Building a Best-Case Scenario Offseason For the Phoenix Suns

Building a Best-Case Scenario Offseason For the Phoenix Suns

today on locked on suns we’ve gone through all the options we’ve broken down every permutation I prepped for hours here it is we will build the best case scenario Phoenix Suns off season for 2024 you ready let’s go you are locked on suns your day Phoenix Suns podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and we are back this is lockon Phoenix Suns we are part of the lockon podcast Network and I’m your host Brendan clean credential media member covering the Suns for the past seven seasons and the host of the just basketball show wherever you get your podcast thank you for making locked on suns your first listen to kick off a short work week hopefully for many of you happy Tuesday welcome back welcome for the first time wherever you are whenever you are thank you hit follow or subscribe if you haven’t already get a new episode in your feed we do this every day Monday through Friday hit that button very easy for you my promise content every day Monday through Friday throughout the offseason and Beyond become in every day or get locked on to the Phoenix Suns right here with the podcast today’s episode guys is brought to you by the FanDuel sports book make every moment more by visiting FanDuel new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s a 150 bucks straight to your account with any winning $5 bet visit fanduel.com lockon to get started okay what do I mean when I say best case scenario offseason well it means realistic it means within the realm of possibility within reason but I’m going top to bottom so I’m not just saying oh it would be great if the sun’s added this player no I’m breaking it all down I’m giving you the options on the players the sun signed last year what happens on draft night what happens in free agency reigning players who don’t have an option what does the final rotation look like what do we look forward to Beyond even the summer all of it right here right now so let’s start with those options the Suns don’t have control of this let me just say that first right it this is best case scenario but it’s one thing the Suns don’t get to choose which is player options if you remember a lot of the guys they signed last summer they gave these options to so that those players would have more guaranteed money if they wanted it now I would say the guys as a reminder are aogi Gordon Lee and Eubanks I would say that all four of those guys could go either way I think Damien Lee just from a security standpoint given his pretty ugly um meniscus injury is probably the most likely to opt in but I’m just going to tell you what I what I would like to see just to build the best Sons team out aogi in I think a wing Defender with energy is a good thing to have he’s the only guy for sure want back Eric Gordon I don’t think it was a good fit on the court or stop or behind the scenes it didn’t so so much seem and then Damen Lee I just don’t think he you can’t expect him to contribute and then Drew Eubanks you know it it wasn’t a great season in Phoenix for him needless to say but we’ll see what happens it’s not only just important for clarity which these are all due by June 30th it’s also how many other roster spots do the Suns have to fill because I mean it might sound like the least of anybody’s concern but when we’re talking about all these different things they could do right now heading into next season the Suns have four uh 5 6 7 8 9 9 10 11 slots filled on their roster already and that’s without resigning Royce O’Neal or a B bowl that would get you to 13 and then suddenly you’re running out of room pretty fast here if you want to make improvements so what those guys do is pretty big separate from whatever role they might play next year the draft that of course is the first big order of business and a lot of the draft might even happen before we know about all the player options but here’s what I think so of course the Suns go into draft KN with the 22nd overall pick they also would have had you know a pick in the 50s but they lost it because of their tampering with Drew Eubanks so the second round only has 28 picks the draft only has 58 picks this year in the NBA Sixers I guess helped the Suns out did them a solid by making them not the only team to lose a pick but anyway so that’s what they have at their disposal I am of the opinion that I know on Monday’s episode if you listen to that one Brandon and I did the predicting kind of our holy crap off seasons for the Suns or imagining a holy crap off season and of course bronnie James would be an option here on draft night I propose the concept of the Suns using one of the draft picks that they have uh on hand to trade this year which is this pick of course 22 but also their 2031 pick should become available to them on draft night trading some combination of all of that to move off of Yousef nurkic free up some of the available assets and resources that the Suns could potentially get if they moved from being a second apron team to just being a first apron team but the more that I poked around here I just don’t actually think that that’s it’s not going to happen in my opinion um even if you get get off of nurkic and only get back a minimum player in return you’re probably talking about also losing Royce O’Neal for nothing just not resigning him and bringing in a minimum player instead and even then you’re not it’s not a slam dunk that it’s going to happen unless the Suns wanted to trade one of the big three for Less salary and probably nkit or something like that I don’t think it’s really going