Join us as we review the highs and lows of the off-season, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 0: Off-Season & Pre-Season
Welcome baaaaaack!!
It's time to look at the Suns off-season, pre-season and preview this coming season.
Off-Season:
All things considered, it's been a quiet off-season for the Suns - NOT!
To start, everyone's hopes were high as word got out that Kevin Durant had asked for a trade from the Brooklyn Nets and our Phoenix Suns was one of his preferred destinations. This acquisition would have been the biggest since we traded for Charles Barkley back in 1992.
Alas, it wasn't to be. After the initial rush, everything went quiet. We heard rumours of packages centred around our Center Deandre Ayton and that the Suns didn't want to include both Mikal Bridges & Cam Johnson. Then, the floor really feel from the situation as Ayton signed an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers. The Suns matched this of course, but that essentially meant the KD deal was off, as Ayton cannot now be traded till mid December. Word then came out that the Nets and KD had put this mess behind them and they would move on together.
As exciting as the prospect of getting Durant was, it did mean that we did very little to improve the roster in the off-season. The situation could also be why Ayton ended up signing the offer sheet with Indiana. There also seems to have been more impact - more on that later.
It's pretty crazy how the DA situation went. He flamed out in the Playoffs, highlighted by the footage of he and Monty Williams having stern words on the sideline - the complete opposite to the Playoffs a year before. He was then forced to go get his (in my opinion) deserved money elsewhere. I wasn't surprised though. I predicted it in last years edition of this very article:
"Sarver is going to let DA sign a max offer sheet with another team and simply match it. Why would he do this? Because the maximum that another team can offer is around $130 million over 4 years aka at least $50 million staying in his own pockets."
The small additions the Suns did make were some minimum free agent signings - Josh Okogie, Damion Lee & Duane Washington Jr and a sneaky deal for Jock Landale. We essentially got him for cash as part of the Murray to Atlanta trade.
We also re-signed Bismack Biyombo and some fella named Devin Booker.
Booker signed a Super-Max extension, keeping him with the Suns for an additional 4-years at $224 million.
We lost a few players as well, the biggest one being JaVale McGee.
Don't really want to go too much in to the next bit, as it's been covered extremely well else where, but Sarver is a wrong-un and he's soon to be gone, as he's selling the team - good riddance!
Oh, the drama doesn't end there folks....
All Summer Jae Crowder has been posting on social media, but making sure that Suns logo's were not shown in any of his posts. He also kept liking comments that were negative towards the Suns or pro him moving on. The day before training camp the Suns released a statement to say that they'd mutually agreed that Crowder would not be with the team while they try and find a trade for him. No one truly knows what led to this, but speculation is that he was fed up of hearing his name in trade talks, wants a contract extension that the Suns are unwilling to give and also did not want to come off the bench behind Cam Johnson. This is still an ongoing situation, but any way you look at it, it's a loss for this team. Jae was great defensively for us and was always a vocal leader on and off the court.
Aaaand it continues....
At media day, the usually jovial Ayton was very much the opposite of that. Once again it was covered all over the NBA news cycle, but Deandre did not seem happy to be back in Phoenix. He also said in an interview a few days later that he and Monty Williams had not spoken since the game 7 elimination game. That also sent the news in to a frenzy. Williams refused to speak on the matter and finally last week in an interview with Duane Rankin, Ayton confirmed they are talking.
Can we talk about some basketball now?!
Pre-Season:
As always with NBA pre-season you have to take it all with a pinch of salt, but early signs look good.
There was a fair bit of emphasis on getting the ball out of Chris Paul's hands and getting Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson on the ball more. This is in-line with what Monty said he would do, to give the Suns more options on offense outside of Paul and Booker.
Jock Landale looks to be a great surprise pick-up. He is active on the boards and defence and has also shown that he can shoot the 3 at a decent rate. Now, this reference is very niche, but the way he moves on the court and plays reminds me of recently retired GB forward Dan Clark - I mean that in a good way.
Duane Washington Jr (Booker's mate), also seems to be a good pick-up. He scored 31 points against the Kings in a very similar style to Booker.
We did have some bad news, both the Cam's picked up hand injuries against the Lakers, but both look to be available within the first few games of the regular season.
Upcoming Games:
To start the season we'll be facing the Mavericks, who eliminated us from the Playoffs. Booker revenge game anyone?
Then for the 2nd year in a row we face the Blazers in week one. They look to be an improved team this year with Dame back from injury and the addition of Jerami Grant.
The last game of the week is against the Clippers, they look to be one of the favourites this year and the match-up will be the first big test for both sides.
My prediction for week 1 is 2-1. Wins against Dallas and Portland and a loss to the Clippers.
Prediction League:
Speaking of predictions, the Suns Fans UK Prediction League is back for season 2. Check back here each week to see how we all do!
Any Other Business:
The Season
I can't work out how this season is going to go. On the face of it, with the loss of Crowder, we could be a worse team than last year. It seems that we'll be leaning on development from Ayton, Bridges & Johnson to take us deep in to the Playoffs.
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