Suns Off Season Changes for 2025: Trades, Buyouts, GM, Coaches, etc.

[Hoop Head]

What's missing in this whole exchange is that we essentially agree on this point.

You mean you were essentially aligned?

 

[GatorAZ]

JJ deserves blame for drafting Jalen Smith over Haliburton and others. Trading a first rd pick for Landry Shamet and not trading for Eric Gordon in 2022. I don’t place blame on him for new owner syndrome moves. I think some of the chemistry issues are on Monty.

 

[Ronin]

New Suns GM Gives Update on Bradley Beal’s Future

Phoenix Suns fans received a glimmer of insight into Bradley Beal’s future with the team as new General Manager Brian Gregory addressed the media on Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference, Gregory shared a positive update on his relationship with the 31-year-old shooting guard, hinting at...

www.yardbarker.com

 

[Ronin]

New Suns GM Gives Update on Kevin Durant’s Future

In a recent press conference, newly appointed Phoenix Suns General Manager Brian Gregory addressed the swirling speculation surrounding the future of superstar

www.yardbarker.com

 

[Ronin]

Phoenix Suns GM Offers Details on Head Coaching Search Amid Vacancy

The Phoenix Suns suffered an unfortunate season this past year. Instead of building upon the year before, when the Minnesota Timberwolves swept them out of the first round, they went into a tailspin.

www.yardbarker.com

 

[Ronin]

New Suns GM Addresses Elephant in Room

Phoenix Suns new general manager Brian Gregory addressed the one of the elephants in the room head on in his introductory press conference Tuesday. "I'm never going to shy away from the fact that one of the reasons I'm sitting up here is because of my relationship with Mat Ishbia," Gregory said.

www.yardbarker.com

 

[Cheesebeef]

JJ deserves blame for drafting Jalen Smith over Haliburton and others. Trading a first rd pick for Landry Shamet and not trading for Eric Gordon in 2022. I don’t place blame on him for new owner syndrome moves. I think some of the chemistry issues are on Monty.

Yeah… I can’t give him full blame for the new owner syndrome trades, but man, he got totally taken to the cleaners on both trades, especially with all the pick swaps. He’s got to get dinged a little for those, at the very least.

Bigger issue I had after the draft pick disasters you mentioned is the whole the chemistry stuff. If a guy like Crowder wasn’t going to play, his ass should have been dealt AND we should have made moves over the summer prior to that season to compensate for the loss to come.

If anyone remembers, after the 2022 playoff humiliation, that offseason, JJ went out and signed an absolutely pathetic crop of Jock Landales and Stef Curry’s cousin, while knowing Crowder was going to be a lost cause. He also should have seen the writing on the wall with Ayton and made a sign and trade deal with Indy while he still had value.

 

[Hoop Head]

He also should have seen the writing on the wall with Ayton and made a sign and trade deal with Indy while he still had value.

And Monty reportedly begged him to do that.

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I think matching Ayton's deal pushed Monty over the edge and he drew the line in the sand with Crowder as retaliation. He obviously couldn't do that with Ayton given the money involved as well as the Sarver, UofA, and #1 pick connections. Maybe I'm wrong but I think Monty basically gave up then. He wasn't being supported by the front office anymore and it was abundantly clear at that point.

 

[Raindog]

Yeah… I can’t give him full blame for the new owner syndrome trades, but man, he got totally taken to the cleaners on both trades, especially with all the pick swaps. He’s got to get dinged a little for those, at the very least.

Bigger issue I had after the draft pick disasters you mentioned is the whole the chemistry stuff. If a guy like Crowder wasn’t going to play, his ass should have been dealt AND we should have made moves over the summer prior to that season to compensate for the loss to come.

If anyone remembers, after the 2022 playoff humiliation, that offseason, JJ went out and signed an absolutely pathetic crop of Jock Landales and Stef Curry’s cousin, while knowing Crowder was going to be a lost cause. He also should have seen the writing on the wall with Ayton and made a sign and trade deal with Indy while he still had value.

I think both Jones and Monty's heads swelled up bigger than the Grand Canyon after that 2-1/2 year run. I remember all of the interviews with both after the Dallas loss and neither would admit to any shortcomings.

I knew then it was only a matter of time until their collective hubris sunk us again. And then add Ishbia's apparent ego tripping onto that after he arrived, and we shouldn't wonder why we've gone from the penthouse back to the outhouse in near record time.

 

[Covert Rain]

Brian Gregory gives me Mr. Duncan vibes (The Toy store owner) in Home Alone 2 for some reason.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

And Monty reportedly begged him to do that.

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I think matching Ayton's deal pushed Monty over the edge and he drew the line in the sand with Crowder as retaliation. He obviously couldn't do that with Ayton given the money involved as well as the Sarver, UofA, and #1 pick connections. Maybe I'm wrong but I think Monty basically gave up then. He wasn't being supported by the front office anymore and it was abundantly clear at that point.

Getting Turner for Ayton in retrospect would have been a great move. It would be fascinating to know how the last couple of years would have gone with a guy like Turner in the middle instead of Nurk/other bad. Turner is also a legit 3 point weapon, so I could see our offense being even more efficient with him at the 5.

 

[Cheesebeef]

And Monty reportedly begged him to do that.

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

I think matching Ayton's deal pushed Monty over the edge and he drew the line in the sand with Crowder as retaliation. He obviously couldn't do that with Ayton given the money involved as well as the Sarver, UofA, and #1 pick connections. Maybe I'm wrong but I think Monty basically gave up then. He wasn't being supported by the front office anymore and it was abundantly clear at that point.

I could definitely see this being the case.

Turner at C with this club definitely would have brought a different dimension. Good shot blocker, athletic big who could also space the floor. Hell, if you’d kept CP3 and run out CP3/Booker/Someone/KD/Turner, we could have spaced the floor really well.

