Durant to Suns

[Proximo]

It's absolute theft. KD is WAY better than Barkley

No he's not.

He is slightly better. And he is about to fall apart just like CP3 has.

 

[Covert Rain]

The trade is okay. As Bufalay suggested, it has the risk of being more like the O'Neal trade than like the Barkley trade. Durant is better now than O'Neal was then, but this is a highly desperate move that gambles everything on the next season and a half.

Bridges and Johnson were good citizens and valuable players, but neither is a consistent impact player. Neither will ever be more than the fourth or fifth guy on a good team. The Suns will feel their loss now more than they will in the future.

The Suns do not own their own first-round pick in the 2027, 2028, or 2029 drafts, and there's no protection. That's incredibly risky. How do the Suns expect to have a playoff team by then? Booker, Ayton, and G-leaguers? So probably the team gets completely blown up by that point, most likely including Booker, in an attempt to get some picks back. By then, though, no one will be giving up unprotected picks in those drafts, so the Suns will be trying to rebuild around lower picks at best. I can't see any way that this won't be a dismal period.

Of course it's all worth it if they win the title this year or next. But how likely is that? None of the four stars can stay healthy. Furthermore, none is an above-average defender, so even in the one game every six weeks when they're all able to take the floor, they're going to give up 140 points. This trade definitely raises the Suns' ceiling for the short term, but I don't think it makes them better. Basically it's like spending $1000 on lottery tickets because you might get lucky and scratch off $10,000.

I don't blame New Guy for wanting to make a big splash, but the draft situation at the end of the decade is terrifying, and the chances of everything working out as planned are very low.

Also, Durant is a jerk. I loved Barkley even before he came to the Suns. He was a jerk too, but I always felt that his heart was in the right place, and his fire on the court was infectious. Durant is just a pouting baby whose claim to fame is that he road the coattails of a Warriors team that was championship-caliber without him. If he gets the Suns to the promised land, okay, but I'm never going to be enthusiastic about him.

No risk it no Bisquit. Durant is WAY better than O'Neal at this stage of their careers if he can comeback healthy. Bridges will be a long felt loss. Cam J? Not so much. Bridges will get better but you had to give up something to get something. The picks are no big deal because they won't suck enough for those picks to be lottery. Not much risk at all.

The risk is hoping that KD will be healthy for sure but after being a fan of this team since I was a kid? There is no way for the Suns to get there without taking risks.

 

[Russ Smith]

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Yeah during the Warrior years you realized how good KD is. When you need a bucket you can just give him the ball and unless they double him, he's going to get a good shot. They don't always go in but he'll get a good shot. Suns were really good when healthy without him but with him scary. Bridges was a terrific defender but KD isn't exactly bad on defense, until i saw him regularly with the Warriors I didn't appreciate all the other stuff he does.

To me the Suns are now the clear favorites

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I do. New guy got fleeced.

3 superstars that can’t stay healthy…and no depth. What could possibly go wrong?

I saw someone compare this to Barkley trade. Not even close. Barkley was 28/29 and in his serious prime…and the Suns only gave up 1 starter and 2 fringe depth guys. The future wasn’t mortgaged and Barkley didn’t have health issues.

Perry was a starter for us averaging 31 minutes and 12/7 with 1.5 blocks and Lang averaged 23 minutes and 8/7 with 2.5 blocks for us. At the time of the trade they were anything but “fringe depth guys.” That’s hyperbole trying to fit a narrative.

At the time of the trades:
Horny: 20/5/5
Perry: 12/7/1.5
Lang: 8/7/2.5

Bridges: 17/4/4
Cam: 14/4/1.5
Crowder: nothing

The four draft picks a difference maker, but at least two of those will likely be really late picks. It’s more lopsided than the Barkley deal, but not by as much as you make it out to seem.

 

[elindholm]

Jersey is ready.

LOL, that's great!

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I do. New guy got fleeced.

3 superstars that can’t stay healthy…and no depth. What could possibly go wrong?

I saw someone compare this to Barkley trade. Not even close. Barkley was 28/29 and in his serious prime…and the Suns only gave up 1 starter and 2 fringe depth guys. The future wasn’t mortgaged and Barkley didn’t have health issues.

Also, with Booker, Ayton and a ton of eventually cap space and draft picks every other year the future is not mortgaged.

 

[Proximo]

Yeah I think people forget how good Hornacek was. He was a big notch above Bridges or Johnson. Made an All-Star team and was one of the best shooters in the league.

