I am a huge fan of the NBA and my team has always been the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have never won a NBA title and have historically been a “good-but-not-great” team. They’re greatest year came in the 2004-2005 season when they reached the Western Conference Finals with the likes of Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amar’e Stoudemire.
The majority of the players on the team during this season were either drafted by the Suns, or acquired with sensible contracts. However, in recent years the Suns have been on the cusp of, and just missing, the NBA playoffs. While they have drafted some talent like Alex Len, most of their big minute players have come via trade or free agency.
These players are not bad for the team in a basketball sense, in fact many of them are big parts of the wins that the Suns to manage to gain. However, the contracts that these players get are a bit large for my liking. In my opinion, the Suns could do well with dealing some of these contracts while gaining better* players in the process. I have arranged for some of these trades to go through via the ESPN Trade Machine just to prove how much these contracts could do for the Suns.♰
*better in my own personal opinion
♰These situations are all hypothetical (The trade deadline was on Feb. 18, 2016) and are solely based on financial compatibility. Many of these trades would never happen based on simple trade value.
Losing Bledsoe would probably do more harm than good for the Suns, but if it comes at the price of grabbing Griffin, I think it’s worth a shot.
Mirza Teletovic for MCW and The Greek Freak? That is the deal of the century. I love Mirza, but that contract is horrendous.
Jimmy Buckets, even injured, is a valued asset to any team. Also, a veteran frontcourt of Gasol and Chandler could make a deep playoff run.
The Cavs have so many assets on their team that just one trade would not suffice in this instance. In the first trade, we swap an upper level offensive PG for a mid-level defensive PG, and a 3-and D PF for an Offensive Minded PF who can also shoot the three. I think the first trade would be good for Love and the Suns. Love gets to be his own star outside of Cleveland, and the Suns get the front-court shooter they need.
In the second Cavaliers trade, we see the man who is arguably the best player in the world being traded for a PG who is a very respectable starter for almost any NBA team, and a PF who would come off the bench for almost any team. However, the contracts for these two players match up enough to trade for LBJ. And we all know any team would love to have LeBron.
A platoon swap with the Hornets would make for a younger, and in my opinion better, Suns squad for years to come.
The Beard is considered among the best players in the league. He is in truly elite status. While Brandon Knight is a very good guard in his own right, he is not on the level of James Harden. But, evidently his contract is.
Markieff Morris was just dealt to the Washington Wizards for Kris Humphries, Dajuan Blair, and a first round pick. Not a bad deal for the Suns. But, a straight up trade of Kieff for Z-Bo? I think I like that frontcourt far better for this team.
The Thunder also deserve two trade scenarios. Not because they have the incredible depth, but because they have TWO of the league’s best players on their roster. Many teams would blow up their rosters for a shot at KD or Russ. The Suns would only need to get rid of one starter in either of these trades in exchange for franchise-altering superstar.
The Warriors are one the most finely built basketball machines this generation of NBA fans have seen. They have built a championship team that looks more like a dynasty with each game. They have done so through amazing drafts, smart trades, and incredible staff-work. They are truly the shining example of how to build a team from the ground up in the NBA. Some would argue that Steph Curry has become the best player in the NBA, and he backed that up with an MVP last year. In this trade, we swap an overpriced offensive PG for the MVP of the league and an overpriced 3-and-D PF for score from anywhere SF. I say this trade makes a whole lot of sense for the Suns.
The Suns are not a completely awful team, they will most likely finish just out of the playoffs. They have simply had a disappointing season, and the contracts shown here make it far more disappointing. The Suns do seem to have a bright future with the likes of Devin Booker and Alex Len, but it would be nice to get a true superstar on the team. None of these trades will happen, but it’s a nice dream to have for any Suns fan.
(All images were captured from http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine)