to happen so with that said as I’m looking to the draft I’m thinking again as we’ve mostly spent most of our time talking about throughout this early part of the offseason I’m thinking what can I attach to nurit to get a player back okay so the best one I could come up with when I’m looking at teams that have cap space that could maybe take nurkic back and you know send something that is a little bit less in salary also has I I was look prioritizing teams that had a second additional pick that the Suns could maybe get um to even out the value overall I’m not saying this is the absolute best Yousef nerkish trade I could possibly think of okay but I think it checks a lot of boxes and I think you’re better off finding a team that has the cap flexibility to take him rather than expecting a contending team or some kind of team trying to win to want use of nerkish on their roster he just costs a lot of money and is a difficult fit for the same reasons he has been for the Suns so with all that said Charlotte is where I landed Yousef nurkic to Charlotte along with the 2031 Suns first round pick top four protected so nurkic plus a top four protected 2031 first for Grant Williams Trey man and the 42nd pick this season okay Grant Williams Trey man and number 42 this year what that allows you to do is get a little bit more depth on the wing at the forward spot add another point guard is bench Creator option in Trey man and then get a pick at 42 that you could still draft a player with another option just for the sake of not pinning myself to one Avenue um that does not include that additional pick and isn’t quite uh big of a deal would just be youf nurkic plus that top four protected 2031 pick straight up for Quinton Grimes in Detroit now if Monty Williams stays the coach honestly nkit is a pretty good fit for how Monty likes to play Grimes is not quite as big on the wing as you might like but uh definitely fills that sort of point of attack Defender option and if he could make his threes I mean that could be a really valuable young player for the Suns to bring in in the draft notice what I did there best case scenario the Suns can use that 2031 pick not this year’s pick to get something and get off of nurkic which would allow them of course to then draft a player with 22 I’ve fluctuated back on back and forth on this and this is where I again go to best case best case the Suns do both it’s not trade nerkish or take a player maybe it’s both and this Avenue would be an ability to do both so with the 22nd overall pick Doom the sun’s pick kle wear number one has basically the same name as Superman which is very cool number two he’s a little bit older than your uh Eve Missy and some of the other bigs that might be Dron Holmes I I think he actually might be older um but is a little smaller you have filipowski and Edy who are more uh traditional bigger less athletic guys so I went with wear who kind of splits the difference between the Freshman the older guys the small guys and the big guys he’s big he’s a little older I think he could contribute and he’s a center with real Center size Jaylen Bridges number 42 overall pick which they would get if they did this Charlotte deal he’s just a wing who can shoot uh you know has comps to Mel Bridges and whatnot in the ringer draft guide I want to be very clear I do not know nearly enough about the draft to be AB absolutely positive of what these guys’ outcomes will be in the NBA but I’m doing my homework I’m reading up on the names watching some videos and everything else and so there we go what this means is the Suns keep nir little and that’ll matter as we go along so so far Josh aogi is on the roster Grant Williams Trey man khle wear and Jaylen bridges are all on the Phoenix Suns roster next up who do they Reign for how much and where do the Suns look in free agency we’ll get to all of that coming up next first Today’s Show brought to you by the FanDuel sports book the official sports book of the locked on podcast Network make every moment more because it’s winner take all time in the NBA and NHL and FanDuel is giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s $150 bucks to bet on spreads money lines player props and more overhead FanDuel I have a great one for for you the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night are underdogs eighto underdogs on the road in Connecticut I’m not going to quibble with that line the over under pretty decent to it it’s like an 170 or something so whatever I’m not going to touch those what I will touch Kalia copper to score 25 plus is plus 100 she is plus 360 to score 30 plus I really like that she’s hit 30 plus like half the time this season already just the one to keep in mind their WNBA stuff been great this year at FanDuel in addition to the NBA as that postseason winds down visit fanduel.com lockon and make every playoff shot count fandle America’s number one sports book all right let’s keep the show rolling here is where we are headed next and I want to remind you guys to check out lock on NBA all playoffs long four daily breakdowns of all the big games the offseason moves coaching searches and more free agency so the draft is out of the way the sun’s were able to add some depth at a few positions get off of nurkic Trade A protected 2031 pick while also selecting two players we’re on a roll we’re moving we’re feeling good first let’s talk about who the Suns have on their roster that they need to decide on bullbull let’s start there I’ve said this before and I’m still sticking with it keep him I think of a lot of the players the Suns have on their roster bull jumps out as somebody who really could