Valley of the Suns
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The Phoenix Suns were wise not to trade for Kyrie Irving

By Lucas Johnson

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 18: Tyson Chandler #4 of the Phoenix Suns walks up the court during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 18, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 18: Tyson Chandler #4 of the Phoenix Suns walks up the court during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 18, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Even though the Phoenix Suns are struggling at the point guard position, the team is still better off even after it didn’t trade for Kyrie Irving.

It may seem like a distant memory with the NBA season in full swing, but the Phoenix Suns were one the teams chasing All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. Now fast forward a month into the season, Irving is thriving with the Boston Celtics and the Suns are struggling to get consistent point guard play. It appears that on the surface, the Suns missed out on adding a legit star point guard, however the Suns will be better in the long term without Irving on the roster.

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Irving wouldn’t have made the impact in Phoenix that he’s making in Boston. Irving has proven to be a great leader with the Celtics and there is no doubt that he would’ve done well leading the young Suns’ roster. However, there are several major differences between the two squads. Boston has one of the best head coaches in Brad Stevens and though interim head coach Jay Triano has been much better than former head coach Earl Watson, it would be laughable to compare Stevens and Triano. The Celtics currently have the best defense in the NBA and the Suns have the worst ranked defense in points allowed per game. Although Irving looks solid on defense with the Celtics this season, it’s improbable that he would improve the Suns significantly on the defensive side of the ball.

The Suns would’ve had to give up too much to acquire Irving. It appeared that the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted either Josh Jackson or Devin Booker, which wasn’t going to happen. Giving up a core player for a guy that was unwilling to commit and that could walk in the summer of 2018 would just be plain silly. There is also a chance if trade talks ever got serious between the two clubs, that the Cavs would have asked for a first round draft pick as well. Any deal would have left a chance of a quick rebuild, if Irving would’ve bolted from Phoenix, unreachable.

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Irving wouldn’t have made the Phoenix Suns a contender and acquiring him would have cost too much. With that in mind, the Suns are much better dealing with the poor play of Mike James and Tyler Ulis at this point. The team has a good core and needs time to grow. It may take some time, but in the long haul the Suns are better off without Irving.

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