No I didn't. I am well aware.

No F ing way he was a notch above Bridges. Comparable - OK.

If the deal had been Mikal, Crowder and Biz for KD that would be close to equivalent to the Barkley deal. 4 first rounders a Swap and Cam Johnson means this is almost 3 times as much trade value. Stop comparing them.

 

[Chaplin]

No I didn't. I am well aware.

No F ing way he was a notch above Bridges. Comparable - OK.

If the deal had been Mikal, Crowder and Biz for KD that would be close to equivalent to the Barkley deal. 4 first rounders a Swap and Cam Johnson means this is almost 3 times as much trade value. Stop comparing them.

No it's not. You are overvaluing the current assets and undervaluing the past ones.

Par for the course since we Suns fans are gluttons for punishment, but again KEVIN DURANT IS A TRANSCENDANT TALENT AND IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE BEST PLAYER TO EVER (and I mean EVER) PUT ON A SUNS UNIFORM.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Hate to be the turd in the punchbowl but this is horrible. Bridges was playing at an all-star level, one of the best defenders in the league, and was improving BY THE GAME. Johnson had not gotten back from the injury, but a year ago was one of the best 6thmen anywhere.
There is no evidence Durant by himself can carry a team. Even with Westbrook and Hardin they lost in OK City; he won with the Warriors only because of an all-star studded team

And the draft picks? Mark me down as this is a horrible, horrible trade.

The good news? He doesn’t have to win by himself here either. Or did we trade Booker (fourth in mvp voting last year), Ayton and Paul? Oh yeah, we still got those guys.

 

[Covert Rain]

No I didn't. I am well aware.

No F ing way he was a notch above Bridges. Comparable - OK.

If the deal had been Mikal, Crowder and Biz for KD that would be close to equivalent to the Barkley deal. 4 first rounders a Swap and Cam Johnson means this is almost 3 times as much trade value. Stop comparing them.

What?!?? 3X the trade value? Don't be ridiculous. You are way overvaluing those picks and Cam J. Also, Barkley was viewed at the time as a MASSIVE risk as well. CB team was 35-47 with him. Barkley was considered a ball hog who didn't fit a pass first team they wanted. His behavior was a major concern. The big difference is that 76ers were trying to unload CB and everybody knew it. They were always going to take less than typically that caliber of a player draws.

The Nets were in no such position with KD. Someone was going to pay the price and they knew it.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Mostly depressed about losing Mikal, but yes - I think this team is going to suck in 3 or 4 years

When Booker and Ayton are in their prime, the team will have abuttload of cap space and still have every other draft pick? Interesting take.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Him, or Cam…and I think only 2 of the picks should have been unprotected, not all of them.

As much as I liked cam and he was a pleasant surprise, what he’s brought to the table (when he’s been able to make it to the table) is absolutely replaceable.

 

[LA Redbird]

Mostly depressed about losing Mikal, but yes - I think this team is going to suck in 3 or 4 years

Sooooooo.....

Let's just sustain mid forever rather than throwing all in for a ring????

 

[Bobster]

I would say Barkley and Durant are pretty comparable as players - both MVP-calibre. Barkley was a better post player and a much better rebounder, Durrant a better shooter and defender. Barkley was younger, but he didn;t really take care of himself physically, so he was already starting to decline while he was still here. Durrant is probably the best midrange shooter in the league, and probably the best pure scorer.

What people forget about Perry and Lang is that they started for the Suns in 1991-92 and were seen as a big part of the franchise's future (ironically, not in the way we thought). And Hornacek was an All-Star that year, averaging 20/5/5, and was a great shooter. So it wasn't chump change that they gave up for Barkley.

 

[Ronin]

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[Proximo]

Perry was a starter for us averaging 31 minutes and 12/7 with 1.5 blocks and Lang averaged 23 minutes and 8/7 with 2.5 blocks for us. At the time of the trade they were anything but “fringe depth guys.” That’s hyperbole trying to fit a narrative.

At the time of the trades:
Horny: 20/5/5
Perry: 12/7/1.5
Lang: 8/7/2.5

Bridges: 17/4/4
Cam: 14/4/1.5
Crowder: nothing

The four draft picks a difference maker, but at least two of those will likely be really late picks. It’s more lopsided than the Barkley deal, but not by as much as you make it out to seem.

Come on man.

