2018 Suns Offseason News

[bajanguy008]

Has McD tipped his hat at all about what his plan is at PG? It's been awful quiet. Is Walker the target?

you and me both are wondering but there's this from the Hornets https://twitter.com/At_The_Hive/status/1010181766613749760

[Superbone]

Good to know. Thanks.

[Split T]

Wonder if there's a trade with LA. They've got a surplus of guards and I think Harris would be a nice fit as a stretch 4. Not sure we have anything to interest them though. They'd have to be high on Warren. Does Warren+Chriss+Mil Pick get you Beverley and Harris? Probably not, but it's worth a conversation.

[Shabazz]

On the PG front, we obviously have some moves to make there as we have up to 6 backup level PGs (Ulis, Knight, Payton, Harrison, Okobo, Canaan) now and Booker is probably a better PG than all of them. I'm assuming Canaan won't be back with us. There's just no room. That leaves 5.

We're stuck with Knight and Just drafted Okobo, meaning Payton, Shaq and Ulis are on the bubble. Honestly, I like Shaq the best of the bunch.

I don't think a guy like Collison is much better than the group we have and adding him would just increase the log-jam.

Payton's flaws were pretty badly exposed towards the end of the season, but can Igor do anything to maximize him? If so he's got some of the traits that could make him very valuable.

I kind of like Exum as an upside target. He could be had for cheap, has a history with Igor and had strong per-36 minute numbers on his return last year. He's not a strong 3-point shooter, but I think his form and free throw shooting suggest he could improve there. He also fits the timeline. However, if he doesn't become a reliable 3-point shooter, he can be lumped in with the rest of the mediocre backups we've already got.

I also like Beverly, Brogdon and Tyus Jones as trade targets.

Again, I might be overrating him, but I wonder if Shaq is the best fit to start with Booker, Jackson, Bridges/Bender and Ayton.

It's crazy how much PG talent there is in the league and how little of it we have.

[O_Gardino]

I heard Bledsoe is on the trading block.

[carey]

I keep seeing Beverley's name everywhere. Is it just because people aren't familiar with his injury or are they really that keen on getting a guy coming off of microfracture and meniscus repair at the same time?

[bajanguy008]

yea I'm gonna be buying the Igor offensive mind hype and trust that there will be some kind of growth in that department.
as we continue to discuss possible PGs though, the thing I have been thinking about is when you think of the Jazz most will say they had a true PG in Rubio. you have to remember that Rubio played totally different last year imo and was looking to score much more and only avg like 5 asts per game, the guy who often gets overlooked when people talk about the Jazz is Ingles.
most of us expect Igor to have an offense with lots of player n ball movement and I see Devin easily being used similarly to D. Mitchell with the pick n roll stuff (he avged like 4 dimes per in the second half of the season) which Book should have no problem getting. as for Ingles , in the last 20 games when Jazz went on that crazy run he was the one leading the team in assists per game with 7. this is where my boy Josh comes in for me, he has the ability to distribute and I hope he is picking his spots better this season and able to help facilitate on offense because Igor system I don't see it being one PG dominating the ball needing to get 8 - 9asts a game to get the team going.
so for me if we can get Book and Josh avging 4 dimes a game, that is just as important as who we have at PG. just my lil two cents

[Shabazz]

I keep seeing Beverley's name everywhere. Is it just because people aren't familiar with his injury or are they really that keen on getting a guy coming off of microfracture and meniscus repair at the same time?

He's supposedly been cleared to play. Obviously the idea is contingent on him being healthy. He's only got one year left on his deal so it's low risk.

Also, he's got a game that's not dependent on athleticism like Amare's was. He's always been pretty ground-bound.

[Split T]

I keep seeing Beverley's name everywhere. Is it just because people aren't familiar with his injury or are they really that keen on getting a guy coming off of microfracture and meniscus repair at the same time?

I don't think anyone is counting on Beverley as the PG of the future. Players have microfracture surgeries and meniscus repairs all the time. His knees may not last as long as someone who's got a clean bill of health, but he doesn't have Brandon Roy knees and we just need a year or two out of him.

[Shabazz]

I also kind of really like the idea of Tyreke Evans if the price is right. He was 40% from last year on meaningful volume.

