There has been a lot of chatter about the Suns trading for Kyrie Irving. Make no mistake, a Suns team with Irving would be a lot more fun to watch.
The flip side is that Irving would make the Suns more frustrating to watch as well because he has all the same problems that have plagued the team for years. Namely, he can’t play defense. Valley of the Suns’ own Lucas Johnson has made a good case that Irving is worth acquiring if at the price is right. I would contend that, regardless of price, the best move for the Suns is to be a third party facilitator in an uncle Drew trade.
There are a few reasons:
- Irving is younger than Bled, but not as young as the rest of the Suns core group, which makes his fit less than ideal for the total youth movement.
- Kyrie dribbles and shoots too much, which will take away from Devin Booker who is a more efficient offensive player. It also doesn’t fit the motion offense coach Watson wants to run.
- The Suns should be more focused on continuing to grab future assets in order to peak in four to five years since the Warriors aren’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
- The Suns are already built around a defensive liability in Booker and need a point guard who can help cover up for his weaknesses.
- Irving has given the list of cities he wants to be in long-term and Phoenix isn’t on that list. After two years of likely losing in a Suns uniform, it’s doubtful he will want to return for more.
With those reasons in mind, I give you five potential Irving trades that would make a lot more sense for the Suns.