Suns News: 2026 Offseason Edition

[pickle]

This is why I’m against going all in. A guy like Fleming whom we drafted at 31 can legitimately be an impact piece for the next iteration of a dominant suns team. I’m not willing to throw away that chance for a couple of extra home games in the second round of the playoffs, if that.

What would you consider throwing away our chance? Or going all in?

For the record, I would not trade Fleming and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone suggest that. I agree that would be dumb.

I’d move our end of the 1st round picks in 27 and 29 to get better, but I’m not moving Maluach or Fleming.

What I mean is I can see those late first rounders being strong contributors to the next (first) suns championship team, especially given our recent draft record. I’m not willing to send them out just so we can swap Green for a pg that nets us five more wins. Ultimately I don’t think this team at its core can compete for a chip when Booker is our best player so I’m not interested in improvements on the margins unless it’s cheap or with the future in mind. As in trading old for young.

[Mori Chu]

What would you consider throwing away our chance? Or going all in?

For the record, I would not trade Fleming and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone suggest that. I agree that would be dumb.

I’d move our end of the 1st round picks in 27 and 29 to get better, but I’m not moving Maluach or Fleming.

I really, really do not want to trade our 2027 or 2029 1sts to commit further to this current team. (Whether you call that going "all-in" is up to you.) The availability of guys like Fleming and Brea Peat at picks such as 30 and 31 shows me that any 1st rounder still has a lot of potential to find us a rotation player or even a player who can grow to be a cornerstone for us in the future. So let's not throw them away to make our current fringe playoff team marginally better.

[pickle]

I think you mean peat and not brea, but otherwise I’m 100% with you.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Any trade for a significant player would make the other team ask for our young players as part of the deal. Green plus picks alone won’t cut it.

Who knows, maybe that’s why the team parted with the 2033 instead of giving up Fleming on the Bridges’ deal or any similar deal that we won’t know because talks never gain traction as the Front office declared Maluach and Fleming core players.

Upgrading the team basically for free it’s a fantasy that only lives on fans’ minds.

[Wally_West]

I still think we mid season trade Green. Green, Williams and pick for Sabonis still makes a lot sense in my head.


Gilly-Book-Brooks-Sabonis-Maluach with Bridges, Oso, Fleming, Goodwin, Peat off the bench just works imo. Enough defense and toughness to insulate Sabonis’s horrid defense,tons of offensive versatility to let him thrive as well, while also letting us be incredibly huge.

[carey]

I'm not sure anything can 'insulate' Sabonis' horrid defense.

[Split T]

This is why I’m against going all in. A guy like Fleming whom we drafted at 31 can legitimately be an impact piece for the next iteration of a dominant suns team. I’m not willing to throw away that chance for a couple of extra home games in the second round of the playoffs, if that.

What would you consider throwing away our chance? Or going all in?

For the record, I would not trade Fleming and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone suggest that. I agree that would be dumb.

I’d move our end of the 1st round picks in 27 and 29 to get better, but I’m not moving Maluach or Fleming.

What I mean is I can see those late first rounders being strong contributors to the next (first) suns championship team, especially given our recent draft record. I’m not willing to send them out just so we can swap Green for a pg that nets us five more wins. Ultimately I don’t think this team at its core can compete for a chip when Booker is our best player so I’m not interested in improvements on the margins unless it’s cheap or with the future in mind. As in trading old for young.

That’s fair..I just think it’s more likely that PG we trade them for is part of our next championship level team.

I wouldn’t trade them for like Jrue Holiday or DeJounte Murray…but Darius Garland? Yes I would consider that for sure.

[Split T]

What would you consider throwing away our chance? Or going all in?

For the record, I would not trade Fleming and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone suggest that. I agree that would be dumb.

I’d move our end of the 1st round picks in 27 and 29 to get better, but I’m not moving Maluach or Fleming.

I really, really do not want to trade our 2027 or 2029 1sts to commit further to this current team. (Whether you call that going "all-in" is up to you.) The availability of guys like Fleming and Brea Peat at picks such as 30 and 31 shows me that any 1st rounder still has a lot of potential to find us a rotation player or even a player who can grow to be a cornerstone for us in the future. So let's not throw them away to make our current fringe playoff team marginally better.

I get it, but I think you guys are falling victim to the unknown here. I like Fleming and Peat as well, but they haven’t proven anything yet. At best, these guys look like solid rotation guys…they aren’t stars. This team needs stars.

[Superbone]

That’s what they said about Cooper Flagg too.

Wow! That's crazy! However, it doesn't pass the eye test in summer league.

[Superbone]

That’s what they said about Cooper Flagg too.

I grew 3 inches watching Maluach last week.



(I don’t know if that Brian Gregory thing is real, btw)

Oh, just realized the poster. He had some other outrageous "breaking news" this summer.

[Superbone]

[Mori Chu]

I get it, but I think you guys are falling victim to the unknown here. I like Fleming and Peat as well, but they haven’t proven anything yet. At best, these guys look like solid rotation guys…they aren’t stars. This team needs stars.

When we have dished out future 1sts in recent trades, have they gotten us "stars"?

