Goran Dragic Trade Watch

[Hypersloth]

Hey, if your bummed about loosing the lakers pick and are almost going mad like me, just imagine it happend this way:

It's the 2015 NBA draft. Adam silver approaches the podium:

Silver: with the 6th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns select Brandon Knigth from the university of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Fans comment: hey, why didn't we get this or that PF, hey i guess we drafted the best player available...

I'm going mad already I guess...

Interesting way to look at it. If only we could resign him for next year's rookie rate...

[INFORMER]

We'll see how Knight gets integrated in his new team.

I think this entire deadline has been a disaster for the Suns, just a continuation of a ridiculous offseason.

BUT, I do like Knight, and I am looking forward to seeing him play as a Sun. Again, if I had my way, he'd have been a Sun from the start of training camp.

Also, don't be surprised if Thornton proves to be an effective reserve.

[Hypersloth]

Welcome Hypersloth.

Thanks Informer. I posted here years ago as wizinator (sp?) but the system could not find that user name so I re-registered.

No better place for talkin bout the Suns.

[Shabazz]

I wouldn't be surprised to see us bring in Earl Barron.

Are there any more Hassan Whitesides sitting out there?

Our number of bigs hasn't changed.

Pretty sure we lost Miles Plumlee.

And I don't think we got Hamilton.

[Ring_Wanted]

We'll see how Knight gets integrated in his new team.

I think this entire deadline has been a disaster for the Suns, just a continuation of a ridiculous offseason.

BUT, I do like Knight, and I am looking forward to seeing him play as a Sun. Again, if I had my way, he'd have been a Sun from the start of training camp.

Also, don't be surprised if Thornton proves to be an effective reserve.

I like him too, but I am confident it won't take long before we see how Knight is prone to mistakes similar to Bledsoe's. His PG abilities are suspect, consistency, TOs, not good passer/vision. Much better shooter, though, and he is worlds better as defender than Dragic or Thomas.

Still, like we've seen too many times recently, it is not the individual merits of the player what is questionable, but the fit and the contract situation surely are.

At this moment I can say that I'd rather have the pick than the player.


As for Thornton, he has been a scorer in the league, but we also have this guy Gerald Green. And TJ Warren. And another shooter in Bullock. I wouldn't bat an eye if he was cut. Same with Granger, but at least he is a well respected veteran.

[Shabazz]

I would consider bringing in JaVale McGee if he's bought out.

[INFORMER]

At this moment I can say that I'd rather have the pick than the player.

Agreed.

[Ring_Wanted]

I would consider bringing in JaVale McGee if he's bought out.

I've had enough lack of BBall IQ for this season (or decade).

[Charlie Smithy!]

Welcome Hypersloth.

Thanks Informer. I posted here years ago as wizinator (sp?) but the system could not find that user name so I re-registered.

No better place for talkin bout the Suns.

Ooh, were you the guy with the Goblet of Fire avatar and the signature predicting we'd win the Nba finals after the shaq trade?

[Mori Chu]

Welcome, Sloth!

At this moment I can say that I'd rather have the pick than the player.

Yup.

[Cap]

Welcome, Sloth!

At this moment I can say that I'd rather have the pick than the player.

Yup.

I've already decided to pin my hopes for the franchise's future on that 2021 pick and to be very angry with management when it turns out to be nothing.

[djy2j]

I wouldn't be surprised to see us bring in Earl Barron.

Are there any more Hassan Whitesides sitting out there?

Earl left the Jam and signed in China.

Thank God!

[Shabazz]

ESPN Trade Grade for the big one:

Phoenix Suns: B-plus


We'll just focus on this aspect of the Suns' dealing, though general manager Ryan McDonough has been a busy guy. A parallel transaction to this deal saw the Suns deal Isaiah Thomas to Boston for Marcus Thornton and a draft pick, but we'll focus on the Plumlee-for-Knight aspect. It's not really fair, as Knight is easily the more valuable player, and all the Suns' moves need to be examined in context of each other. The Suns did give up the protected first-rounder acquired back in 2012 from the Lakers in the Steve Nash sign-and-trade, but they somewhat offset that in the Boston deal by getting a future Cleveland pick.

Plumlee wasn't having a great season for the Suns, and Alex Len has emerged as the long-term answer in the middle. Because the Suns were facing the fourth year of Plumlee's rookie deal next season and he was already becoming somewhat superfluous, he's been the topic of trade rumors all season. Of course, at no point did anyone foresee him bringing back a player like Knight.

