Suns News: Week 10 12/30-1/5

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Detroit is looking to move Drummond. He is going to opt out this summer and they do not want to pay him.

I believe they will take an expiring salary and a pick (protected) since he is a short-timer.

Tyler and Frank plus a protected pick should do it.

Ayton, Baynes and Drummond would make three center deserving around 30 minutes each, if that package works for Detroit, I would prefer to see the FO involving a third team with a quality PF coming to Phoenix.

[Superbone]

So, our next opponent, the Grizzlies just demolished the Clippers by 26 in LA. So much for an easy schedule. We're getting every team during their best stretch of the year. Gonna be a dog fight. Let's face it, the West is just pretty deep this year.

[JeremyG]

Detroit is looking to move Drummond. He is going to opt out this summer and they do not want to pay him.

I believe they will take an expiring salary and a pick (protected) since he is a short-timer.

Tyler and Frank plus a protected pick should do it.

Ayton, Baynes and Drummond would make three center deserving around 30 minutes each, if that package works for Detroit, I would prefer to see the FO involving a third team with a quality PF coming to Phoenix.

Tyler Johnson plus Baynes and a pick(s) would probably be more realistic. Then we can start Drummond at C and keep Ayton at PF.

[INFORMER]

Last 4 games for Kelly Oubre Jr.:

26.0 ppg
60% FG
65% 3PT
7.8 rpg
2.8 apg
2.8 spg

[specialsauce]

Great offensive stretch

[specialsauce]

Detroit is looking to move Drummond. He is going to opt out this summer and they do not want to pay him.

I believe they will take an expiring salary and a pick (protected) since he is a short-timer.

Tyler and Frank plus a protected pick should do it.

Ayton, Baynes and Drummond would make three center deserving around 30 minutes each, if that package works for Detroit, I would prefer to see the FO involving a third team with a quality PF coming to Phoenix.

Tyler Johnson plus Baynes and a pick(s) would probably be more realistic. Then we can start Drummond at C and keep Ayton at PF.

And lose all spacing

[Aztec Sunsfan]

My toughts exactly, last game, the Baynes-Ayton pairing kind of worked because Aron have 3pt range, and yet, all the league learned with us, that only from the top of the key he shoots comfortably. Drummond with Ayton would be Utah ugly minus the huge defensive Plus that Gobert brings.

[Ring_Wanted]

Detroit is looking to move Drummond. He is going to opt out this summer and they do not want to pay him.

I believe they will take an expiring salary and a pick (protected) since he is a short-timer.

Tyler and Frank plus a protected pick should do it.

Ayton, Baynes and Drummond would make three center deserving around 30 minutes each, if that package works for Detroit, I would prefer to see the FO involving a third team with a quality PF coming to Phoenix.

Tyler Johnson plus Baynes and a pick(s) would probably be more realistic. Then we can start Drummond at C and keep Ayton at PF.

And lose all spacing

Yep. Baynes-Ayton can work because Baynes is playing like Brook Lopez. That's exactly the kind of player Ayton needs by his side. Drummond is exactly the opposite. I am not interested at all.

[Drewsprocket]

Suns need to go for Love or Galinari. They’re exactly what the team is missing. We swung and missed on Saric and Frank. With the final push, I hope JJ goes for it and sees what a first round pick could net us without giving up Bridges or CJ. I know K Love is a risk but so long as he is healthy near the end of each season (load mgt), his veteran presence is what we’d need to win in the playoffs.

[3rdside]

Suns need to go for Love or Galinari. They’re exactly what the team is missing. We swung and missed on Saric and Frank. With the final push, I hope JJ goes for it and sees what a first round pick could net us without giving up Bridges or CJ. I know K Love is a risk but so long as he is healthy near the end of each season (load mgt), his veteran presence is what we’d need to win in the playoffs.

I'm not a huge fan of the slow pairing of Ayton and Baynes so I'd love to pull the trigger on one of these guys, but both have injury records I can't get comfortable with, not least Love with his contract.

While Galinari is a FA next year, what's it going to cost to get him? What's his value if he stays healthy this year and we have to lock him up next year?

He has great stats so would command a lot, so his injuries are probably too much to get comfortable with in view of that.

[ShelC]

Gallinari ain't it either.

And really, if we make a run at Love, we might be making the same mistake coming off the 48 win team trying to accelerate things too soon. We'd be locked in with Love's contract for a while for what? Yea we've taken steps this season but this isn't a 1 season plan. We're frustrated with our recent stretch of games but let's not forget where we were last year at this time and that this was really supposed to be a "get things back on track" year, building for longer term success. Are we being spoiled/greedy right now? Are we one PF like KLove away from making the jump?