When we got KD, yes. (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029 1sts; 2028 1st swap)
Beal? Not really. (2024 1st, 2028 1st swap, 2030 1st swap)
Mark Williams? A star? (2025 and 2029 1sts we got from CLE I think)
We gave our 2031 1st for three heavily swapped/protected 1sts from Utah.
Miles Br****s? Is he a star? (2033 1st)

That's a lot of 1sts going out and I don't see a lot of "stars" coming back. I wish we just had those picks back and could keep and use them.

[pickle]

What would you consider throwing away our chance? Or going all in?

For the record, I would not trade Fleming and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone suggest that. I agree that would be dumb.

I’d move our end of the 1st round picks in 27 and 29 to get better, but I’m not moving Maluach or Fleming.

I really, really do not want to trade our 2027 or 2029 1sts to commit further to this current team. (Whether you call that going "all-in" is up to you.) The availability of guys like Fleming and Brea Peat at picks such as 30 and 31 shows me that any 1st rounder still has a lot of potential to find us a rotation player or even a player who can grow to be a cornerstone for us in the future. So let's not throw them away to make our current fringe playoff team marginally better.

I get it, but I think you guys are falling victim to the unknown here. I like Fleming and Peat as well, but they haven’t proven anything yet. At best, these guys look like solid rotation guys…they aren’t stars. This team needs stars.

I’m ok sending out a few rotational pieces for a star, but first of all it has to be the right star and secondly we’d better have an embarrassment of riches in terms of rotational players on the team. Think Perry Lang Hornacek for Chuck. Don’t want to send all the useful role players out and gut the team completely. Think Mikal Cam Crowder for KD (not to mention all those picks on top).

But if we don’t have these late firsts at our disposal I don’t think we have the type of depth needed for that upgrade.

I do think Garland is a nice young player and an upgrade over Green. But I’d be surprised if he’s leading the Suns past the second round. The idea is solid, giving up more picks to get him is not so great in my mind.

[pickle]

Any trade for a significant player would make the other team ask for our young players as part of the deal. Green plus picks alone won’t cut it.

Who knows, maybe that’s why the team parted with the 2033 instead of giving up Fleming on the Bridges’ deal or any similar deal that we won’t know because talks never gain traction as the Front office declared Maluach and Fleming core players.

Upgrading the team basically for free it’s a fantasy that only lives on fans’ minds.

Ordinarily I would 100% agree with this statement, especially for the Suns. But the optimist in me takes a look at how Dallas got Risacher for free and wonder when we can be on the winning end of these deals in the future. Sigh.

[Split T]

I get it, but I think you guys are falling victim to the unknown here. I like Fleming and Peat as well, but they haven’t proven anything yet. At best, these guys look like solid rotation guys…they aren’t stars. This team needs stars.

When we have dished out future 1sts in recent trades, have they gotten us "stars"?

When we got KD, yes. (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029 1sts; 2028 1st swap)
Beal? Not really. (2024 1st, 2028 1st swap, 2030 1st swap)
Mark Williams? A star? (2025 and 2029 1sts we got from CLE I think)
We gave our 2031 1st for three heavily swapped/protected 1sts from Utah.
Miles Br****s? Is he a star? (2033 1st)

That's a lot of 1sts going out and I don't see a lot of "stars" coming back. I wish we just had those picks back and could keep and use them.

I’m not defending bad trades of our 1sts…if your argument is we make bad trades, well I can’t argue too much with that. I thought both the Williams and Bridges trades were bad and I wish we could take them back.

I guess my wanting to trade 27 and 29 is assuming we get something I want haha.

I would also ask when was the last time we drafted a star with a late 1st? That doesn’t happen much at all. Have we ever done it?

Also, I’ll add Mikal Bridges and Chris Paul to your list of players we acquired trading 1st round picks.

[Split T]

I think Rissacher probably isn’t good…but not a bad gamble to take

[pickle]

I agree that he’s not good. But a 6’8 wing who plays solid defense and can hit 38% of his threes, that’s basically prime DFS and that’s worth more than a second rounder and Ryan Nembhard. And that’s assuming he makes no improvements whatsoever.

[Split T]

The money is tricky…he’s 13 million this year and 17 million the next…so that’s probably why Atlanta bailed. Dort is better

[Split T]

But ya, Dallas was able to jump in because OKC wanted to save money

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Any trade for a significant player would make the other team ask for our young players as part of the deal. Green plus picks alone won’t cut it.

Who knows, maybe that’s why the team parted with the 2033 instead of giving up Fleming on the Bridges’ deal or any similar deal that we won’t know because talks never gain traction as the Front office declared Maluach and Fleming core players.

Upgrading the team basically for free it’s a fantasy that only lives on fans’ minds.

Ordinarily I would 100% agree with this statement, especially for the Suns. But the optimist in me takes a look at how Dallas got Risacher for free and wonder when we can be on the winning end of these deals in the future. Sigh.

I made a broad generalization, thinking along the lines of significant upgrades, on that salary, Risacher is more of a reclamation project. But OKC and Minnesota got huge returns on their mid season trades and that make me share that “some day Phoenix will too” feeling you say.