In the event you’re still nursing a migraine from the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. On a historic day where 37 players were traded (the most in NBA history), the Phoenix Suns shipped off one-third of their roster following the news that upcoming free agent Goran Dragic would not re-sign with the team this summer.
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The Dragon brothers were traded the Miami Heat in a three-team deal for Danny Granger, John Salmons, a 2017 first round pick (top-seven protected) and a 2021 first round pick (unprotected). Then Isaiah Thomas was dealt to the Boston Celtics for Marcus Thornton and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 first round pick (top-10 protected).
Finally, the Suns sent Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis to the Milwaukee Bucks in another three-team deal — along with that top-five protected pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, which went to the Philadelphia 76ers — for Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall.
Salmons and Marshall were waived, making this the second time the Suns have waived Kendall Marshall.
But now that the dust has settled, what’s left standing where a playoff-hopeful team used to be? What can we expect from the new additions and how will the Suns recover from the losses? Here’s a look at the five main lessons we learned from the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline for the Phoenix Suns.
Next: Lesson No. 5
5. This Is A Business
This is the most obvious fact. A week ago, most Suns fans winced at the idea of trading Goran Dragic and he still had their adoration as the face of the franchise. Now, the fan base seems to split in half between people that will miss their favorite player and those “Good riddance!” spit-on-the-ground-at-the-mere-mention-of-his-name types.
Whatever your position, the NBA is a business and this is sometimes the inevitable, unfortunate result of that truth. Did fans love Dragic a week ago? Yes. Would it have been nice to keep him around? Yes. But did the Suns, despite some alleged stubbornness from Robert Sarver, do the right thing by trading him? Again, yes.
It might have been tempting to side with Sarver and want to try and salvage the relationship with the Dragon:
But by bringing in a starting caliber point guard in Isaiah Thomas, and then drafting Tyler Ennis, the Suns had too much of a good thing. Not a single one of general manager Ryan McDonough’s deals in his first two years were bad ones in and of themselves, but this team’s chemistry was thrown out of wack and it resulted in the alienation of one of this team’s star players.
No one should feel the need to defend Dragic’s motives for leaving. The guy was a top-five point guard last season, earning Third Team All-NBA honors and dragging a group of role players to 48 wins in the West. His touches had decreased by 40 percent compared to last season, the team wasn’t improving, he was stuck playing minutes at small forward(!!) for significant stretches and by going elsewhere, he could play his style of basketball while also making a crap-ton of money.
No s**t he wanted out.
The last few days haven’t been pretty. Dragic said some true but harsh things about the front office that put them in a bind and McDonough lost a lot of his leverage once everyone found out the Dragon wanted to fly free.
But McDonough also didn’t mince words in this morning’s presser, fighting fire with fire:
On the idea that PHX traded its best player (Dragic), McDonough said, "Eric Bledsoe and Markieff Morris are still in Phoenix Suns uniforms."
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) February 20, 2015
McDonough never saw list of teams from Dragic. Even if there had been, said it wouldn't "have been worth the paper it was printed on."
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) February 20, 2015
Reading those words and remembering what Dragic said earlier this week probably feels like being a child of divorce for Suns fans. I don’t doubt that Dragic loved Phoenix, and I think once some time passes, his harsh words for the franchise won’t sting as much. But Dragic was no Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire or Shawn Marion.
He was Nash’s successor, a guy that Suns fans rooted for to succeed ever since he dropped 23 fourth quarter points on the San Antonio Spurs in a playoff game. And when he wanted to go, the Suns wound up doing the right thing by cutting him loose.
Next: Lesson No. 4
4. Logjam At The Three
On a less emotional note, the Suns now have some roster kinks to work out. For one thing, they no longer have a backup point guard. We’ll get to that position in more detail in a minute, but it’s also worth noting that Phoenix now has a logjam on the wing between P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris, T.J. Warren and the newly acquired Danny Granger.
Tucker and Morris are no strangers to playing the four for the undersized Suns. The same could be said of Granger, a former star whose career has been derailed by injury problems. The question now is whether or not Jeff Hornacek will even need to figure out what to do with Granger Danger.
McDonough has talked to Granger's agent, said "we're still trying to figure out what to do" with him. Will decide over next few days.
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) February 20, 2015
As someone who grew up watching Danny Granger back in his college days at the University of New Mexico, I would love to see the Suns keep him. I’ve already got a tab open on my computer ready to order a custom Granger Suns jersey. He’d be a useful three-point shooter off the bench and if anyone could salvage what’s left of Granger’s ailing body, it’d be the Suns’ warlock training staff.
But taking more of a realistic approach, waiving Granger wouldn’t be surprising either. His career has already reached its peak and he doesn’t really help the Suns in any of their problem areas. The draft picks were really the ultimate prize of that trade anyway.
