If I were Phoenix, I'd trade Durant for FVV and '27, '29 picks + fillers. Let FVV walk and trade Booker after next season and start tanking for '27.
The way this should go down: 1. Stone acquires the Suns picks to get Booker 2. Suns decide to trade Durant 3. Teams put their Durant offers in (Rockets offer being rather paltry) 4. Rockets also lay their offer for Booker on the table (which includes all Suns picks they acquired) 5. Suns work to get higher bids for Durant from all involved, including the Rockets 6. Rockets don’t budge 7. Suns work the phones for all other teams up to the Draft 8. Suns trade Booker to Rockets 9. Suns trade Durant to top bidder from other teams The Rockets should not deviate from this plan. If the Suns don’t follow the script, we get good picks from them and they are locked out of trades for the foreseeable future. This assumes that Booker was Stone’s target and not the actual picks. Personally, I’m good with the picks, but kudos to Stone if this plays out to his vision.
So the latest "intel" suggests the Rockets and Suns aren't talking. The Phoenix front office is dead in the water. As I predicted earlier, Durant is killing their ability to manufacture other trades. All we need for him to do now is release a forceful statement requesting a trade, stating that he'll never play for the Suns again, and that he'll only report to his preferred destinations. Once he slams the door, his trade value will plummet even more. Stone can drop his offer lower; this might be one of those super-bargain deals. Thanks Ishiba, for embarrassing and making the superstar mad. That always works.
I wish it turns out this way but most likely they wont trade Booker for at least a year or two likely after he signs the big extension. I am not sure how many teams would be willing to trade for Booker once he has the big extension.
Guys, don't be gullible and assume the Rockets and Suns haven't been talking because someone reported this. For secrecy's sake, their may be recent direct-line conversations between Stone and the Suns GM nobody else is aware of (except maybe the owners). There is a lot of smoke and mirrors and lying happening. Just sit tight and wait until Mon/Tue/Wed when Shams breaks the news of whatever trade happens. My wild guess is Stone will make a final offer that is better than Jalen + #10, which, if it isn't a placeholder, is a complete joke of an offer.
I'm 99% sure the Rockets wouldn't offer that mostly because they think they can't be good without FVV. So this is a purely hypothetical "if I were" thing. But I think objectively it's a fair trade that is good for both teams in the long run. The Rockets trade a stop gap vet for a much better stop gap vet by giving the Suns their own picks but still get to keep the #10 pick this year and all the young core. The #10 pick is not as valuable to PHX as their future picks if they tank hard. It's better than the Jalen + #10 deal.
We are of the same opinion, you just express it more succinctly than I do. Has Stone learned from the Silas disaster? I don’t know. He seems to lack any detail or depth to his plans. He has had some good luck (Rockets lottery balls allowed the Rockets to keep the #2 pick), Oladipo turned down the extension, Udoka became available - and some bad luck with Banchero going #1 over Smith.
Shams is not posting anything, so we are looking for any crumbs of hope in our measly existence. Let us have this one fleeting moment of hope. /s