There was no Booker on those teams with Hornacek - just watch what Mikal is going to do as a main cog on the Nets going forward, and Hornacek was in no way comparable to Mikal defensively.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The trade is okay. As Bufalay suggested, it has the risk of being more like the O'Neal trade than like the Barkley trade. Durant is better now than O'Neal was then, but this is a highly desperate move that gambles everything on the next season and a half.

Bridges and Johnson were good citizens and valuable players, but neither is a consistent impact player. Neither will ever be more than the fourth or fifth guy on a good team. The Suns will feel their loss now more than they will in the future.

The Suns do not own their own first-round pick in the 2027, 2028, or 2029 drafts, and there's no protection. That's incredibly risky. How do the Suns expect to have a playoff team by then? Booker, Ayton, and G-leaguers? So probably the team gets completely blown up by that point, most likely including Booker, in an attempt to get some picks back. By then, though, no one will be giving up unprotected picks in those drafts, so the Suns will be trying to rebuild around lower picks at best. I can't see any way that this won't be a dismal period.

Of course it's all worth it if they win the title this year or next. But how likely is that? None of the four stars can stay healthy. Furthermore, none is an above-average defender, so even in the one game every six weeks when they're all able to take the floor, they're going to give up 140 points. This trade definitely raises the Suns' ceiling for the short term, but I don't think it makes them better. Basically it's like spending $1000 on lottery tickets because you might get lucky and scratch off $10,000.

I don't blame New Guy for wanting to make a big splash, but the draft situation at the end of the decade is terrifying, and the chances of everything working out as planned are very low.

Also, Durant is a jerk. I loved Barkley even before he came to the Suns. He was a jerk too, but I always felt that his heart was in the right place, and his fire on the court was infectious. Durant is just a pouting baby whose claim to fame is that he road the coattails of a Warriors team that was championship-caliber without him. If he gets the Suns to the promised land, okay, but I'm never going to be enthusiastic about him.

Something tells me your last statement is going to change.

 

[Proximo]

Sooooooo.....

Let's just sustain mid forever rather than throwing all in for a ring????

Look, if KD can stay healthy all through the playoffs and win us a ring - it will have been the right move.

I just don't think that is going to happen. You do. It's as simple as that.

 

[Covert Rain]

Come on man.

There was no Booker on those teams with Hornacek - just watch what Mikal is going to do as a main cog on the Nets going forward, and Hornacek was in no way comparable to Mikal defensively.

The Nets are allegedly trying to move Bridges for more assets. Jeff was considered one of the best shooters in the NBA and best guards in the NBA at the time. You can't sidestep that.

 

[LA Redbird]

Look, if KD can stay healthy all through the playoffs and win us a ring - it will have been the right move.

I just don't think that is going to happen. You do. It's as simple as that.

And how did our healthy team two years ago fare? And last year?

No one can predict injuries. That's pointless nitpicking and complaining.

This is a monumental move.

 

[Pokinmik]

Boggles my mind that people are complaining about us possibly sucking in 2029? Lmao.

Forget how depressed and jaded you have to be for that to be your concern, you think a team w prime book and DA and cap space won’t sign free agents or make moves between now and then? They could sign SGA or someone else elite in a few years. Who knows.

But for now we have DURANT and the best lineup in the league.

 

[TRW]

LOL This thread is so ASFN. Love it.

This is the Way.

 

[Mainstreet]

Huge overswing by the Suns.

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[TRW]

Boggles my mind that people are complaining about us possibly sucking in 2029? Lmao.

Forget how depressed and jaded you have to be for that to be your concern, you think a team w prime book and DA and cap space won’t sign free agents or make moves between now and then? They could sign SGA or someone else elite in a few years. Who knows.

But for now we have DURANT and the best lineup in the league.

I'm not counting on being here in 2029 let alone watching the Suns. LOL

 

[Dr. Jones]

Ok friends. I'm on board with this.

A lot of great points about how this can go well but I think many are missing the point if this flops.

If it flops...... in two years we will still get 2 or 3 firsts for KD from a contender when he is 36. AND....... *GULP*******.......... Booker will net us 3 or 4 when we have to trade him also.

Thats what tanking will look like in 2025 or 6 IF we don't win a title.

Plus....... this showed us ONE HUGE THING: ISHBIA WILL PAY TO WIN.

That said, this particular version of the trade would almost certainly not have happened if not for Ishbia's purchase. Because Phoenix held on to center Deandre Ayton, its second-highest salary after untouchable star Devin Booker, this deal more than doubles its projected luxury-tax payment to over $68 million.