TRADE: KD to HOU | Green+Brooks+#10+5 2nds to PHX

[cow]

@TheDunkCentral
The Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers were considered wild cards for Kevin Durant, per
@ShamsCharania

It would be interesting to see how Denver could pull of the trade to match KD's salary.  You'd assume MPJ would have been part of the deal and I'm assuming Gordon/Murray were off the table.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/Anthony_Chiang/status/1936839206355034171

https://x.com/flasportsbuzz/status/1936836521417675170

The Suns wanted young Miami Center Kel'ell Ware included in the trade. Miami balked with good reason.

[Chicagojk]

It will be really interesting what type of extension KD signs. He is eligible for 2 years at almost 60 million. Is that what he expects? How about 50 million? Or is there some kind of discount with his age and the young houston team where tehy get him at 40 million? I am sure with Houston being one of his choices he has an idea what type of extension they are going to offer.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://bsky.app/profile/bobbykrivitsky....7lc2vfdk2p


Bobby Marks expects this deal to be expanded.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/Anthony_Chiang/status/1936839206355034171

https://x.com/flasportsbuzz/status/1936836521417675170

The Suns wanted young Miami Center Kel'ell Ware included in the trade. Miami balked with good reason.

I liked the HOuston trade over that Miami trade.   I would much rather gamble on the upside of Green than Wiggins.    I am not a Dillon Brooks fan but he could eventually be moved to a contender, I think.  Then you get the 10th pick.   It is a pretty weak package but I like that over the Heat offer.  Jacquez looked like a real dude the previous season but really took a step back.    No really good or bad view on Jovic, besides he is young and pretty good sized.   I think the Houston offer was just better.  Just weird the offers were so light.

[omahen]

So, what do all of the other KD pursuers do now?  Miami, Toronto, Minnesota, San Antonio...maybe NY all felt they needed someone.  Do they stand pat?  Pursue someone else?

I think all of these teams were looking for a great player that would perhaps somehow make them a contender (perhaps mostly applicable for Miami and Toronto). 

I think Miami desperately needs a star leader. Nothing else will imho lift them out of the (below) average teritory. Spending their future picks and solid youngsters on moves around the edges (I consider the likes of Monk and DeRozan in this territory) doesn't imho make much sense. They didn't want to spend that for Durant, so it seems they know the reality. They have some solid young pieces (Highsmith, Ware, Jovic, Jaquez). Kuminga could make sense, although he is an odd fit next to Ware and Adebayo. I would consider trading Bam in their place. He would likely fetch a royal return as many teams could think that he is a guy that lifts them a level or two higher. Good young talent, picks. 

Toronto I have just no idea what they want. Seems like owners don't want to tank when they probably should ever since Kawhi walked for nothing. They have a bunch of overpaid solid starters that don't make them good enough to even smell the play-in. Barnes is far from a franchise cornerstone imho. A legit star could perhaps make that team look different. Anything else is just same meh they are in now.

San Antonio was wisely opportunistic. They were interested in Durant but seems like they didn't offer much. They are in no hurry. I think they need to take the same approach as Houston. Play out this season with same core (play around the edges a bit) with the goal to reach the playoffs. See how the #2 pick looks like. Make moves after next season.

Minnesota has a bunch of tough decisions. They have been to WCF finals two seasons in a row, but it was obvious both times that they are not really that close to get further. I don't know what they will do or what I would do in their place. They have an expensive roster that is about to get more expensive (Randle, Reid, NAW might look for much more money). Conley is moving to "unplayable old" territory and Dillingham didn't really impress so far. Gobert is great for regular season but easy to plan against in playoffs. They have #17 in this draft, but more or less nothing else afterwards, not even SRP. I don't know. I would be very conservative and try to keep the team together and hope for internal development (Ant is still only 23). Make a move only if something great appears.

[KillerLeft]

Great analysis of how this trade could help HOU on the court. I can’t recommend this watch enough.

https://youtu.be/CmcZPNPm9MQ?si=yZp7QaXUfTVHa11_

[DanSchwartzgan]

Gambo in Phoenix says no way Beal suits up with the Suns again.  He’s been saying it for a while and doubled down today.  Beal makes too much to stretch waive.  Phoenix doesn’t have much to attach to Beal to sweeten the pot.  #10?  That would be crazy.  Just gut yourself to get rid of KD and Beal when you don’t control your own draft for years to come.

[cow]

Gambo in Phoenix says no way Beal suits up with the Suns again.  He’s been saying it for a while and doubled down today.  Beal makes too much to stretch waive.  Phoenix doesn’t have much to attach to Beal to sweeten the pot.  #10?  That would be crazy.  Just gut yourself to get rid of KD and Beal when you don’t control your own draft for years to come.

