Your weekly Inside the Suns analysis straight from the BSotS community who live and breathe the team.
Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team.
Each week, the Fantable – a round table of Bright Siders – give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1 – What is your general opinion of the return in the KD trade with Houston?
Ashton: Houston won this trade by a mile. The pick hoarder teams (OKC, Houston, SLC, etc.) were never going to be able to draft for the eternal youth fountain and maintain roster spots with rookie salaries. They need to offload picks and still do.
Suns were fleeced. And could have done a better deal with the draft picks on a legend like KD. I honestly wish we could have retired his jersey in Phoenix. But it turns out that Phoenix is a stopping point on the journey to the destination.
GuarGuar: I’m glad we finally dealt KD so we can be done with this saga, but man, I’m not a huge fan of our return here. I get that our leverage was low, though, and he was on an expiring, so I’m not that upset.
Jalen Green is like a worse Tyler Herro so far in his career. We aren’t trading him this summer so he will be alongside Booker, and that fit is pretty questionable. Another shooting guard was added to this team. Brooks is a villain, but I’ll be hones,t his toughness, defense, and energy is what this team needs going forward.
How we view this trade really comes down to what happens with this #10 pick. If we nail it we are having a completely different conversation in a year or two from now.
OldAz: I was quite vocal on my board that the return was underwhelming, but in all honesty, that had more to do with how much they OVERpaid to get him a couple of years ago and decrying how badly the last couple of years have been handled with all the subsequent moves. When you factor in the revelation of how badly KD pushed to get to his preferred destination, it made it so that the return was always going to be less than it could have been.
With that said, when you add in the later moves this week, I am actually very happy with the trade. I have been begging the Suns to go all in on adding length, athleticism, and defensive intensity (even back to the CP3 years and needing that in a PF). It seems that the Suns are finally doing exactly that. In fact, I am taken with how well the totality of the recent moves resets the team compared to what they were in 2021
By traditional position numbers:
- They still need a PG, but at a minimum, Green is a massive upgrade over Payne, even if he does start. (See question #2)
- Booker is still Booker, although with improved passing.
- Dunn looked very similar to a young Mikal with room to grow.
- Brooks is similar to Crowder in their role and has some pluses and some minuses in that comparison.
- Mark Williams puts up similar numbers to DA but with better finishing at the rim and plays with more intensity. On top of that, he is not projected to get anywhere near DA’s bloated salary.
The usable Bench around 2020 was Cam Johnson, Payne, Stix, Saric, and a rolling collection of passable backup centers compared to the athleticism and promise of the 3 draft picks from this week. The trade-off here is the relative lack of future draft assets.
When I compare it this way, it seems like the Suns have done a halfway decent job of recovering where they were before, except for being younger at almost every position and more athletic. Taken in totality, I will go ahead and drink the Kool-Aid and call the KD trade a success because it appears the team will be playing with a whole lot more energy and emphasis on defense that was clearly lacking the last couple of years.
Rod: I had hoped for more but didn’t really expect to get it so I’m basically okay with how it turned out. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that this trade might not actually be over yet. It doesn’t become official until July 6, which leaves time for a third team to be brought in to it which could alter the Suns’ return drastically. But that’s a discussion for another time.
Getting the 10th pick in the draft back as part o the deal turned out to be a big plus as technically we can call Khaman Maluach part of the return for KD and if I’m not mistaken I believe a few of those 5 future 2nd round draft picks that the Suns got back in the deal helped make it possible for the Suns to move up in the 2nd round and select Rasheer Fleming. Considering how it contributed to what I believe was a very successful draft for the Suns, my opinion of the trade is higher now than when it first happened.
Q2 – Do you believe the Suns will keep Jalen Green and/or Dillon Brooks or attempt to flip one or both in another trade?
Ashton: The only way I see keeping Jalen Green is if the Suns massively start to trade shooting guards. And I mean now. This is not a long game where the Suns can wait. There is a lot of lip service going on with keeping players from the FO that really turn out to be BS.
