The Phoenix Suns were reported to have had interest in trading for Dennis Smith Jr. Fan’s reactions to this rumor are proof of how desperate they are for the franchise to improve.
True or not, the Phoenix Suns were reported to have had interest in former 2017 9th overall selection, point guard Dennis Smith Jr., currently of the Dallas Mavericks, and currently playing second fiddle to rookie sensation Luka Doncic.
Suns fans are of course clambering for their beloved franchise to make a big splash move, with many fans showing immediate interest in the opportunity to make a trade, even if only with the caveat that the offer to Dallas be a low-ball, one that wouldn’t pull from Phoenix’s core.
However, not long after the rumor surfaced, John Gambadoro broke his own news that Phoenix was not interested in trading for Smith and that all rumors to the contrary were patently false.
The problem is, that he made his proclamation (as honest and as true as one might have to believe that it is), in a manner that apparently upset some fans. Gambo stated his information with a gravity of confidence that was taken by some as demeaning to their own desires to trade for Smith, thus starting off an isolated firestorm of hatred and vinegar to the Valley’s preeminent sports news breaker.
While anyone who hides behind a screen, whether it being desktop or handheld, spewing hate is a coward worthy of scorn and disdain from all, the reaction to Gambo’s breaking of the news in the manner that he did is still proof of a level of desperation that fans are to having something positive happen to the franchise.
Literally almost anything is proof of something that might make the team a little bit better.
Dennis Smith Jr. would not be a savior, and for many he wouldn’t even be an upgrade of De’Anthony Melton.
However, a trade would be evidence of the franchise at least trying, and when Gambo shot that rumor down as forcefully as he did, he (sincerely unintentionally) slapped many fans in the face simply for having hope – proof of their desperation.
A defeat of the number one seed in the Western Conference Denver Nuggets not withstanding, the Phoenix Suns are arguably suffering through their worst season since their inaugural year of 1968-69 – and that’s on the heels of three consecutive seasons that at the time each could have all stood as that second worst year in history.
11-33, while looking hapless and listless on both ends of the floor more often than not, is not something that Suns fans were expecting to see – and based on the theme of this season, not what the franchise was selling to it’s fans.
Dennis Smith Jr. is a name, however, that to NBA fans is at least well enough known as to be one attached to a player of some legitimate talent, and as a former top-ten pick, one that holds weight as being both young and still oozing with upside.
While he might not be the best target of trade, he is at least someone that fans are well aware is now available, and who has plenty of positive attributes that at least makes looking at a deal a worth-while endeavor.
In the end, as Phoenix is highly unlikely to trade for a player of, say, Anthony Davis’ caliber, a player like Smith is right up their alley and would be at a price that the Suns can afford. At least during the season, a player like Smith (if not Smith alone) might be the only kind of player that Phoenix would potentially be able to make a trade for: a young player who has not lived up to initial expectations and who has now been overshadowed by a more recent draft pick.
So, while he might not be a franchise-saving option like Davis would be, he is at least an option, and one that a lot of Suns fans were hoping that Phoenix was taking seriously and depending on the cost might actually make a run at.
For those of you who shot off at the mouth at Gambo: get a life. While his presentation of facts could have used a little tact, he was merely letting fans know a truth that we all needed to know.
The desire for Phoenix to be a part of a trade that might bring hope to this franchise in the near-term is real though, and with the losing continuing to pile up, anything the organization can to do help turn the tide of despair, will come with a great, and positive, reaction.