Suns Off Season Changes for 2025-26

[Raindog]

A Quinn hire would at least be a promising start. He has some upside.

But I suspect Fizdale is the guy they are really considering, which as other posters mentioned, would be a grim sign of just how utterly clueless management might be. Whoever they choose will be quite telling.

 

[Yuma]

Yeah the Dallas trade has been suggested a few times. The consensus here seems to be they'd be foolish parting with Flagg. I'm not so sure. I think Flagg has a really high floor but I'm not as sold on him as some are. If we made that trade I'd probably turn around and try to get multiple picks for the top spot.

OK, put it this way, try and convince me ownership is not trying to move Dallas to LV after in a few months time frame they trade BOTH Luke and Flagg? There is absolutely no other way to look at it.

 

[Yuma]

Just throwing this out there for underrated Phoenix big men, Danny Manning had a first season with us that was really good until his wheels popped off. Still, a sneaky good defender.

Why do we always seems to have big man bad luck in Phoenix?

 

[Phrazbit]

Now Hiring:

Job Title: Head Coach Phoenix Suns
Job Length: 3-4 yrs but probably 1 year
Location: Sponsorless Arena
Job Requirements: Michigan State
Drug Test: No
NDA: Yes
Draft Picks: No
Devin Booker: Yes
Kevin Durant: No
Bradley Beal: Yes
Respected GM: No
Guaranteed Contract: Yes
Complete Control: No

Some of your best work.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

A double whammy of Gregory/Fizdale will say one thing loud and clear to me… no one worth a sliver of a damn wants to touch this franchise and Ishbia future outlook for what he wants next.

Either that, or Ish thinks he and his buddies know how to run an NBA franchise on their own. Not good in either scenario.

 

[angel_ofthe_south]

Bird was a very good defender. Nash didn't expel energy on defense most games. He also saw the game differently than others so he wasn't good at reading players and reacting. It's much more than being physically limited, which he was to some degree but not across the board. He was quick and had great acceleration also. He couldn't have done what he did offensively if he was as limited as some like to claim when looking back.

I love Nash, he's a top 3 Sun all time and I believe that's indisputable but he was an awful defender and a fair portion of that was his own fault. Defense isn't taught by teammates. It's a coaching thing. Sometimes a veteran player can help a young guy out, as we saw Chris Paul do here with many of the younger guys, but ultimately that doesn't fall on his shoulders. When two guys are closer in age also, like Stoudemire and Marion, it's not the same thing at all as Marion wasn't exactly a star when Amare came into his own. Stat leapfrogged Marion in the pecking order here.

Interesting...so you say my conclusion that Nash couldn't play defense is wrong. I thought I was being fair to Nash; but if that's the case, I think that my considering Nash an acquired taste--with his brilliant ball handling and lack of defense--is fair. I prefer a more balanced point guard. That is why I feel confident in considering Jason Kidd the better overall Suns point guard. You didn't have to hide Kidd on defense; the opposing team might need to hide someone from Kidd.

Where Nash clearly beats Kidd, and where I worry about Kidd, is personality. Nash was the best basketball diplomat I ever saw on the Suns; he could get along with anyone, no matter how obnoxious. I suspect Jason Kidd of having personality problems, and possily maturity issues, that interfered wih the chemistry of his Suns teams.

 

[JerkFace]

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[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Not me--I said I don't believe it. To my knowledge, nobody said that--that Marion was not a good defender. Someone said, when I first posted in this forum three or four years ago, that Marion was "overrated." I would have to look in my oldest threads to remember who said it.

Edit: I just did look it up. Cheesebeef and Hoop Head were the ones saying Marion was over-rated. https://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/search/281875/?q=shawn+marion+overrated&o=relevance Specifically, they opined that Marion's defense is over-rated. (Hmm, I thought they said he was "over-rated" as an overall player, but this says I remembered wrong.) I thought it was an interesting idea, and was willing to consider it. I had apparently started it by pondering who's the better defender, Marion or Mikal Bridges. (Most or all commenters said Bridges.)

