Didn't mention it, but yeah it also entered my mind that if FVV were to be let go or he's simply not good enough next year, doesn't hurt to have another PG prospect in case things don't fully work out with Amen and Reed as PGs.
Phoenix would be wise to lose the remaining games in their schedule and hope the Rockets do not win a top 4 pick. Since KD is going to be moved, the Suns could make a play to get Houston to trade them the pick back to them while only giving up FVV plus filler. I have my doubts that Houston is going to keep that pick of it doesn't land in the top 4.
If somehow we end up with any of top 4 pick, we should just keep it and run back FVV in much friendly resigning with lesser role. Cooper, Harper, Bailey, Edgecomb are all future All-Star talent level I would replace any one of them for our core other than Amen. Let’s be honest only true untouchable pick we gotten is Amen.
This pick will get traded no matter what. If its Top 3...we can net just about any all-star player...if its outside the top 3, it will likely be traded for an above average role player and maybe future picks. My dream scenario...top 3 pick and it be traded for Tyrese Maxey.
This team doesn't need another role player. Assuming FVV comes back you already have FVV, Green, Brooks, Amen, Sengun, Tari, Bari, Reed, and Cam fighting for minutes. Where does another role player fit in on this team? Backup center is the only position missing but that's not something you spend a top 10 pick on.
Won’t be 14. Worst we get is 12, because the two WC play-in teams that fail to make playoffs are still gonna have better record than PHX. They will be 13 and 14. That’s why people are also keeping an eye on Bulls and Heat. The hope is they will have a better record than PHX too. Then the worst we can have is 10.
Even if the Bulls and Heat have better records than the Suns it is still possible that teams with a worse record than the Suns will get selected in the lottery and drop our pick one or even 2 spots.
A lot of analysts think there are 3 tiers in the top 4. Tier 1 Cooper. Tier 2 Harper. Tier 3 Ace & VJ. Then a massive tier break for all these other prospects. Probably guys like Kon, Maluach, Trae Johnson go early, but we’re looking at a similar quality of prospect from like pick 7-20’s. So I’m not excited about picking 9 or 10 relative to the option of trading back, or trading out for a future pick (preferably 2026).
...in the last weekend of the season with not too much left to play for in Houston, but we all need to be rooting for the best odds for our Phoenix pick. Current standings look like this: 8th pick SAS - 33-47 - 26.3% chance at a top 4 pick 9th pick PHO - 35-45 - 17.3% chance at a top 4 pick 10th pick POR - 35-45 - 16.9% chance at a top 4 pick 11th pick MIA - 36-44 - 9.4% chance at a top 4 pick Remaining games: SAS remaining games: PHO(Fri), TOR(Sun) PHO remaining games: SAS(Fri), SAC(Sun) POR remaining games: GSW(Fri), LAL(Sun) MIA remaining games: NO(Fri), WAS (Sun) We need San Antonio and Sacramento to beat Phoenix so they finish with a lower record than Portland and hopefully San Antonio. The problem is San Antonio goes head to head with Phoenix so there is 9% odds at a top 4 pick at stake on who finishes lower between SAS and PHO so SAS have a real interest in losing that game and Phoenix is ambivalent. The worst case scenario is Miami loses both games and Phoenix wins both games because then our pick might go from a 1 in 4 chance at a top 4 pick to a less than 1 in 10 chance. The other issue here is POR is playing two teams that NEED to win so they will likely lose both games unless the Lakers have nothing left to play for on Sunday so it is in Houston's best interest to lose tonight to give LA a shot at resting starters on Sunday if they are content with seeding.
The only way the Suns can get out of jail is to get back their picks and get rid of both Durant and Booker. So they have to grovel to us for this to happen. Even if we have zero interest in Durant and Booker, we can still leverage the picks and get a third or even fourth team for something we want.
I think if you get a prospect as good as Flagg you don’t trade them. Jokic has been rumored to not want to play for much longer either. Imagine trading Flagg and Sengun and getting only 2-3 years of Jokic.
Just think. Nico could have waited to see who got the #1 pick and made the godfather Luka offer then…resetting the timeline of the franchise while staying competitive. Lol
Since they don't have that pic, it would make sense to lose and make it as high a pick as possible, in the hopes they can seduce the Rockets into give it back as part of a KD/Booker trade. I doubt Houston would do that, because I don't think the Suns have anything Stone and Ime still want, other than maybe Tyus Jones, who's not worth that high a pick. And if it's top 4 or 5, Phoenix has no chance to get it back.
No one has cap space and certainly none that is going to Beal. Beal has no reason to agree to this because PHX can claw back his small prove it vet min contract he would sign. In addition to losing the $10M already slated for his bank account, it would remove his Bird Rights that is the only tool he has for a future contract for a player that can average 20 points now at 32. Beal has a young family of 5 that he moved to PHX and out of VA. Skipping around on vet min contracts doesn't sound like something he wants. I can see him ring chase with Tatum at some point but not now. Boston can never pay him. 2nd apron yes, 1st apron no. I don't see PHX keeping Booker long term after KD is gone. Windy was right about KD in no one has $50M of trash laying around. They are going to have to eat salary in a trade and want to do this for flexibility at a premium even over asset acquisition. This trade is limited by the 2nd apron and the purpose of getting OUT of the 2nd apron. This Beal buyout seems to me like PHX trying to sell something internally about being competitive. Getting flexibility will mean less and who is PHX going to be able to get to play on that team. On a bad team Beal can put up 20 points and you are already paying him. You want to pay him $100M to go away and play for someone else. This isn't John Wall. As bad as it sounds, Beal has more value to PHX than to someone else. I see them trading him on an expiring for something or providing him with a heavily reduced extension if they don't think they can add someone else. Nobody understands yet the full impact of not having **** until 2032. What star is EVER going to go there?
