2025 Suns Offeason News

[In2ition]

Yeah, Kuminga just seems like a band-aid type move. It's going to take a years to turn this ship around and pointed in the right direction.

[Split T]

Yeah, Kuminga just seems like a band-aid type move. It's going to take a years to turn this ship around and pointed in the right direction.

I do agree with it likely taking years to turn it around. I don’t think Kuminga gets in the way of that…you take a shot that he hits as a star and if he doesn’t, you were going to have to move Book anyways to turn this around. Kuminga can be a tank commander when you get your picks back in a Booker trade.

[In2ition]

Yeah, Kuminga just seems like a band-aid type move. It's going to take a years to turn this ship around and pointed in the right direction.

I do agree with it likely taking years to turn it around. I don’t think Kuminga gets in the way of that…you take a shot that he hits as a star and if he doesn’t, you were going to have to move Book anyways to turn this around. Kuminga can be a tank commander when you get your picks back in a Booker trade.

I didn't even think about the Book angle, but tbh, that's not the fallback plan I would encourage or hope for. Sure, there's a chance that Kuminga is good on the Suns, but it seems like it's much more likely that Kuminga would be a player we hated before the end of his first season with the Suns.

[Split T]

Ya I think that’s a risk. I also think the most likely scenario is we don’t trade for Kuminga and we are a middling(maybe play-in) team the next 2 years and we have to trade Booker to retool. I guess I don’t see a ton of downside as we aren’t going to be good anyways. Right now we are banking on Jalen Green making an even more unrealistic leap than Kuminga would need to make.That or we need a young player to make a major unexpected leap.

We have no draft assets and no reasonable path to cap space in the next few years. We’ve got Booker and then no one else who projects as an all-star level player. Even in a perfect world where Booker can be a #1(I think he’s a 2), you’re still going to need 2 more cornerstone types. Two guys better than anyone else on our roster not named Book. Maybe you get lucky with one of the young guys(Maluach seems to have the highest ceiling) or an unexpected leap from someone like Williams or Green, but hard to count on. Kuminga isn’t some definite thing, but he’s just another roll of the dice(and right now we need 3 sixes and only got 2 dice).

[Mori Chu]

I also think the most likely scenario is we don’t trade for Kuminga and we are a middling(maybe play-in) team the next 2 years and we have to trade Booker to retool.

I would be ecstatic if this year's squad were a play-in team. I think the most likely scenario is rougher than that. But we shall see. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

[pickle]

If we are being optimistic but not delusional, what do we think Maluach’s ceiling is? Late career Brook Lopez with better mobility to switch on defense? Or does he have Dekembe level impact on the defensive end?

[AmareIsGod]

If we are being optimistic but not delusional, what do we think Maluach’s ceiling is? Late career Brook Lopez with better mobility to switch on defense? Or does he have Dekembe level impact on the defensive end?

Bismack Biyombo.

[pickle]

I see the fountain of optimism is overflowing this fine evening.

[specialsauce]

Ya I think that’s a risk. I also think the most likely scenario is we don’t trade for Kuminga and we are a middling(maybe play-in) team the next 2 years and we have to trade Booker to retool. I guess I don’t see a ton of downside as we aren’t going to be good anyways. Right now we are banking on Jalen Green making an even more unrealistic leap than Kuminga would need to make.That or we need a young player to make a major unexpected leap.

We have no draft assets and no reasonable path to cap space in the next few years. We’ve got Booker and then no one else who projects as an all-star level player. Even in a perfect world where Booker can be a #1(I think he’s a 2), you’re still going to need 2 more cornerstone types. Two guys better than anyone else on our roster not named Book. Maybe you get lucky with one of the young guys(Maluach seems to have the highest ceiling) or an unexpected leap from someone like Williams or Green, but hard to count on. Kuminga isn’t some definite thing, but he’s just another roll of the dice(and right now we need 3 sixes and only got 2 dice).

Bingo

[Split T]

I also think the most likely scenario is we don’t trade for Kuminga and we are a middling(maybe play-in) team the next 2 years and we have to trade Booker to retool.

I would be ecstatic if this year's squad were a play-in team. I think the most likely scenario is rougher than that. But we shall see. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Well I did say maybe and I included the next two years…but I also don’t think being a play in team is all that great of an accomplishment. Last years team almost did that and they were dreadful. Only 10 teams don’t make the play in and 6-7 aren’t even trying half the year.

[Gladiator]

Kuminga just doesn’t like doing the things that would make him a good player and the things he likes doing make his team worse and don’t make him better as a player.
I can see the attraction of getting him but would rather keep our powder dry for now.

[O_Gardino]

If we are being optimistic but not delusional, what do we think Maluach’s ceiling is? Late career Brook Lopez with better mobility to switch on defense? Or does he have Dekembe level impact on the defensive end?

If I'm being hopeful? Channing Frye on offense and Rudy Gobert on defense. I think Maluach can be good, but not an all-time great.

[Split T]

Kuminga just doesn’t like doing the things that would make him a good player and the things he likes doing make his team worse and don’t make him better as a player.
I can see the attraction of getting him but would rather keep our powder dry for now.

I can’t argue this…you’d need to count on him changing as a player, which is quite risky

[ShelC]

Being a play-in team with a younger roster that's not expected to be competitive at all is much different than being a play-in team with older vets headlined by Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. We'd be signalling to everyone that we're not nearly as bad/talentless as it's been made out and the future might not be so barren. The circumstances are much different.

[In2ition]

I kind of see Kuminga as a worse attitude Kuzma. Is that a bad comparison?

[TOO]

I kind of see Kuminga as a worse attitude Kuzma. Is that a bad comparison?

2 completely different players. I think he's probably more along the lines of Wiggins in Minnesota. It's all there, just needs to put it together.

[Mori Chu]

Miss this guy more every day.

[Split T]

I searched for players with season over 15 ppg, less than 2.5 apg, less than 5 rpg, who shot less than 33% from 3, but had a ft rate greater than .330 and it gave me 11 seasons:

2 were the last 2 Kuminga seasons. Wiggins had 2. Adrian Dantley had 3. There was a Latrell Sprewell year in there too. Wiggins did it at a similar age as well, so that might be a solid comp…Wiggins did learn to shoot.

[Superbone]

A couple Gauchos getting a preview of what's to come.