The Suns essentially traded three point guards Thursday in Thomas, Ennis and Goran Dragic. Now the brand new backcourt mix if Eric Bledsoe -- now the unchallenged kingpin of the Suns -- along with Knight, Thornton and Gerald Green. It's a more traditional mix, or at least it will be until Knight and Bledsoe start to share the backcourt for heavy minutes. It can work. Bledsoe is a good enough defender to complement the average-defending Knights most of the time. And Knight is much better suited to spend time off the ball than was Dragic, as a plus-40 percent 3-point shooter who is a good on catch-and-shoot looks as he is off the bounce. On the court, this should be a good pairing. However, given the number of players going to and leaving Phoenix, it'll take some time for Jeff Hornacek to sort out a new rotation.

The Suns also took on the contract of Marshall, whom they drafted in the first round in 2012, but he's expected to be waived.

We'll have to see how the Suns valuate Knight as he hits restricted free agency. One way to look at it is that Dragic and Thomas would have earned a combined $14.4 million had they remained with the Suns, and Dragic didn't opt out. Knight should command eight figures, but it should be somewhat south of that. The Suns have another year to sort out Len's eventual extension, and the Morris twins are locked up to good-value deals. So if Knight works on the court, he should work fine on the balance sheet. It's hard to imagine the Suns finding a player this good, and this young, while cleaning up their clogged backcourt at the same time. But they did it.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/ ... -new-looks

[djy2j]

This next rant should be read in a Stone Cold Steve Austin voice:

You say you traded Ennis and our Laker pick? What? We got the corpses of Danny Granger and Marcus Thornton also? What? That's AFTER cutting Kendall Marshall and John Salmons. What? Brandon Knight is another player without a position what? You think this is cute? What? You think this is funny? What? The rest of the league is laughing at the Phoenix Suns. What? You say the next home game has a special promotion? What? A special promotion. What? All the fans who show up to the game get a fleece. What? I said all the fans who show up get a Phoenix Suns fleece? What? Because the Phoenix Suns got FLEECED at the trade deadline WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT....

You get the picture.

Sad day for the Suns franchise.

[Ring_Wanted]

Apparently Granger is also getting cut. Along with Salmons, Marshall and who knows what else.

[Shabazz]

ESPN Grade for the IT move:

Phoenix Suns: C
Three point guards turned out to be too many for the Suns. So when they acquired Brandon Knight after dealing away Goran Dragic, Thomas was still the odd man out. I'd have kept Thomas because of his team-friendly contract, but in the grand scheme of things, this is an excellent piece of business for Phoenix.

The Suns gave up merely the rights to 2013 second-round pick Alex Oriakhi (No. 57 overall) to acquire Thomas in a sign-and-trade deal last summer, then turned him into a first-round pick -- albeit one likely to fall at the end of the round.

If he sticks around, Thornton could actually have some value to Phoenix's still-ongoing playoff push. He's been a useful volume scorer this season, though his skills are somewhat redundant with Gerald Green.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/ ... elticsSuns

[Ring_Wanted]

I am tired of hearing about that contract.

[Hypersloth]

Welcome Hypersloth.

Thanks Informer. I posted here years ago as wizinator (sp?) but the system could not find that user name so I re-registered.

No better place for talkin bout the Suns.

Ooh, were you the guy with the Goblet of Fire avatar and the signature predicting we'd win the Nba finals after the shaq trade?

Yup, that was me. I think that was raspberry flavored koolaid I was drinking.

I guess expecting Shaq to sprint the length of the floor in "Seven Seconds or Less" was a bit of a reach.

[Sunsfan4life]

I agree with rather having the Pick then the player. I think Mcondaugh did fine on the IT trade, as good as can be expected given the Dragic situation, but the Laker/Knight trade seems like just shoving Knight into the orginal plan instead of Goran and saying "Let us proceed" but doing it by giving up our best asset. I am also assuming that pick is probably in the 7-10 range. If that pick becomes a mid 1st rd pick I may have a different opinion.

How bout Knight being from Kentucky? Imagine if we drafted Noel instead of Len? The Kentucky Suns.

[cbesch5]

Has anyone taken the time to look at the trade ftom the Bucks perspective? They turned Brandon Jennings into MCW (first round pick 2 years ago, reigning rookie of the year), Miles Plumlee (first round pick a few years back) and Ennis (first round pick last year). By my count that's 3 first round picks for Brandon Jennings (an RFA) and we were only able to land 2 future first rounders for our 3rd Team All NBA guard.

in my opinion ennis, plum and Lal pick was too much to give up for Jennings, but im willing to see how it works out!