawhi. Stone is such a loser man.

 

Ishbia's been very clear that he's not trading Booker. Has said it loudly + often.

 

The Suns aren't going to be competitive. They probably won't make the play in with Durant. With the back end of triple and quadrupled swapped picks, taxpayer-MLE, it is just posturing that they can build around Booker.

 

He also said they weren't trading Durant.