As in they'll not play him if he doesn't accept a trade?  That seems like it would cause all sorts of issues with the league and PA.  And even if that strongarm tactic did fly, does Beal love hoops enough to not just say, "fuck it, I'll do nothing for two years and y'all can pay me $110M"?

[DanSchwartzgan]

As in they'll not play him if he doesn't accept a trade?  That seems like it would cause all sorts of issues with the league and PA.  And even if that strongarm tactic did fly, does Beal love hoops enough to not just say, "fuck it, I'll do nothing for two years and y'all can pay me $110M"?

No, he won’t be on the team…even if they have to release him

[cow]

No, he won’t be on the team…even if they have to release him

If I were Beal, that's what I'd make them do and then go sign for the vet minimum of my team of choice.  How soon can Booker be traded after he signs his extension?

[F Gump]

Gambo in Phoenix says no way Beal suits up with the Suns again.  He’s been saying it for a while and doubled down today.  Beal makes too much to stretch waive.  Phoenix doesn’t have much to attach to Beal to sweeten the pot.  #10?  That would be crazy.  Just gut yourself to get rid of KD and Beal when you don’t control your own draft for years to come.

"Gambo in Phoenix says no way Beal suits up with the Suns again."  --- At first, that sounds like wishful thinking. I can understand why that would be their goal, but don't see an avenue to moving him and what do you do with him if you can't find a trade?

I sure wouldn't pay a team to take him. I'd look for someone with really bad contracts and see if they are open to a swap. The no-trade control limits that, of course. Just sit him on the bench, or keep him inactive, for however long it takes, so he will agree to any trade you can find? Then again, who wants him, with that absurd contract?

So I think the only path left is a stretch waive of BB (where he hits their cap for 7 seasons) -- probably the most practical path to getting a rebuild started, frankly, and it also fixes their absurd tax issue for such a bad team. But wow, 7 years of huge dead money is a long time. Then again, they're probably screwed anyhow for about that long (no talent, no cap room to get FAs, no picks), so if it's my GM-ing, that's probably my choice. 110M is clearly a lot to flush, but it's sunk money at this point. (And while it's impossible to figure out the exact payroll if they kept Beal on the books, it looks like the sw would save them in the vicinity of that 110M, in tax savings in the first year alone).

Their trade for BB really wrecked their team. Cautionary tale about big contracts.

I did a quick look at their payroll, and with a BB sw, and waiving all their NG guys (Martin, Micic, Richards), they can offer a big MLE and then fill up the roster with minimums and end up under the tax line. If they like to keep one (or maybe even 2) of those NG/TO guys, they can keep them and forego the MLE, and probably still stay below tax line with careful cap work.

It sure feels like they would try to move Brooks somewhere but he's not priced favorably, so they might be stuck with him. And not just Brooks - it really feels to me like their best road is to try to play the Presti game as soon as they can get there - which is, EVERYONE is available in trade at the right price, and every trade costs a pick (FRP, basically), but get the payroll down where you can eat contracts on out of flavor vets (for a pick) and then trade them when someone needs them (for a pick).

[cow]

Shaving $15.7M off your cap for the next seven seasons seems seems like it will kill the slight hopes that they could retool around Booker in his prime years. Yikes. Feels like it would be better just to pay Beal for the next two years rather than do that, but there doesn't seem to be a good solution to this problem.

[F Gump]

Shaving $15.7M off your cap for the next seven seasons seems seems like it will kill the slight hopes that they could retool around Booker in his prime years.  Yikes.  Feels like it would be better just to pay Beal for the next two years rather than do that, but there doesn't seem to be a good solution to this problem.

" seems like it will kill the slight hopes that they could retool around Booker in his prime years. ".... Well, yeah. But hasn't that ship already sailed of building any kind of decent team around Booker, no matter that you do?

He's already in his prime (age 29 this fall) and it's hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel before he's beyond it. (In fact, while it's probably not on their radar, it sure seems like they'd benefit from making Booker available  - provided someone pays a lot for him - so that they can have some picks and flexibility to use to rebuild assets.)

It's not my money, but it's probably a net gain of 250M or so to the team (over the next 2 seasons of Beal's contract) by doing a sw to stop being a team stuck above A2 with huge tax bills. As bad as they are anyhow, it's really hard to justify that sort of salary cost imo.