Blossom even more than he did last year under Mike buen holer he’s never been able to play um a real role on a real team until a couple years ago with Orlando and that Faded by the End Phoenix did it again last year so this would be year three really contributing to B to winning basketball and learning lessons and developing he’s entering sort of you know what his prime should be age-wise and he’s been healthy he’s a small ball big that’s what bud has I mean every team he’s ever touched they’ve been able to make good things happen in that realm you know C to Boris Dia in San Antonio but even obviously Al Horford and um Bobby pis and Brook Lopez and that player type he really uh wins with so bullbull I’m giving him a player option like the Suns did with Gordon and aogi and all those guys last year so the deal is two years 4.9 million with the player option on year two and I’m resigning Royce O’Neal you you got to right I mean you gave up a decent amount of second round picks for him that was your big swing I think he played fine he played as well as Royce O’Neal should have been expected to play in the playoffs right I mean he’s streaky with his shot he’s not quite as big as you might like but he is a rotation player in the regular season for sure and in the playoffs I think as your 7th eth man you could do a lot worse and in this case for the Sons he was like their fifth guy a lot of nights so in a smaller role I think you feel good about it so I’m not giving him Grayson Allen money he’s not as impactful and valuable as as Grayson Allen but I’m giving him a raise from his current contract which is about 9 and a half million this past season and I’m going to give him a little a touch more than the mid-level exception just as a hey you’re you know you’ve been underpaid most of your career you had a good season we know you have some lever against us cuz we got to bring you back if we’re you know if I’m James Jones so 3 years starting at 13 uh 13 million increasing by 5% every season which is what NBA contracts mostly do brings us to three years 41 million I’ll even give him a player option on year three just kind of tie a bow around all this make it as attractive to him as it possibly can be three years 41 million for Royce O’Neal gives the Suns a rotation player as I mentioned but also in the future another potential salary to trade I mean think about where they were when they traded for Beal they had zip zilch NADA to deal in other trades they eventually got back when they broke eight and up into three contracts that helped but they ended up trading four minimum guys for O’Neal kind of illustrating you don’t want to put yourself in that situation so now you have Allen you still well you won’t have nurkic anymore but you’re going to get players back for him in the offseason I’m Dreaming up here O’Neal Allen those guys you’re you’re increasing your flexibility bit by bit here in addition to just you know keeping talent in the building next up is good old regular free agency the thing that I think most fan bases are most hyped about although I don’t think for the Suns it’ll be the biggest stuff that happens as I mentioned draft night’s going to be I think there’s going to be a lot going on we’ll get to even actually after after free agency to close the show but I have two guys and they’re Chris Dunn and goou baz all right a guard who can handle the ball and defend at the point of attack and a big man who can protect the rim and is skilled enough offensively to stay on the court okay so let me just start by saying the Suns could get neither of these players you could if you told me that these were the two most in demand available kind of not even second draft frankly because these guys are each already on their second or third team but sort of like by low Rehabilitation project players for good teams they might be the two top of that list so the Suns could get neither the Suns could get just one both of these guys could even just make more than the minimum and the Suns would be priced out from even getting them but if it again in a best case scenario in a in a the most imaginative you know a world I can create that helps the Suns the most I’m trying to get both so I’m doing the same thing as they did with those guys last season here as well player option on the second season season to give them that much more increased uh guaranteed money I should say and flexibility to kind of decide their own fate and just as a refresher here I mentioned this in last week’s episode talking through some of these uh players was don’t think of it as a year by-ear thing the Suns with the done contract for instance it would be two years around 5 a. half million do that um think of that as55 million not 2.75 or whatever okay because that’s the money that they’re getting in their pocket if they sign that contract of course they have to want to be a son for two years and feel good about the situation but that is why the Suns could compete with another team even if that team might have a bigger offer on the table remember I mean we thought Eric Gordon might have had full mid-level exception offers from Dallas or gold not Golden State they wouldn’t have been able to do that but maybe Dallas last year in addition to some smaller offers from the Clippers and the Warriors and he chose a minimum with the Suns with that player option and so it can happen so for dun it would be two years five and a half for bad it would be two years 4.8 okay if that all happened I mean man I think you’d feel pretty great about it right again you’re adding now man and done as guards you’re adding bad and we from the draft as bigs