Next: Lesson No. 3
3. Two PG Lineups Will Continue
If you thought that the Suns were going to revert back to a traditional lineup when they traded Dragic and Thomas away within minutes of each other, guess again. Ennis is also gone, but it was in a three-team team that brings in Brandon Knight, easily the best player involved in that deal.
Knight and Eric Bledsoe are both extremely effective with the ball in their hands. As combo guards, they’re also capable of playing off the ball. McDonough was quick to note that the two-PG system will continue, which should come as no surprise to anyone:
McDonough said signing Thomas wasn't a mistake. "He played well & we played well." Said the 2-PG system proved it works but requires buy-in.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) February 20, 2015
Now the only thing to be determined is how Knight feels about joining a team where he won’t be in complete control of the offense. With the Milwaukee Bucks this season, Knight was averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting nearly 41 percent from three-point range.
Some thought Knight was snubbed of an All-Star spot, given his strong numbers and the obvious fact that he was the best player on a playoff-bound Bucks team. But as we learned with the Isaiah Thomas acquisition, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. In the words of Walter White, the chemistry must be respected.
So far, we’re getting conflicting reports about how Knight feels about his new home:
@briesop He was bummed when he found out about the deal. He is a combo guard but he wants to be a point.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) February 19, 2015
A friend who has known Brandon Knight for many years said he's quiet, smart & hard-working. Will he be OK with often being a 2? "No doubt."
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) February 20, 2015
There’s probably a little bit of truth to both. It’s worth mentioning, though, that Knight has yet to offer his own thoughts on the deal. Most traded players yesterday took to Twitter to express their disappointment, say their goodbyes or show their excitement about their new destinations. Knight’s last tweet? Still Feb. 18.
Let’s not read too much into the situation based on a lack of tweeting, but it will be interesting to see how the Bledsoe-Knight dynamic plays out. An all-Kentucky backcourt, especially one so athletic and young, is exciting on paper. But with Knight being a restricted free agent this summer, the Suns could have another Bledsoe situation on their hands, albeit a less expensive one.
Next: Lesson No. 2
2. Playoffs Are A Long Shot
Sorry to burst your bubble, Suns fans, but this team just lost two quality point guards and an important backup big and only got one quality point guard in return. This team was already holding on for dear life in the Western Conference standings and now three important players are gone.
Even in a perfect world where Granger is able to come in off the bench and knock down threes, the Suns didn’t shore up any of their weaknesses at the trade deadline. They didn’t improve their rebounding, they didn’t improve defensively, they didn’t add any power forwards and if anything happens to Alex Len, Brandan Wright is the only one who can prevent a full-on tail spin.
Last night’s win over the Dallas Mavericks moved the Oklahoma City Thunder into the eighth spot by virtue of their tiebreaker over the Suns in head-to-head matchups. A win tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves would move Phoenix back into eighth, but for how long?
The Thunder have been surging and made all the right moves at the deadline, acquiring Enes Kanter, D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and Steve Novak without having to send out any vital pieces. They might have ousted the Suns even without making those moves.
The Los Angeles Clippers keep winning without Blake Griffin, the Portland Trail Blazers added Arron Afflalo, the San Antonio Spurs are still the defending champs and the Dallas Mavericks are too experienced to slip out of the playoffs.
Even if this team manages to come together and find that same kind of chemistry that the 2013-14 Phoenix Suns had, there will be an adjustment process with so many new faces and young players needing to step up. Enjoy what you see of Archie Goodwin, because the playoffs probably aren’t happening now.
Next: Lesson No. 1
1. Long-Term > Short-Term
That being said, that doesn’t mean there’s no reason for optimism. By trading Dragic, the Suns avoided being sucked into a situation where they had to dish out a five-year, $100 million-plus contract to a 28-year-old. Dragic’s crafty playing style will help him remain effective into his 30s, and the salary cap is set to jump through the roof in the next few years, but now the Suns have cap space to play with.
Marcus Thornton is a streaky bench scorer much like Gerald Green, but if he doesn’t fit, his $8 million contract expires this summer. Even if the Suns keep Granger, he’s on a super cheap contract. In other words, the Suns could be players in free agency this summer.
They’ll likely have to pay Knight a contract that goes into 10 figures, but they have the room to do so after shipping out Dragic and Thomas. And by nabbing all those future first rounders, the Suns made their long-term future a little bit brighter, even if that 2021 unprotected pick is six years down the road — giving the Heat plenty of time to prepare for it.
The Suns still have young, extremely talented players to work with. Bledsoe, Len, the Morrii, Knight and Goodwin form a promising core that will need time to grow together. McDonough did the best he could being forced to work out that many trades in such a short amount of time, so even though losing that valuable Lakers pick hurts, the Suns are still in decent shape with this rebuild.
Next: Phoenix Suns Trade Grades: Goran Dragic Joins Miami Heat