If you’re the heat wouldn’t you rather just have the 2031 suns pick though?

If you go by age alone in 2031 KD will 42, Butler will be 41, and Book will be 34 lol.

Seriously though, it is extremely hard to get a pick higher than 6-7 with another teams pick. There are so many tanking teams, that if your team is bad but not actively tanking, you will at worst end up giving up a pick in the mid lottery. I guess having it unprotected there is a tiny chance you win the lottery, but those odds are tiny.

Take a look at the sixers pick this year owed to OKC. They have been about as bad/unlucky as you can be, and still that pick won’t be a top 5 pick due to the Wizards/Raptors/Hornets/Jazz etc

It’s interesting because ultimately this is a very specific bet by Utah: they are betting that Phoenix is going to stay in win-now mode and flip these three picks to upgrade their roster. If that’s the case, then Phoenix is almost certain to crash in a few years and the ‘31 pick will likely be very good.

On the other hand, Phoenix could zag and use this trade to start in on their rebuild. They could look to trade Durant in the off season for expirings and picks, trade Book for a king’s ransom, and then start building around those new draft picks. Beal stays because he has almost no value.

It’s weird to do a rebuild without your own picks, but that just means you can continue to be aggressive in free agency and try to win games as you develop your young players.

Honestly, after the unmitigated disaster of the Beal trade, this is probably their best option.

I think Utah absolutely won this trade, I’m surprised Jazz fans aren’t happy. To me, Danny Ainge strikes again..

Yeah anybody who doubts Ainge at this point is a moron

Without their own picks they can only dig so much, they’re a ticking time bomb to being a team with no present and no future

With how bad the suns are right now they could have already finished tanking by 2031 and be on the come up lol

You say this as if there aren’t a few middle school kids that are going to grow up to be monsters in the next six years.

They don’t have to pick the kid out today.

No… but just maybe things will be different this time…

²⁰¹⁴⁄₁₅ Cavs - they were sitting at 19-20 before trading for Mosgov, Smith, and Shumpert. Finishing the regular season 34-9 run and going to the Finals and then winning the title the year after

the early 2010s nets got close

It works in 2k all the time…

Perfect way to put it. This team have no foundation. No pride. Players know if they lose theyre getting traded. A lot of championship teams took multiple years and small trades to get there. This owner likes to blow it up one year into their core. Its nuts.

I’m still waiting for a team to actually successfully build by aggregating incredible defenders and then just taking on a supposedly garbage, worthless offensive ballhog, only for them to look great when people cover for their weaknesses.

Something tells me, injuries aside, Beal would actually look great playing for the Spurs.

Teams keep piling ball-dominant offensive players on top of each other and wondering why it isn’t working.

They needed a proper PG or a Center after trading Ayton.

I cannot understand the Beal trade other than use it or lose it cap space since they are over the cap.

CP3 was cooked and they wanted to flip him into a player with value.

That all being said, I don’t know what they could’ve done differently at the time if trading CP3 was inevitable.

Well we’re clearly trading these picks to get Butler and off Beal.

25th overall pick at the very best for each of those in my opinion

Worst of those 3 is like almost confirmed 25+. Might as well just buy 2nds with cash instead.

They’re gonna use them for 35 year old Jimmy Butler lmao

The 2021 unprotected heat pick the suns got in 2015 was a major trade chip for 5 years yet it amounted to Tre Mann in the end.

Well, it is the Suns after all so Im thinking we are trading for Butler..

Those picks you traded are bad first round picks too. Still first round picks, but they should be pretty deep in the round. Cleveland this year will be almost a second rounder. Neither Minnesota or Cleveland would be expected to be lottery teams in two year. Betting odds are in favor of one of Minnesota, Cleveland or Utah being good enough to avoid the lottery in 2029.

The big risk here is that Phoenix might have enough time to rebuild after all their high payroll guys retire by 2031, but you all have enough first rounders that you can afford to take the gamble.

Seriously these are the least favorable of multiple picks in each year, which likely means at least one of them is in the 20’s. Flipping that for an unprotected first on a team hemorrhaging future flexibility is a worthy gamble imo

Unknown “win-now assets” from Beal’s new team. Enjoy!

1-2 firsts with Beal, 1 to Miami alongside contracts from the third team? Idk

I’ll go even further with a smoking hot take — I feel confident a Jimmy trade is happening in the next 3 weeks

With Durant’s age the Suns don’t really have the time to wait for late 1st in 27 and 29 to restock the team.

Still, I’ll take Ishbia cooking meth over Robert Sarver just using it.

Super Rich owner. Absolutely not scared to go all in regardless of long-term ramifications. Honestly, as much as everyone, myself included, is going to absolutely trash Phoenix. If this doesn’t work out, which it doesn’t appear likely to, I respect an owner who’s willing to put his money where his mouth is as far as trying to really aggressively chase a championship instead of just cashing checks and sitting on their hands

No way on earth would it be a one-to-one swap, there needs to be a 3rd team involved which is the biggest question

Yea Utah is taking the 31st knowing suns bout to go all in for another star then possibly be trash by 2031

The more I’m on r/nba the more I notice people not understand the stepien rule.

Karl Malone leading the assault.

It’s only been 2.5 years, if we’re still bad in another 2 then I’ll be worried but it’s definitely not trust the process territory yet

Is he even gonna be around in 2031? Like how long before he retires

They haven’t even been bad for that long lol, they were the first seed a few seasons ago.