you’re adding you’re keeping B and O’Neal and aogi in place and then you’re getting um B I said baz and wear and then obviously Grant Williams in there as well if that trade were to come to pass so we’re getting toward the final stretch let me tell you what the final rotation is with all of these moves made and then actually look beyond the offseason what could happen early season in season that they would need to set themselves up for this summer and what am I not doing here in my best case scenario Suns off season we’ll get to all that next all right let’s close out the show the rotation as I have assembled it in my best case scenario Sons off season thus far is at the guard spot Devin Booker Bradley Beal Chris Dunn and Trey man on the wing Grayson Allen Josh aogi David Rody is still around nir little is still around and then okay so I I put Eric Gordon as a maybe because I’m not sure what he’ll do and then Jaylen Bridges um who is the player I just popped in there at 42 which is the pick I have the Suns getting back from the Hornets in the nerk trade in this exercise if Gordon did stay if even Lee stayed here with their player options you could I guess have a player at 42 that becomes a two-way guy maybe then you don’t keep bull bow I don’t know Domino effects again that’s why I started with those player options but that’s the wing rotation forwards Durant Grant Williams Royce O’Neal bullbull big men goou baz and khle wear now okay so I think it’s a little thin on the big big men right especially look if you were to part of what’s tough with the trade having to basically come on draft night is if you were to um trade nurkic and not get a big man back in that trade which again my my pick there was Grant Williams Trey man and number 42 and then you don’t get batad things get really Bleak really quickly I mean Andre Drummond could be an option um he would have to turn down he would have to opt out of a bigger contract and then get a minimum maybe the two-year thing helps him but that’s unlikely and also he’s not the most versatile guy he doesn’t really feel like a bud center to me felt more like a Vogal Center so that’s the risk you run with the nerkish side of things and that’s where I’m probably the most skeptical but If This Were to actually happen you have googa you have wear different types of players but I think wear a rookie big as a backup like you could do worse and then uh you have a lot of small ball options Kevin Durant bull bull Grant Williams and then you have size up and down the roster in a way that allows you to maybe go to that stuff a little bit more right imagine a lineup where you have Dunn out there and you have Williams plus like Durant or O’Neal or bull and then a a smaller center those are more sturdy small ball lineups than the suns were able to assemble this past season when they were having to put Gordon out there or little out there and those guys just aren’t physically Stout physically Stout enough to actually play that way so okay let’s look ahead to the later part of the off season which is when Grayson Allen can be traded I believe it’s somewhere in mid October and it would be it seems unlikely to me all right because you’re you’re talking about training camp will be over like the eight and trade to bring Grayson Allen in happened really late in the off season this would be even later I think it’s like the 15th or 16th of October you just don’t see a lot of Trades happen at that point in the off season so I don’t think it will happen um but keeping him was still the right move even though your hamstrung a bit this summer from being able to trade him because the value was just too good to to hold up one you know he has experience coming off the bench I don’t think he’s a temperamental guy if you make moves this summer where you know like in my exercise here I could see Grant Williams becoming the starter on this team I could see Royce O’Neal getting the starting job if bud just wants to be a little bigger than vogle did you know Allan could still come off the bench and have a ton of value especi if there’s a world where Gordon is leaving and the Suns can then turn him into a piece who fits better right I think another team another contending team could look at Grayson Allen and think well can he be our Dante dienzo who went to the Knicks after a bunch of little stops and he’s of course cheaper than Allen would be but on a great team with star players and a good defense Steven chenzo was able to slide in and make a really big impact as a off ball scorer and a defensive you know team team defensive piece at the very least um so look I think fitwise just to keep in mind for Allen as we’re thinking through what the offseason could look like Philly Orlando New Orleans Minnesota Memphis the Lakers he’s not going to be any of those team’s top priorities and again it can’t happen in the summer but you know any team that wants to win now and need some shooting I could see them looking at a trade with the Suns to say We’ll give you some you know wing and forward depth which you need or a big man and you can send us back Al hey maybe the Suns even get a pick back to replenish some of this I don’t think they’ll want to do it they’re not shopping Grayson Allen and again they can’t do it now but just you know Mark that page in your uh in your head because I don’t think it’s going to be the last we hear about Grayson Allen despite the extension and even if it can’t happen now think about last year right the reason Allen came to Phoenix and the reason they made the eighton trade was because it was all hinged on Damen Lillard of all things right we never went into