Brooks? A lot of commentators love his bruising enforcer style of play. Suns will at least give him a year, unless he was mentored under Ja Morant (or the Washington Wizards, for that matter). If he pulls a finger gun salute in Old West style, I am probably out on this trade. Or do we get more fight club with Dillon Brooks and Book? I am kidding.
In the end, Jalen Green stays with the Suns. But expect a lot of movement at the SG position. Only Book is safe.
GuarGuar: I think we will keep both for at least the first half of the season. We may deal one of them at the deadline if things are going south, but I fully expect both to be a part of this roster opening night. If we did trade one before then, though, I would say Brooks is more likely to be dealt.
OldAz: All indicators point to them keeping them. And considering their ages, I am OK with that. I know some people are not on board with Dillon and his bad boy reputation, but the Suns have desperately needed that ever since Monty shunned Crowder and the only semblance of toughness the team had. While he is the one player that does not fit the youth movement around Booker, he personifies the hard-nose defensive mindset that they have talked about playing with. If Fleming develops quickly and is playing significant minutes early, I could see the Suns try to flip Brooks at the deadline to shed some salary, recoup some draft assets and stay under the 2nd Apron (resetting some of the onerous repeat offender provisions), but if the team looks competitive I could also see Brooks being a big reason why. His offensive ability compares well to what they had in Crowder, who was way too streaky as a shooter.
As for Green, the other reason I was not on board initially with the return for KD was the positional overlap with Book along with Green’s already hefty salary. We have already seen that not work well with Beal, and it was already going to take a lot of moves to diversify the roster from all those shooting guards. However, Green addresses one area the team desperately needs with his athleticism. The Suns have not had a player who could break down the defense and blow by their defender for a while. Payne could do it, but he was nowhere near Green’s ability.
In addition, Green is described very similarly from the outside, like Booker was at his age. If Green can learn to use his athleticism to create all movement and improve his passing, his ability to finish could actually be a complement to Booker in the backcourt. It also may be a total disaster, but it really can’t be worse than what we have watched the last 2 years.
Rod: I know that Gambo said that the Suns indicated that they are keeping Jalen Green, but I doubt that has been written in stone yet. I don’t believe that they’ll be openly shopping him, but if they call some other team asking what it would take to get a certain player from them and Green’s name came up, I’m not at all convinced that they would shut down that discussion right away.
With Brooks, I really don’t know. I personally don’t like him but the Suns do need someone with his type of nasty attitude on the team. The team needs a strong defensive attitude and he’s likely going to be one to push that way of thinking on others.
Someone (probably several someones) is going to have to be moved if the Suns want to get under the 2nd tax apron this season but it doesn’t have to be one of these two. I’d be more than fine with trading off Grayson Allen and/or Royce O’Neale to shed salary instead.
Q3 – What’s your opinion of how the Suns did in the draft?
Ashton: I was grading in the C range during the draft in all of this. But the reality is, it was a solid B. I really liked Brian Gregory’s aggressive style of trading picks. It was a three-card monte where I was the mark. I will be a double mark if it were MI making the decisions all along. Which means I lost a lot of money at twenty bucks a hand.
So, BG aside, the Suns did not totally “Eff It Up” (quoting a board poster with correct vernacular). They filled the frontcourt needs that were just begging to be filled, but whiffed on the PG position. Koby Brea is a shooting guard who has an injury history that included (Wiki) He had metal rods inserted into his legs and spent several weeks in a wheelchair
He may be one of the best three-point shooters in the draft, but can he hold up under the rigors of the NBA? Possibly a short-term piece.
OldAz: This is what has me drinking the Kool-Aid. I am no draft expert, and I have always said that draft picks are fool’s gold when looking at the history of the league. Most picks simply do not pan out. However, what has me excited is that our new GM, whom I panned for his lack of experience and pedigree, was able to maneuver to get the players they wanted and made trades that actually make sense from a value standpoint. They basically used 4 of the 5 2nd round picks from the KD deal to get another player they highly valued.
While people have complained about the 2 firsts for Williams (I consider that part of the draft as well, since that was the currency spent to get him), they were late first-round picks, and Williams is still young and far more of a safe bet than anything they would get in the draft.