 

[AzStevenCal]

JJ deserves blame for drafting Jalen Smith over Haliburton and others. Trading a first rd pick for Landry Shamet and not trading for Eric Gordon in 2022. I don’t place blame on him for new owner syndrome moves. I think some of the chemistry issues are on Monty.

I agree with this. I blame all those chemistry/communication issues we had a couple years ago on Monty but there's a lot that falls on JJ's shoulders. Drafting Jalen, not drafting Haliburton, giving up on Jalen so quickly, not stepping in when it was clear that Monty wasn't "getting along" with a couple of key players and a handful of questionable player decisions along the way. I think he's done a decent job as GM, sometimes under trying circumstances, but his unwillingness to value the draft is a major drawback AFAIC.

 

[taz02]

It's fair to say the reason we are in this position is a result our draft decisions. Had we drafted better not only would we have been better, but we also wouldn't have been so desperate for the KD and Beal trades.

Everyone who supported drafting the players we did, or trading our future pics should be replaced.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't believe anyone here thinks Ishbia is free of blame. He is the owner and the one constant that isn't changing. Unlike Sarver, he's not in it for the money so the odds of him stepping away entirely are virtually nil. We can harp over how much of a problem Ish is repeatedly or we can hope for someone in his inner circle to right the ship. I'm in the latter group.

I'm not a Cardinals fan but I imagine it's not too different there. You all recognize the shortcomings of the Bidwill's and hope for the best in spite of their presence.

With the Cardinals, there is the hope that Michael Bidwill will let Monti Ossenfort run the team. Also, he was a hire from an outside team with GM experience.

However, with Mat Ishbia, it feels like the Suns are rebooting the team without the assets or experience to go with it.

 

[Mainstreet]

When the Suns let Crowder sit at home rather than trade him, I always felt James Jones James was keeping him there for a reason, in case he needed added flexibility to complete the Durant trade.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It's fair to say the reason we are in this position is a result our draft decisions. Had we drafted better not only would we have been better, but we also wouldn't have been so desperate for the KD and Beal trades.

Everyone who supported drafting the players we did, or trading our future pics should be replaced.

Agreed but, by far, most of our really bad draft decisions were under the McD/Sarver regime.

 

[Mainstreet]

It's fair to say the reason we are in this position is a result our draft decisions. Had we drafted better not only would we have been better, but we also wouldn't have been so desperate for the KD and Beal trades.

Everyone who supported drafting the players we did, or trading our future pics should be replaced.

There is only one person to look at now, the Suns owner.

Everyone else has been moved to another position or in the process of being replaced.

 

[Raindog]

There is only one person to look at now, the Suns owner.

Everyone else has been moved to another position or in the process of being replaced.

Certainly, Ishbia is going to bear the burden of criticism for any decisions going forward. Blaming his handpicked lackey/GM isn't going to fly if the ship doesn't get righted and soon.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Certainly, Ishbia is going to bear the burden of criticism for any decisions going forward. Blaming his handpicked lackey/GM isn't going to fly if the ship doesn't get righted and soon.

I'm not sure there is a way to "right the ship", at least not one that most fans would appreciate. I don't see a move or moves that would give us hope for the future and still make our current situation more palatable.

 

[Raindog]

I'm not sure there is a way to "right the ship", at least not one that most fans would appreciate. I don't see a move or moves that would give us hope for the future and still make our current situation more palatable.

Very likely, you are correct. I fully expect a clown show. But hoping for a miracle out of left field, I suppose. Maybe they somehow stumble on the next Giannis or Jokic with a late first rounder, or they con someone in a Durant trade the same way they were conned. I dunno...

 

[Mainstreet]

Certainly, Ishbia is going to bear the burden of criticism for any decisions going forward. Blaming his handpicked lackey/GM isn't going to fly if the ship doesn't get righted and soon.

I'm not sure there is a way to "right the ship", at least not one that most fans would appreciate. I don't see a move or moves that would give us hope for the future and still make our current situation more palatable.

I wrote a long narrative only to keep tossing it in the trash can. Now I'm back down to guessing... exactly where I was before.

I'm thinking Mat Ishbia will overpay for a hungry college coach, Euro or NBA assistant coach or such with a good background, fire in the belly and let him have the reins.

If he has worn a Spartan uniform, so much the better.

I've seen programs turned around this way in college. Now we will see if it can happen on the NBA level.

Then we will find out which players want to stay and which ones want to go. And build the team from there.

The Suns will need to keep adding lean, long, aggressive players who play defense.

Hopefully they will get some additional draft picks and young players that help them along the way.

 

[moosehead]

My only observation (and observation is not the correct word, since it is aural in nature) is that listening to him on the radio, he sounds just like Adam Sandler.

I can't debate the pros and cons except Ishbia promised massive changes and this is not that

 

[Finito]

Getting Turner for Ayton in retrospect would have been a great move. It would be fascinating to know how the last couple of years would have gone with a guy like Turner in the middle instead of Nurk/other bad. Turner is also a legit 3 point weapon, so I could see our offense being even more efficient with him at the 5.

Bro KD and Devin Booker couldn’t get this team to even respectability Myles Turner ain’t turning us around lol. Stars make role players better not the other way around.

We have deep deep problems

 

[Finito]

Agreed but, by far, most of our really bad draft decisions were under the McD/Sarver regime.

Didn’t McD draft Booker, Ayton and Bridges? Those were all under him right? Jones traded TJ Warren for Cash and drafted Cam Johnson but as far as drafts go that’s kinda it right. We haven’t really done anything on draft night since then I don’t think

I think the only move JJ did for that team was bringing in Paul and even that was Booker making it happen everything else has been a disaster for him.