Phx-Suns.Net

Aztec Sunsfan wrote:

INFORMER wrote: Fail.

Agreed. At the very least they still had until early summer to cash in the pick for a better return.

But if MCD was really thinking like this, why not atach it to Bledsoe to get Love, or with Tucker/Thomas to get Greg Monroe, or some like this. I mean, if you think your premier asset is close to it's expiration date, then go all in and swing for the fences.

I had dreams about Bledsoe going to Cleveland to join Lebron's quest with Love coming to the desert. I felt that he deal would required a pick, but the LA pick seemed to much to give up, even for Love. It turns out our think tank was feeling that it was barely whorty as a sweeter.

Mind blowing.

INFORMER wrote:The more Ryan talks the more I think he doesn't know how to build a team, manage a roster, prioritize and evaluate needs and resources, and understand the league landscape. He's got an eye for talent and understands the game. But he just seems like a guy who has been tucked away in a closet, watching film to scout individual players. And he seems to share Blabby's lack of perspective, which is absolutely debilitating.

OE32 wrote:I think many posters here are overvaluing that LA draft pick, certainly in relation to Brandon Knight, about whom I'm optimistic. He'll certainly have more value than Goran at near-$20 mil per. And for those who are so in love with the LA pick, why not similar love for the Heat picks? In my view, we essentially traded Dragic and Plumlee for Knight. We rolled last year's Wizards' pick forward into a future Heat pick and the LA pick into a future Heat pick.

Mori Chu wrote:

OE32 wrote:I think many posters here are overvaluing that LA draft pick, certainly in relation to Brandon Knight, about whom I'm optimistic. He'll certainly have more value than Goran at near-$20 mil per. And for those who are so in love with the LA pick, why not similar love for the Heat picks? In my view, we essentially traded Dragic and Plumlee for Knight. We rolled last year's Wizards' pick forward into a future Heat pick and the LA pick into a future Heat pick.

I agree that the Heat picks are nice assets. That second one especially, the one that conveys in like 2021 or whatever, that could end up being a really great pick.

But the point is: WE COULD HAVE HAD BOTH. The LA pick was given away in a separate transaction from the Dragic deal. We could have sent out Dragic, pocketed those two nice Miami picks, and also kept the LA 1st rounder. The transactions were not connected in any way.

Yes, that would have left us with a gaping hole in our guard rotation, but if we're doing all this, we are sort of tanking the rest of the season anyway, aren't we? Might as well run Goodwin or Green at SG and rack up some losses, while keeping a ton of great picks.

It's going to be a long time before we get those Miami 1st rounders. We could have had that amazing Laker pick in about a year and 3 months, and it could be an absolutely killer pick, maybe 4-5 in the draft. We are going to really regret trading that pick.

ShelC wrote:Unless the Lakers completely miss in free agency, that pick is going to be in the teens. It won't be a 4-5 pick in 2016. Again, they could land Rondo and Love this offseason. Reggie Jackson and Monroe. It was a calculated risk. They're not the Bobcats or Timberwolves. It's LA and they have capspace. I wouldn't even be surprised if Dragic ends up there.

Ring_Wanted wrote:McD sold high on the Lakers pick, or at least that's his message. Two problems, though.

First, to me it looks too soon to sell. The Suns are probably not getting the pick this year, but that's ok.

Building a playoff team in the west is no easy task, as we certainly know, and the Lakers are not exactly one piece away. It's not hard to see them improved in 15-16, but the pick is yours if there are just three teams worse than them, which seems a safe bet.

McD is gambling on the Lakers doing enough to remove the luster of a pick that we were getting, one way or another, and honestly it is a risk I am not comfortable taking, for Brandon Knight at least.

But above all my issue is the specific player they targeted, and his surroundings. Again, Knight is good, but unless he makes another leap, he is a number of tiers below real NBA relevance so giving up our supposed best asset (plus Ennis-Plumlee) for him is underwhelming, strictly from a quality standpoint.

I would have been much more on board with the move if instead of another guard it would have been similar talent at a different position.