Trade for Love now for a playoff push and if we don't make the playoffs, is the season a failure? Then the expectation will be to make the playoffs next year. And if we don't, then we failed again and maybe Monty's on the hot seat. If we top out as a 6th or 7th seed next year, will it be worth it?

Just food for thought...a lot of things can pop up over the course of a season/summer.

[3rdside]

Not sure this conversation would be necessary if Saric hadn't fallen off a cliff - in the 13 games before his minutes started getting cut (which started happening 7 games ago), he was averaging 13.8 pts / 9.2 rbd / 2.5 ast.

Is he injured? Is he in the dog house? Who knows, but he seemed adequate..

[Mori Chu]

I like Love a lot but wouldn't want to give up too much for him, given his huge contract and injury history. I'd give up Tyler Johnson, a young player, and a pick; that seems fair. I don't think I would want Drummond because he doesn't pair well with Ayton, unless you think Ayton will become a 3-point shooter and space the floor, which seems like a waste of his talents to me.

[Shabazz]

I don’t think we’d have to give up any actual assets to get a Love deal done. Just expirings. I still go back and forth about whether that would even be worth it.

I don’t love Ayton-Baynes. Monty should give Ayton-Saric a fair opportunity. The other starting lineup adjustment would have been Rubio-Book-Mikal-Kelly-Ayton. That lineup has players really well together.

I was disappointed that we felt we had to match up to the freaking Knicks, instead of forcing them to adjust. Their only size advantage against an Ayton-Saric front court would have been at the 3. And Kelly has the speed advantage on Morris.

[specialsauce]

If Loves deal wasn’t so many years, I’d be all for him.

[Superbone]

I admit that Love-Ayton would be a nice upgrade from Baynes-Ayton.

[Mori Chu]

Even in a completely disinterested meaningless season, Love is averaging 16.4 ppg on 45/37/85 splits, 10.3 rpg, 2.9 apg.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/pl ... eke01.html

I think he's a very good player and could be a #3/#4 guy on a contender. The starting lineup of Rubio/Booker/Oubre/Love/Ayton is pretty compelling IMO. A bit porous on defense, but great offensively and strong on the boards.

[Drewsprocket]

Gallinari ain't it either.

And really, if we make a run at Love, we might be making the same mistake coming off the 48 win team trying to accelerate things too soon. We'd be locked in with Love's contract for a while for what? Yea we've taken steps this season but this isn't a 1 season plan. We're frustrated with our recent stretch of games but let's not forget where we were last year at this time and that this was really supposed to be a "get things back on track" year, building for longer term success. Are we being spoiled/greedy right now? Are we one PF like KLove away from making the jump?

Trade for Love now for a playoff push and if we don't make the playoffs, is the season a failure? Then the expectation will be to make the playoffs next year. And if we don't, then we failed again and maybe Monty's on the hot seat. If we top out as a 6th or 7th seed next year, will it be worth it?

Just food for thought...a lot of things can pop up over the course of a season/summer.

I look at it as scaffolding up. Having a playoff team builds better team chemistry and develops our players better. Barring a career ending injury, K Love makes for a much better team- even spending 15-20 games on the bench for projected injuries. He needs to play important games and in the playoffs. Granted I’m open to other options but this is what’s available this year for the taking to help us turn the corner.

[JeremyG]

I like Love a lot but wouldn't want to give up too much for him, given his huge contract and injury history. I'd give up Tyler Johnson, a young player, and a pick; that seems fair. I don't think I would want Drummond because he doesn't pair well with Ayton, unless you think Ayton will become a 3-point shooter and space the floor, which seems like a waste of his talents to me.

Ayton desperately wants them to let him start shooting threes and has been working on it for a long time. It's going to happen eventually no matter whether we like it or not. Ayton would love being the stretch 4 next to Drummond.

[Mori Chu]

Ayton desperately wants them to let him start shooting threes and has been working on it for a long time. It's going to happen eventually no matter whether we like it or not. Ayton would love being the stretch 4 next to Drummond.

I can't decide whether I like the idea of Ayton being a "stretch" 4/5. On one hand, he seems like more of a center, the guy you want inside or in the midrange and getting rebounds. But he doesn't post up or do much near the basket other than PnRs and dribble hand-offs. He isn't a traditional bully ball center that uses his girth to get to the basket. So I don't know what his proper role on offense should be.