4. James Jones is going to make a splash move
He has to, doesn’t he?
No way is Jones as ultra-conservative in his role as interim general manager as it appeared he was last season.
Right?
Well, I’ll answer that factious question this way: if he is as ultra-conservative as he appeared to be last season, then the list ends here and the Phoenix Suns will not be the next team to win it’s first NBA title.
And logic leads me to believe that he isn’t, and that he will make a splashy move that not only shocks the league but makes Phoenix an instant contender.
Now to be fair, I am not speculating that that move will happen this offseason or upcoming season. There is a real possibility that that move isn’t made in the summer of 2020 or the subsequent season either.
The key to this splashy move will be all about timing, and with “splash” implies moving major parts to make it all happen so he’s got to have reason to believe that that splashy move will be the thing that makes the team a legitimate and serious championship contender.
Take Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri’s trade of DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard.
There was a ton of risk involved moving a fan favorite and best friend of star Kyle Lowry, especially for a player who is now unrestricted and supposedly initially preferred to be traded to Los Angeles.
Masai needed to take a risk, but only did so when he felt like that trade was the final move (although not the final final move as he later did acquire Marc Gasol as well), to put his team into a position to win it all.
Jones will certainly make a number of smaller or lesser moves to build a roster that will continue to develop, but as it does, when he see’s that it needs that extra push, Jones will not err on the side of caution, and follow in his championship winning contemporary’s lead.