Suns News: Week 6 (11/25 - 12/1)

[TOO]

Portis is also a hilariously bad defender, he doesn't even try.

[Split T]

And not shooting well this year yet…I’m still waiting to see what this team looks like after an extended healthy run closer to the trade deadline.

If we aren’t healthy, we aren’t winning anything anyways and I wouldn’t trade away assets. I will say that getting a different big that gives us a different look seems to be the most likely need. The 40% from 3 version of Portis would qualify. I wish we could get Tari Eason, but that seems highly unlikely.

[LazarusLong]

Larry Nance Jr. is sitting and not playing in Atlanta.
He'd be an interesting small ball 5 alternative in Phoenix.

[Superbone]

Portis is also a hilariously bad defender, he doesn't even try.

He'd fit in perfectly.

[Ring_Wanted]

Not many 40% 3pt shooters and good defenders big men available for what we can offer.

[The Bobster]

Not many 40% 3pt shooters and good defenders big men available for what we can offer.

Especially with Cap restrictions the Suns are operating under.

[Charlie Smithy!]

Larry Nance Jr. is sitting and not playing in Atlanta.
He'd be an interesting small ball 5 alternative in Phoenix.

Hell, what's senior up to these days!?

[TOO]

Not many 40% 3pt shooters and good defenders big men available for what we can offer.

Which is why I don't see anything that might be available that makes this team better.

[Ring_Wanted]

Not many 40% 3pt shooters and good defenders big men available for what we can offer.

Which is why I don't see anything that might be available that makes this team better.

There are ways that we can improve, but I agree that it is complex because in order to make it worth it for us, any C/PF target needs to provide at least two out of shooting, defense, rebounding and athleticism/stength. An athletic C/PF who 'just' defends and rebounds makes us much better since we don't need to rely on Nurkic.

Guys like Goga or Kessler. If everything fails, Valanciunas will be for sure on the block. Granted these don't shoot, but they provide things we really lack as is.

Now, if you are looking for shooting in a trade for a big man (while not being a liability elsewhere like, say, Olynyk), our market options are much more limited. Nance Jr., as pointed out, could be a good compromise and might be gettable on the cheap. Indiana is kind of an enigma at the moment, so I'd ask about Toppin too. Beef Stew. Maybe Zach Collins if you squint your eyes hard enough.

For sure the second apron is tough, but I believe we can make a trade that makes sense for one of these targets with our available assets (one of Allen, Royce, Nurkic, Okogie, plus a couple second rounders and our 31 1stR).

[Split T]

Best option might just be adding another wing with size and going small…hard to know what will really be available. A guy like Dorian Finney-Smith has been mentioned a lot and is playing well this year so far…

Also Okogie is still shooting over 50% from 3…did he fix his shot? Or will it disappear when we need it again?

[Ring_Wanted]

Best option might just be adding another wing with size and going small…hard to know what will really be available. A guy like Dorian Finney-Smith has been mentioned a lot and is playing well this year so far…

Also Okogie is still shooting over 50% from 3…did he fix his shot? Or will it disappear when we need it again?

I don't know, for small ball we'd be relying a lot on KD's body holding up. I'd rather have that as an x factor instead of being my primary strategy. Besides, real 3D athletic wings are probably even more in demand than most of the big men that are realistic for us. In the specific case of DFS, I like him a lot but not sure he provides anything that we don't have already, or in a way that would make us better overall.

[Split T]

Best option might just be adding another wing with size and going small…hard to know what will really be available. A guy like Dorian Finney-Smith has been mentioned a lot and is playing well this year so far…

Also Okogie is still shooting over 50% from 3…did he fix his shot? Or will it disappear when we need it again?

I don't know, for small ball we'd be relying a lot on KD's body holding up. I'd rather have that as an x factor instead of being my primary strategy. Besides, real 3D athletic wings are probably even more in demand than most of the big men that are realistic for us. In the specific case of DFS, I like him a lot but not sure he provides anything that we don't have already, or in a way that would make us better overall.