Here is the possible anecdotal evidence supporting their argument to me: if Marion was a great defender, why did the SSOL Suns want Raja Bell, not the bigger and stronger Marion, to guard Kobe Bryant?

Wait you’re randomly resurrecting a conversation from 3-4 years ago?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Mikal is an excellent help defender but not elite when it comes to shutting down a player. He's one of the best recovery defenders I've ever seen but quick players routinely get that first step on him and he's slight of build so he can be manhandled too. Marion was often tasked with guarding the other team's best player no matter the position. He wasn't really a shut down defender either but he made them work for it. Unfortunately the Lakers presented matchup problems for us given they had a lot of size, speed and strength.

Anyway, I'd give the edge to Shawn on defense especially since he was such a strong rebounder for his position.

Correct. If we put Marion on kobe who would raja guard? Odom? That’s a blood bath.

 

[Cheesebeef]

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jebus.

 

[Phrazbit]

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I guess Mateen Cleaves was not available.

 

[JerkFace]

I guess Mateen Cleaves was not available.

He leads the Leadership Development Team at Ishbia’s mortgage company (not a joke).

 

[Phrazbit]

He leads the Leadership Development Team at Ishbia’s mortgage company (not a joke).

Lol, good lord

 

[Mainstreet]

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The comments below the tweet are very interesting to read.

 

[Hoop Head]

The comments below the tweet are very interesting to read.

Don't forget, Ishbia's checkbook will keep us in the fray and we won't bottom out. Right?

This was such a mess that was so clearly avoidable. We're doomed for the next 4-5 years, at least. It's a question of whether we continue throwing future assets at the current problem or we hunker down and take our lumps to get it over with. Those hits are coming, they're unavoidable.

 

[Mainstreet]

Don't forget, Ishbia's checkbook will keep us in the fray and we won't bottom out. Right?

This was such a mess that was so clearly avoidable. We're doomed for the next 4-5 years, at least. It's a question of whether we continue throwing future assets at the current problem or we hunker down and take our lumps to get it over with. Those hits are coming, they're unavoidable.

If the Suns ever needed a top tier NBA GM to make decisions, the time was now.

 

[Hoop Head]

If the Suns ever needed a top tier NBA GM to make decisions, the time was now.

Yes and no. I understand that approach and would be fine with it. I also would support bringing in an untapped mind to see if he can be the next Danny Ainge or Sam Presti. I don't believe Gregory is that. The more that has come out, the more concerned I grow. I held onto some hope he could be that but that shrinks with each passing news item.

 

[Cheesebeef]

He leads the Leadership Development Team at Ishbia’s mortgage company (not a joke).

I need to get a Delorean and apply to Michigan St instead of Michigan back in my high school days…

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

sota might be our kd trade partner - they could do everything but score last night - ant loves the slim reaper - I bet he'd go there too

 

[GatorAZ]

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[Hoop Head]

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I'm not a fan of what San Antonio has to offer. I'd love to get Castle and call it a day in a straight swap but they're too good of a franchise to let him go.

 

[GatorAZ]

I'm not a fan of what San Antonio has to offer. I'd love to get Castle and call it a day in a straight swap but they're too good of a franchise to let him go.

The best we can do is Vassell/Barns/#14 most likely. We aren’t getting Castle or #2.

 

[Hoop Head]

The best we can do is Vassell/Barns/#14 most likely. We aren’t getting Castle or #2.

I have no interest in Vassell. He's an undersized SG who lacks the ball handling skills to be a PG or true combo guard. He's like a discount Desmond Bane. Fine player on his team now but his salary exceeds his skillset.

I forgot they moved up also. How Sacramento didn't get their 1st in the Fox deal is a testament to how good of a front office San Antonio is, while also highlighting the dysfunction in Sacramento. That concerns me more now, in a way. Are we going to lose Dunn to them with KD in a Vassell deal? I'd avoid San Antonio to avoid being mugged.

 

[Adrian]

I guess Mateen Cleaves was not available.

Magic Johnson is available....

 

[Adrian]

Surprising West Team Could Show Interest in Chris Paul in Free Agency

San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul is in the late stages of his career. As one of the best passers and point guards in the league's history, the former Phoenix

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