Lastly, they have actually started to walk the talk on all the good things said at this off-season’s introductory press conferences by targeting longer, athletic players who seem to really care about getting better and playing with intensity. It remains to be seen if these players pan out, but I am excited to see a front office that understands value, is targeting the right attributes, and is aggressive in getting things done. If Ott and his staff follow up with a commitment to player development, we could really be on to something.
As for the individual players, I am most excited about Williams because he has shown that he can do it in the league already (have I mentioned how I think the draft is a crap shoot?) and gives them a legitimate 2 man game partner for the glut of guards. Maluach also intrigues me because he appears to bring a lot of what we were excited about with DA as a young player, with the added potential to do it with more energy and aggression. Finally, if they are right about Fleming and he becomes a rotation-level PF, I will be in Suns fan heaven that they finally have someone that actually looks like a power forward playing the 4 and has real size, length, and athleticism across the entire front line.
Rod: Overall, I think they did great, although selecting Koby Brea with #41 was a bit of a head scratcher at first for me. They may have considered him the BPA at that time but adding yet another 6’6/7” shooting guard to the roster didn’t seem to make a lot of sense until I thought that maybe it means that they’re determined to move GA and Royce this summer and wanted a younger (and cheaper) 3-point sniper as a replacement. I’m sure it will make more sense as the offseason progresses because I’m certain that the Suns aren’t done in restructuring their roster. More trades are coming.
Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming were great gets for the Suns, and I also think the trade for Mark Williams will prove to be a very good move. With the addition of Williams, Maluach can be eased into the NBA grind instead of being thrown to the wolves. Fleming, I think, might actually be one of those wolves, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the Suns’ starting power forward from the get-go. I don’t expect that, but I think it’s possible.
Signing undrafted PF CJ Huntley from Appalachian State to a two-way contract following the draft was also a pretty nice move. He didn’t face a lot of top-end talent playing at App State but he’s got NBA size (6’11”, 221 lbs), but looks like a good prospect to develop in the G League.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Suns Trivia/History
On June 28, 1988, the Suns drafted Dan Majerle in the 1st round (14th pick) of the 1988 NBA Draft. Most fans booed the pick as it was made.
On July 3, 1992, the Suns signed 33-year-old, 11-year NBA veteran Danny Ainge as a free agent. Ainge would play his final 3 seasons in the NBA with the Suns before retiring in 1995. One year later, Ainge would return to Phoenix as the Suns’ head coach for three full seasons and part of a fourth before abruptly resigning after 20 games in 1999 citing a need to spend more time with his family. He was replaced by assistant coach Scott Skiles. The Suns made it to the playoffs each of Ainge’s 3 full seasons as HC but were eliminated in the 1st round all three years.
On July 5, 1988, the Phoenix Suns officially signed power forward Tom Chambers, formerly of the Seattle Supersonics, to a 5 year $9 million contract. This was the first unrestricted free agent signing in NBA history.
Suns Summer League Schedule
July 11 (Friday) – Suns vs Wizards @ 6:00 pm (ESPN)
July 13 (Sunday) – Suns vs Hawks @ 12:30 pm (NBA TV)
July 14 (Monday) – Suns vs Kings @ 7:00 pm (ESPNU)
July 16 (Wednesday) – Suns vs Timberwolves @ 2:00 pm (NBA TV)
Game 5 is TBD and will be on July 18, 19 or 20. A Game 6 is possible if the Suns make it to the SL tournament stage.
Last Week’s Poll Results
Last week’s question was, “Does the ‘Michigan State Connection’ concern you in regard to Jordan Ott’s hiring as the Suns’ head coach?”
47% – Yes.
53% – No.
A total of 175 votes were cast.
Important Future Dates
June 30 – Teams may begin negotiating with all upcoming free agents (beginning at 6 p.m. ET)
July 6 – Teams may begin signing free agents to contracts (12:01 p.m. ET)
July 10-20 – Las Vegas Summer League
This week’s poll is…
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