[cow]

Book has a 2-year extension available to him that would make him the highest paid player in the league and would put him under contract through '29-30. I'd think both he and the team will want to get that deal done which wouldn't let him be traded for a year (I think). Maybe you pay the tax for a year and work with Beal to talk him into a trade by the TDL or the following offseason...or he for some reason opts out. Booker is in his prime, but a stretch waive of Beal now means that every year left of Booker's prime if he chooses to stay with the Suns, he'll be at a team disadvantage of -$15.7m of cap space compared to most every other team. That would just be more incentive for him to want to leave when we've really not heard grumblings about him wanting out. It's probably smart for the Suns to shop Booker and it's more than understandable if he wants out of the situation, but maybe he's just a loyal dude. And if you have a player of his stardom, I think you hang onto that until that player asks out. Sure, it's easy for me to say that when I'm not getting their tax bill, but if my long-term plan was to try one more rebuild around Booker, I'd probably just swallow my medicine and pay Beal for a year or two, and I hope I can make enough moves for the final 3 years of Booker's assumed extended contract. It's a slight hope and an expensive hope, but that's the best Booker path forward I see. I don't see a happy ending and I almost feel bad for him.

[Smitty]

@KeithSmithNBA
With the Suns now having a glut of guards on the roster, I've seen a lot of people suggesting that Phoenix should waive and stretch Bradley Beal's contract.

They aren't allowed.

I explained the options Phoenix has with Beal for @spotrac back in April:
https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/2763/t...l-contract

[Chicagojk]

I just don't know what PHX does with Beal. I know he has been disappointement and injured, but if you look at his stats they aren't bad. Not an elite player any longer, but his stats are not bad. Then you see the contract and it hits you like a sledgehammer.

Even if he waived his no trade clause, will anyone give you an expiring contract for him? That seems doubtful. I read that they should park him on the bench and only play him in blowout minutes and make him misearable to waive his no trade clause. I just don't think there is a market for him though. So maybe trying to make the best of the situation is the way to go. It seems like PHX is done with him though.

It seems like PHX, like the Mavs before Flagg, were not seeing their team clearly and plugging hole after hole with no real future. I get it that Booker wants to stay in PHX. That is important. I think in time both PHX and Booker will realize that a break is going to best for both parties.

[omahen]

I just don't know what PHX does with Beal.  I know he has been disappointement and injured, but if you look at his stats they aren't bad.  Not an elite player any longer, but his stats are not bad.  Then you see the contract and it hits you like a sledgehammer.   

Even if he waived his no trade clause, will anyone give you an expiring contract for him?  That seems doubtful.  I read that they should park him on the bench and only play him in blowout minutes and make him misearable to waive his no trade clause.  I just don't think there is a market for him though.  So maybe trying to make the best of the situation is the way to go.  It seems like PHX is done with him though.

It seems like PHX, like the Mavs before Flagg, were not seeing their team clearly and plugging hole after hole with no real future.  I get it that Booker wants to stay in PHX.  That is important.  I think in time both PHX and Booker will realize that a break is going to best for both parties.

It seems at this stage that the most likely outcome is that Phoenix eats the cost of their mistake and just cuts him. It would take huge assets to use his contract and get back something useful, plus he is blocking most (if not all) of the possibilities anyway with his no trade clause. 

From Beal perspective there is some difference in being cut or traded on his current deal. If he is cut, he becomes a vet min player. Bye, bye being a star. You accept the role given to you or the team just cuts him. A list of suitors will likely be long though, as he would be a huge asset for a vet min player. So, he would have a bit of an impact on his role with the team he chooses to sign with. If he gets traded on his current deal, the new team might be motivated to feature him with a hope to sell him in a year when he becomes expiring.

[Nowitzki Way]

I think this was a good trade for both teams. Houston got Durant for a few years and still has plenty of young talent around him with Sengun, Thompson, Jabari Smith,etc. They still have plenty of picks at their disposal if they want to make more trades. They are going to problem for the next few years. OKC, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio will own the West.

Phoenix did pretty good honestly. I like Jalen Green, just not for Phoenix. Him and Booker in the same backcourt is a bad fit. If they deal Green for better fitting pieces, this trade looks even better for them.

Brooks could have some trade value also. I think Phoenix needs to start unloading and collecting picks. The 10th pick this year and all those 2nd rounders is a good start.

[Chicagojk]

I think this was a good trade for both teams.  Houston got Durant for a few years and still has plenty of young talent around him with Sengun, Thompson, Jabari Smith,etc.  They still have plenty of picks at their disposal if they want to make more trades. They are going to problem for the next few years.  OKC, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio will own the West.

Phoenix did pretty good honestly. I like Jalen Green, just not for Phoenix. Him and Booker in the same backcourt is a bad fit.  If they deal Green for better fitting pieces, this trade looks even better for them.

Brooks could have some trade value also. I think Phoenix needs to start unloading and collecting picks. The 10th pick this year and all those 2nd rounders is a good start.

Green is a decent gamble.  Although going to a bad team (probably) with a first year coach is probably not great for his development.    I can at least see him figuring things out the next few years.   Although I can see the other side as well.  I sort of see him as a more talented Hardy.   When they are scoring and making shots, they can look very good.   It is all the other stuff.

I am really suprised they did not get Whitmore on the deal.   He seems like a guy they would have liked.  Now he would have been a real interesting lottery ticket.