Then you get to his contract situation. Impending RFA, whose current team clearly didn't want to pay, at least what he demands. This had 'won't match/sign and trade at best' written all over him. If McD loved him so much, after clearing salary with the deadline moves, he could have gone after him in the summer.



The upside here is that acquiring him at the deadline is useful (beyond the playoffs push) because with a little juggling (say dumping PJ, no Green-Wright back) his cap hold will grant the team max space to make a second big FA move.

This seems the strategy the FO will follow, which sounds nice but let's also remember it would be the second crack they take at it after last summer, so we will see what happens.

In the meanwhile I can't avoid thinking that the franchise has been stripped from its best player and its best asset. A hefty price for a summer of miscalculation, such is the unforgiving nature of the NBA, isn't it?

Sunsfan4life wrote:I think you have to hold onto the LA Pick. Theres nothing wrong with what they got for Dragic. Infact, Given the circumstances it was actually a very nice job of aquiring assets for the future without getting something bad back by Ryan.

But I would of held the LA pick and cashed it in next yr. It will still hold the same value IMO, and if nothing came along then I would keep it obviously.

I wonder if Behind closed doors Mcdonaugh knows Dragics is going to LA. Maybe they told him "We're not re-signing because he wants to play with the Lakers" a Dragic/Kobe/Love or something like that would get the Lakers back in the playoffs next yr.

ShelC wrote:Unless the Lakers completely miss in free agency, that pick is going to be in the teens. It won't be a 4-5 pick in 2016. Again, they could land Rondo and Love this offseason. Reggie Jackson and Monroe. It was a calculated risk. They're not the Bobcats or Timberwolves. It's LA and they have capspace. I wouldn't even be surprised if Dragic ends up there.

Mori Chu wrote:

OE32 wrote:I think many posters here are overvaluing that LA draft pick, certainly in relation to Brandon Knight, about whom I'm optimistic. He'll certainly have more value than Goran at near-$20 mil per. And for those who are so in love with the LA pick, why not similar love for the Heat picks? In my view, we essentially traded Dragic and Plumlee for Knight. We rolled last year's Wizards' pick forward into a future Heat pick and the LA pick into a future Heat pick.

I agree that the Heat picks are nice assets. That second one especially, the one that conveys in like 2021 or whatever, that could end up being a really great pick.

But the point is: WE COULD HAVE HAD BOTH. The LA pick was given away in a separate transaction from the Dragic deal. We could have sent out Dragic, pocketed those two nice Miami picks, and also kept the LA 1st rounder. The transactions were not connected in any way.

Yes, that would have left us with a gaping hole in our guard rotation, but if we're doing all this, we are sort of tanking the rest of the season anyway, aren't we? Might as well run Goodwin or Green at SG and rack up some losses, while keeping a ton of great picks.

It's going to be a long time before we get those Miami 1st rounders. We could have had that amazing Laker pick in about a year and 3 months, and it could be an absolutely killer pick, maybe 4-5 in the draft. We are going to really regret trading that pick.

OE32 wrote:I think many posters here are overvaluing that LA draft pick, certainly in relation to Brandon Knight, about whom I'm optimistic. He'll certainly have more value than Goran at near-$20 mil per. And for those who are so in love with the LA pick, why not similar love for the Heat picks? In my view, we essentially traded Dragic and Plumlee for Knight. We rolled last year's Wizards' pick forward into a future Heat pick and the LA pick into a future Heat pick.

Shabazz wrote:

ShelC wrote:Unless the Lakers completely miss in free agency, that pick is going to be in the teens. It won't be a 4-5 pick in 2016. Again, they could land Rondo and Love this offseason. Reggie Jackson and Monroe. It was a calculated risk. They're not the Bobcats or Timberwolves. It's LA and they have capspace. I wouldn't even be surprised if Dragic ends up there.

I could see the Lakers signing Monroe. Maybe Rondo too. Rondo/broken down Kobe/recovering Randle/Monroe/jetsam/flotsam. Guess what? That's still a bottom 3 team in the West. Rondo sucks these days and I'm not sure he's going to get "it" back.

They're waaay behind the rest of the Western pack. Their roster is trash and devoid of young talent.