Evans-Booker-Jackson-Bridges/Bender-Ayton.

[carey]

https://twitter.com/theIVpointplay/status/1010325068935618560 David did a nice job covering the Suns current cap situation if anyone is curious. Looks like we can pretty easily get to $17M and slightly further with some work.

[TOO]

But who do we spend it on..?

[JCSunsfan]

Here's an idea... and don't shoot me because it's just an idea.

What would you ask from Houston to take on Ryan Anderson's deal? It's 2 more seasons at $20M a year. What if we mitigated some of the cost by sending out Dudley or Chandler? A future 1st? Two? They want the space to try and sign LeBron and clearly have moved on from him as a player. HIs injury history is not great but he's a career 40% from 3 guy on heavy volume. I am totally comfortable not signing anyone and playing Bender 30 minutes a night but I'm probably the only one.

I think I'd rather just play Bender and Bridges and others those same minutes, rather than taking on salary to acquire a flawed vet. Also Anderson would be more effective if we had better passing and a PG who sets up our shooters, but we don't have that, so I think his impact will be diminished for us.

I agree. I am still deciding whether we should try to get a vet pg or just let BK fill that roll and move Okobo more quickly.

[Ring_Wanted]

Those are the figures we've been assuming for some time. Will be very interesting to see what happens in free agency. Again, if you renounce to the cap holds and stretch people, you have max room, which means you can trade a superstar into your cap space and send the other team kids/Warren/picks.

All I know is if we are serious about winning, starting the season with Knight at meaningful minutes is a mistake.

Exum is on my radar too, 'Bazz. Demon on defense, slasher and shot not unworkable.

[ShelC]

Exum can't shoot and is always injured. I also wouldn't get into an overpay situation with RFAs unless I was sure the guy wasn't in that team's plans. Maybe Exum isn't a priority for the Jazz because of Rubio, Mitchell and Allen now but I think he still has a future there. Also why I'm not as interested in Smart, but also because he's not a true PG.

I'd be willing to go with a veteran band-aid/stop gap who can still play and be a leader like Chandler/Dudley are/were. I thought a guy like Jarrett Jack did wonders for the Knicks last year and could be a good fit. He won't command a big salary or a starting role and could teach the nuances to a young kid like Okobo. There's also a darkhorse in Tony Parker if we throw a ton of cash at him to mentor Okobo. Wouldn't be surprised if McD tries to be slick and steal him away from the Spurs.

[O_Gardino]

yea I'm gonna be buying the Igor offensive mind hype and trust that there will be some kind of growth in that department.
as we continue to discuss possible PGs though, the thing I have been thinking about is when you think of the Jazz most will say they had a true PG in Rubio. you have to remember that Rubio played totally different last year imo and was looking to score much more and only avg like 5 asts per game, the guy who often gets overlooked when people talk about the Jazz is Ingles.
most of us expect Igor to have an offense with lots of player n ball movement and I see Devin easily being used similarly to D. Mitchell with the pick n roll stuff (he avged like 4 dimes per in the second half of the season) which Book should have no problem getting. as for Ingles , in the last 20 games when Jazz went on that crazy run he was the one leading the team in assists per game with 7. this is where my boy Josh comes in for me, he has the ability to distribute and I hope he is picking his spots better this season and able to help facilitate on offense because Igor system I don't see it being one PG dominating the ball needing to get 8 - 9asts a game to get the team going.
so for me if we can get Book and Josh avging 4 dimes a game, that is just as important as who we have at PG. just my lil two cents

Great take.

[O_Gardino]

Sergio Rodriguez?

[ShelC]

Petteri Koponen?

[carey]

Boiiiiing.

[streamable][/streamable]

[Cap]

https://twitter.com/theIVpointplay/status/1010325068935618560 David did a nice job covering the Suns current cap situation if anyone is curious. Looks like we can pretty easily get to $17M and slightly further with some work.

Sounds like McD is saying Williams is gone.

BTW, I think Ulis has one of those first-rounder style contracts, where we optioned his third season before the start of his second, and will have to decide on his fourth before the start of his third. So his 2018-19 money is guaranteed at this point. But we can clear the kind of cap room McD is talking about by dumping Payton, Len, Williams, Reed and Shaq.