In hindsight picking Ayton over Luka is a huge mistake, but getting to the finals should be considered a huge success and we should be asking what they've done right more than what they've done wrong. If Suns keep Booker/Bridges/Ayton together their core is already strong enough to reconstruct their roster and go after a other ring with how the competition is right now. However, just because they can doesn't mean they should. They should very closely examine how Ayton and CP3 fits in their future. As a person who thought it was stupid for the Rockets to trade CP3... CP3 at age 37 with 3 years left is a tough situation and Ayton will likely want the max so there will be a tough decision there. I think there would be a big mistake by them to pick CP3 over Ayton at this point, but it might be what happens since CP3 is harder to move whereas Ayton could net positive assets back. It's actually a tough situation for the Suns who now have tasted best record and getting to the finals depending a lot on an aging CP3. They aren't going to attract any major star so they'll likely need to trade for one to continue to have the success they've had the last two years
I f'n LOVE Joakim Noah. Smart, TOUGH player. Booker is soft. I can only pray Jalen will have more of a fire in him to be better.
Are they hard capped? I think they could sign Ayton to the max and keep CP3 and suffer through a year of luxury tax. They would still have a shot at getting to the finals. They are a good team and Booker and Ayton are a pretty solid core to build around when CP3 is gone. It’s always disappointing for a team to not make the finals 2 years in a row, but they are not old and shouldn’t panick.
Booker is a average athlete with a great shooting touch. Green is a top 4 athlete in the NBA. There is a huge difference between them. Green will be harder to stop.
As many have pointed out we should focus on what they did right. It is amazing that they have this much success while passing on Luka and having no superstars. Get a good coach, invest in winning culture and hope for the best. You can’t always win everything and a lot of luck plays into that.
Pat Bev is an overrated defender as well and can’t stay on the court any better than CP3. I wish he would just shut up. The only thing I ever liked about him was the injury to Westbrick on a hustle play.
Yeah I don't think they should panic, but I feel like their owner might force James Jones into some tough money decisions. Their total cap is pretty high and Ayton is a RFA (I believe eligible for ~34M/yr?? - correct me if I'm wrong). CP3 has 3 years left (~30M/yr) with Booker up for a new contract 2024 (already making ~34M/yr). Bridges is making about ~22.5M/yr. That would be about 121M/yr for 4 players with one of those 4 aging.
I didn’t realize they were on the hook to CP3 for 3 more years. Yeah they are screwed unless the hit the lottery with a PG nobody was thinking about.
I didn’t watch The series . I think the nba is rigged / has a huge luck component to it . Losing game 7 by a blowout is embarrassing, but PHX had every chance to win a conference semi finals . So they did ok . if you believe that having the best player on the floor ultimately is what matters most then that’s on Booker . Luka is obviously phenomenal. Ayton May yet be a better player in 2-3 years . I’m not sure they blew the pick yet . If neither team wins the finals (PHX won’t ) them both teams are still looking to the future . And being ahead one year doesn’t necessarily mean you will the next . but booker does not seem like a top 5-10 nba player . CP3 is old . He had good games in the playoffs right ? How many years left on his deal? How much he making ? I could blame front office if it seems like he’s locked up 2-3 more years at 40 mil . I don’t believe PHX passed on luka because they already had booker . I guess if our grade on sharpe / Ivey is super high we should not pass on them due to green . but that’s obvious . Green is only gonna be a 2nd year player . booker is 25 going on 26 I presume . Is he as good as Klay Thompson was ? I don’t think so , and Klay was more of tertiary player in series vs us . He could burn us , but he didn’t effect harden much on D (outside of getting away with fouls) . Curry , Durant , and green were more important . PHX has to hope they can build a strong defense around him , ayton , and bridges . And get lucky and pick up through draft or trade some shot creators . maybe ayton can improve his offensive game and be a respectable option that can pass out of double teams and make the smart play . They are positioned to be a top half to mid playoff team for the foreseeable future and some of the results will just come down to luck / injuries
How to avoid the Suns' mistakes? Win a championship. The only mistake they've made is not winning a title recently. The Bucks also went out in somewhat similar fashion yesterday, but they're the defending champs. If the Suns had won last year's finals instead of Milwaukee we'd be talking about how to avoid making the Bucks' mistakes.
I'd take on Paul's deal for Wall if getting Bridges... They could have Wall / Booker / Tate / Wood / Ayton with a lot of payroll flexibility or lock in Paul / Booker / Bridges / Saric-Crowder / Ayton with a lot of tax...
Rockets have a shot creator or two. Maybe we could get some of that future draft capital we are always looking for. Gordon or Woods would be a decent fit for them. Take back one year contracts and a couple of future picks.
CP3 2022-23 AGE 37 $28,400,000 2023-24 AGE 38 $30,800,000 2024-25 AGE 39 $30,000,000 Contract Notes: 2023-24 $15,800,000 guaranteed, fully guaranteed on 6/28/2023 2024-25 non-guaranteed, fully guaranteed on 6/28/2024
Jalen as a rookie was getting double and triple team all season. I bet you Jalen will work on how to beat them this off season.
"How do we avoid Suns mistakes" The team was in the Finals last year and had the highest win total in the regular season this year. We are saying this as a team who has had the worst record in the league two years in a row. I get it. The goal is to win a championship, not be the best regular season team. And committing that much to Chris Paul, who had already been on a decline before, seemed like a mistake at the time and may compound over the next couple of years. They haven't done everything perfectly. But roster moves are never perfect, especially not in hindsight, and the playoffs can have a lot of random luck influence the outcome. Booker is 25, Ayton is 23, Bridges is 25, Payne is 27, Johnson is 26. It may be a challenge for them to navigate from here, but let's not say that they are doomed and we, the current worst team in the league (and the team that gave up draft picks to swap CP and Westbrook), need to avoid their mistakes.
How does that work? Could we acquire him via trade and let him go before 6/28/23 and be off the hook?