Ya I don’t love the option either, but it wouldn’t be my primary option. I’d still start one of Nurk or Plumlee…just don’t want to rely on it for more than 20 minutes or so. Can we get 24 minutes of small ball? Probably stretching it a bit and I’m not sure DFS is the guy that makes it work either.

[Mori Chu]

Nurk's having a dreadful season, but I don't think we can / should just bench him and go small. It'll wear out our guys and it'll waste Nurk as a player and an asset. I think the less bad solution is to still play him but cut his minutes and maybe think more about who we play him with and how we use him. Less Nurk, more Plumlee, and some stretches of going small.

[Split T]

Nurk's having a dreadful season, but I don't think we can / should just bench him and go small. It'll wear out our guys and it'll waste Nurk as a player and an asset. I think the less bad solution is to still play him but cut his minutes and maybe think more about who we play him with and how we use him. Less Nurk, more Plumlee, and some stretches of going small.

Ya and to be clear I’m not suggesting completely benching him…just that we might not find a suitable replacement and the best option might just be to shore up our small ball lineup so we have an alternative when we need it. I’d still start one of the 5s and still probably play both of them.

[specialsauce]

Suns get:
Jerami Grant
Jakob Poettl

Heat get:
Beal

Blazers get:
Rozier
Jaime

Raptors get:
Duncan Robinson
First round pick from Miami

Then I'd flip Grant and our '31 first for Marcus Smart and Santi Aldama

Jones/Smart/Morris
Booker/Smart/Allen
Royce/Dunn/Allen
KD/Santi
Poettl/Oso/Plum


This is my way to retool and get off Beal's contract and his bitchassness.

I'd try to flip Nurk somewhere else, I just don't want his stupidity on the court.

[Ring_Wanted]

Suns get:
Jerami Grant
Jakob Poettl

Heat get:
Beal

Blazers get:
Rozier
Jaime

Raptors get:
Duncan Robinson
First round pick from Miami

Then I'd flip Grant and our '31 first for Marcus Smart and Santi Aldama

Jones/Smart/Morris
Booker/Smart/Allen
Royce/Dunn/Allen
KD/Santi
Poettl/Oso/Plum


This is my way to retool and get off Beal's contract and his bitchassness.

I'd try to flip Nurk somewhere else, I just don't want his stupidity on the court.

We make out like bandits hahah.

I'd be all for that but can't imagine MIA taking current Beal and his contract when they are balking at paying Butler. I agree that the idea of Beal to MIA makes sense as it's one of the very few destinations he'd presumably consent, they have a need for his ability and are supposedly in win-now mode.

Prior to Knetch's emergence (loved him at the draft) I also fantasized with sending Beal to LAL for him plus and whatever contracts LAL wanted to move. Hachimura, DLo, Vincent, for instance.

Warriors for Wiggins plus filler (Melton, Payton and another small contract) works as well, but probably GSW does not feel the need now with Hield delivering so well, although in my opinion Beal's ability to drive, spot up shooting and secondary ball handling would be terrific there. They even have a long low minutes rotation that should be great for Beal's body. Melton's is lost for the season with ACL and Podz is shooting like crap so maybe there is a chance. On the other hand, Wiggs is back to very respectable so...

Anyway, agreed on Nurk. I am at the point that basically want him gone regardless. Even if I think about him off the bench, I'd rather have Plumlee and Oso taking those minutes even if it created a different type of issue with the rotation.

[specialsauce]

I just don't think we'd trade him in our division (I mean we're not trading him period anyway but still).

It would give Miami a core of

Beal/Herro/Butler/Bam

Pretty good eh!!

[The Bobster]

Larry Nance Jr. is sitting and not playing in Atlanta.
He'd be an interesting small ball 5 alternative in Phoenix.

Hell, what's senior up to these days!?

His dad would have been the perfect modern day center.

[Superbone]

Hey, I realize I'm scheduled for the news threads. I'll have them up a little later tonight.

[SunsRIt]

Hey, I realize I'm scheduled for the news threads. I'll have them up a little later tonight.

I don’t think anybody is too worried about it. This is the quietest I have seen it around here in years.