last summer thinking the Suns would be involved in a Damen Lillard trade in any way shape or form but they definitely were they were the focal point Aon was the best player that Portland got back in that so if the Jimmy Butler situation and Miami or Carl Anthony towns or Brandon Ingram these guys we know might be available if that gets held up at all or Donovan Mitchell for all we know Darius Garland there you could see each of the past few Summers between Durant and Mitchell and Lillard we’ve had these things Loom throughout later into the summer it kind of is this never ending cycle Now versus for a long time when everything got decided in the first week of July so what are we not doing here I gave you the rotation I ran you through the moves but there’s a lot missing I I mean I think first and foremost no LeBron no bronny I just don’t think it’s realistic enough for me to sit here and do a whole episode building a team as if the suns are getting LeBron James on a minimum contract so I don’t want to not bring it up at all because I’m don’t want it to seem like I forgot but I don’t think that’s going to happen so I I’m not going to have it here no nir little deal right and no um second round picks going out remember the Suns still have two of those if they want to use them but I didn’t use them here so they still have that you could easily imagine a nir little plus 2 seconds type of trade at the deadline so they maintain flexibility to do that no Royce O’Neal sign and trade to a different team right the Suns cannot acquire a player on a sign and trade but they can send one out so Royce O’Neal going elsewhere and the sun’s getting something that’s technically allowed here but I did not do it I mention I’m not trying to dump players to get under the second apron line cuz I just don’t think it’s really possible given the constraints they have if they’re not making a big three trade which is another thing I’m not including here no big three trades it would be kind of crazy right it would be kind of crazy for me to sit here and say best case scenario Suns offseason and then I’m like trade Kevin Durant that’d be dumb so no no big three trade no getting under the apron line and no major point guard acquisition right in this reality here as I mentioned I’m probably rolling into next season with the starting lineup of book ER Beal Grant Williams Kevin Durant and goou bad that’s my starting five in this in this dream world and then Off the Bench you’re talking Chris Dunn uh probably Royce O’Neal Grayson Allen bullbull and khle wear that’s probably the the bench unit you know so I’m in there not really Chris Dunn is sort of a point guard and you know I’m getting a little more playmaking in the form of like Grant Williams for instance and keeping Royce o but I’m and Trey man who more of a scoring guard who just happens to be small than a pure point guard but I’m I’m addressing some of their weaknesses but I didn’t make it a priority here to say let’s go get TJ McConnell with all of this so that’s excluded from my imagination here as well but I think it’s really good I mean I’ve told you guys again and again my priority here if I’m the Suns this off season is ADD at least one trustworthy reliable rotation player to the roster with the assets that they have so of course you’re probably removing one with nurkic to batad I don’t think it’s a for sure thing that bad is a reliable postseason guy but I don’t frankly think nerk in every matchup is that either but I’m adding a bunch of darts at the board right done um um Grant batad we that’s and man I mean that’s five guys in the mix who wouldn’t have been before who could break through in addition to still having the big three plus Grayson so look it’s not a sure thing maybe some of you are thinking that’s the best they can do are you kidding me maybe it’s not maybe I’m wrong I’m I I last year for instance I did this whole thing and I did not even mention Bradley Beal and then like a week later they got Beal and I looked like an idiot and I’m ready to have all that happen and suddenly LeBron James is on this team or something or they really just they trade both of the first round picks they have with nurkic and get some player I’m not expecting I’m I’m there’s all sorts of stuff within all of this that I could be wrong about I I’m not telling you this is going to happen it’s not I’m going to get a lot of it wrong but I think it’s a good exercise because you get a little bit of your juices flowing as far as what kinds of players they could get what the deals might look like where the weak points are both in their roster and in the marketplace of guys that they can go and acquire what’s actually out there and how much better can they really get so I hope you enjoyed it if you want more content just like this throughout the offseason don’t forget to hit follow or subscribe we’ll be back with another episode tomorrow want to talk about Bradley Beal with Steven to close out the week so look forward to that where does he fit into all this was the way he was used last year really his ideal role or are we going to see yet another version of that guy under bud this upcoming season so lots to get into lots of rumors and reports flying all of it right here every day I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow

What is the best realistic offseason the Phoenix Suns could cook up in 2024?

Brendon Kleen of @justbasketballfans breaks down how trading Jusuf Nurkic at the NBA Draft, re-signing Royce O’Neale and nailing minimum signings could put the Suns in better position for a championship in 2025.

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