Game Day (Early Start!): Suns (20-20) @ Pistons (21-20), Sat 1/18/25

[Cap]

I promise you agents wouldn't care about us trading Tyus. People used to say that during the Rubio-CP rumors - "it's a bad look to trade a guy who just signed with you, other FAs won't want to sign with us". Means absolutely nothing.

There's a huge difference when the players takes the veteran's minimum to sign with you. Rubio had signed a 3-year, $51 million deal.

Tyus might be OK with it at this point. This isn’t what he was expecting when he signed on. I agree we shouldn’t send him anywhere he doesn’t want to go.

[Ring_Wanted]

This team needs another quality center and for KD to pull his head out of his ass.

If there's a way we could get Goga, we should pursue it.

Allen for Goga and filler, but at this point I think that ship has sailed.

Goga has been gettable a multiple times in seasons past, but I think the Magic value him, especially with losing Mo Wagner for the season.

Agreed. On the other hand, having Richards, to round out the rotation my first priority would be to get someone who is more of a stretch big like WCJ. Also need an athletic forward.

[Superbone]

Man here's hoping for a better second half for Durant.

You got it!

[Superbone]

Lol, Richards is already our 2nd leading scorer.

Great Suns premier for Richards!

[Superbone]

Missed this one…but looks like Richards was kinda awesome? How’d he look?

Kinda awesome.

[ShelC]

Richards was pretty solid and everything we've needed in the middle. I wouldn't expect 20-10 regularly but his presence in the middle is a big lift for the team on both ends. He can deter drives and change shots, keep rebounds alive and he's a roll threat in PnR which means the hard doubles will soften as defenses will have to recover/rotate. I liked him attacking the basket for dunks but also liked that he seems to have a soft touch to finish around the rim when the dunk isn't there.

I think some of his weaknesses were evident - there were times he showed he wasn't a great screener and often goes for the blocked shot leaving his man open for the offensive board. Some of the screening issues were probably due to not knowing plays and needing to develop chemistry and better timing with ballhandlers but it doesn't look like he's as advanced as Oso there.

He's still miles ahead of Plumlee and Oso in terms of paint presence and will really benefit from the attention drawn by KD and Book.

[MightyMoog]

Ok, say Tyus is amenable to a trade. He only makes the minimum. So what other minimum salaried player looks appealing to you? We’re not allowed to aggregate. Unless we’re thinking someone is going to give us picks back that we can use to get Butler?

[carey]

Why do we want to trade Tyus?

[TOO]

Why do we want to trade Tyus?

Boredom.

[Mori Chu]

Why do we want to trade Tyus?

Personally I like Tyus and (if we aren't going to blow it up and rebuild) I wish the team would try actually running more of the offense through him rather than immediately trading him. But if they're going to keep using him the way they have been using him, which is to have him occasionally bring the ball up and just hand it off to KD or Book to run the actual offense, then he isn't very valuable. He is undersized on defense and not enough of a catch-and-shoot threat to be a positive value if he isn't going to actually run plays. He had 10 assists the other night which is a good start. As I say, I do like the guy and would rather see his role increased than see him traded.

[Split T]

I do think Richards is a much better 5 for Tyus than our current bigs

[Ring_Wanted]

I do think Richards is a much better 5 for Tyus than our current bigs

Absolutely. A lob threat should work very well with Tyus as an spacer and also as an exit for those time when he gets close to the basket but their defense is closing in on him, instead of having to try to finish or dish out a harder pass.

[Superbone]

We couldn't have hoped for a better debut! I won't expect him to do that every night but oh, was he needed. Breath of fresh air.

[Cap]

Criminey. It’s been over a half century now that they’ve been recording turnovers, and this is the only time it has been done in 52 years.

[The Bobster]

Criminey. It’s been over a half century now that they’ve been recording turnovers, and this is the only time it has been done in 52 years.

48 years, actually.

But really impressive nonetheless.

I'm trying to think of a former Suns center that he plays like and I can't really think of one off the top of my head.

[TOO]

Criminey. It’s been over a half century now that they’ve been recording turnovers, and this is the only time it has been done in 52 years.

48 years, actually.

But really impressive nonetheless.

I'm trying to think of a former Suns center that he plays like and I can't really think of one off the top of my head.

Richuan Holmes maybe?

[pickle]

Feels like Holmes is a bit smaller and not as much of a presence in the paint on either side, even though he more than made up for it with effort and I wished for a while that we had him instead of Plumlee or Nurkic.

I liked that Richards played within his limitations (as far as I can see) and didn't try to do anything special with the ball. I know that part of the scouting report is that he goes for blocks and doesn't box out as well, but I remember very distinctly impressed in the early second quarter when Tobias beat KD and got to the lane and shot a floater over his outstretched arms. The shot went in, but I was happy to see that someone at that size actually had to resort to a floater against the Suns.

As many have said before, this trade doesn't really raise the ceiling for the team as we still have many other issues, but it is a step in the right direction and it makes the on court product a little easier to watch.

I hope that he and Oso soak up all the center minutes moving forward.