Recapping Phoenix Suns’ draft strategy, NBA free agency with Kevin O’Connor

Recapping Phoenix Suns’ draft strategy, NBA free agency with Kevin O’Connor

A lot of NBA to discuss, a lot of NBA that’s been happening in the last 24 hours or so since free agency opened. And of course, the Phoenix Suns had themselves a busy busy week last week with the Durant trade and everything that happened at the draft. And joining us right now here on the Burns and Gambo show to talk about all of it. We welcome him back to the program. You can see him if you’re watching at Arizonaports.com, host of the Kevin Oconor show. There’s our guy Kevin Oconor from Yahoo Sports. How you doing, Kev? Good to see you, man.
I’m doing excellent today, guys. Always an honor to join you guys and Gambo came on my show the day of the the KD trade. Uh appreciate you joining me again on on that time. Gambo was on top of everything, man. On top of all of it through this whole process.
Thanks. Thanks, Kev. Thanks. We had talked when uh when the trade was made and it was tough to evaluate because you had five second round picks. You had the 10th pick overall. We didn’t know who it was going to turn into. Um, now that you’ve seen what they’ve done with the 10th pick and getting the Duke center Malawatch and you add in Brooks and you add in Green, do you feel how do you feel about the trade the Suns made getting rid of a soon to be 37y old Kevin Durant for what they got?
I feel awesome about it. I mean, look, this is going to be a younger team. You’re not going in with finals expectations if you’re the Phoenix Suns at this point, but you feel good about the roster specifically if you’re Devin Booker. If you look around the locker room right now, you’re like, “Okay, I got some dogs by my side. I got Dylan Brooks on my team. I got some bigs. Mark Williams, maybe we can tap more out of him in Phoenix.” Come on, Malawatch with everything that he brings as a rookie out of Duke as a lob threat as a guy who can maybe be a floor spacer and a lock down defender in the paint. You feel good about that. You feel good about your role players, Rashir Fleming getting him as well. So, I think Jaylen Green is really the big X factor here in all of this because over four years in Houston, we saw flashes. Like, there were stretches where Jaylen Green went on a tier averaging 25, 30 points per game over month-long periods. But then, as we see in the postseason, there’s stretches where he has two for 10 games, one for six games, four points, frustrating, you’re you’re face palming, you’re hating him as a Rockets fan, as a Suns fan. We’ll see. I mean like is he gonna in a new situation be like a lot of guys and be the same or maybe in this new situation Jaylen Green becomes a steal of a return for Kevin Durant. So I think over time Gamble like you know when I you and I talked on that day initially I was like how do you not get your future picks back? How do you not get those back? But I think as things have settled and in time, as you’ve seen their draft picks and you think more about it, it’s like, okay, Jaylen Green after four years entering his fifth season, he is the upside guy and we’ll see how he develops for the Suns, especially if they make room for him getting rid of Beiel.
Yeah. Let me get your thoughts on Kevin Durant, too, because, you know, he he hasn’t impacted winning here the way, you know, we we would expect him to. They couldn’t get Castle. They couldn’t get the number two pick. They couldn’t get Jabari Smith. They couldn’t get We wear. They couldn’t get Zubot. They couldn’t get Yovic. They couldn’t get those guys. What do you think that says about Kevin Durant and what his value was?
I mean, it wasn’t great. He’s, you know, in his late 30s and he’s got only one year left on his contract and him and his agent Rich Kimman were trying to push their way to their preferred destinations and there were certain teams that I’m sure would have been willing to take a risk and there were certain teams that preferred not to. And clearly Minnesota was one of those teams that wasn’t going to go all the way in among other teams that weren’t going to go all the way in for a a disgruntled Kevin Durant on top of the fact he’s always moody and always unhappy. So I I think for KD the Houston situation though is pretty ideal for for KD there with the Rockets. And so I think for him it’s a it’s an outstanding opportunity with that team especially with the changes that they’ve made. But Phoenix it’s just it’s just unfortunate like things have happened the way that they have. But I think ultimately Ishbia and that remade front office did a really nice job this offseason overall. Kevin Oconor is our guest here on the Burns and Gambo show. Specifically the fit with Devin Booker and Jaylen Gre. How do you think that will work? What does that look like to you when you kind of close your eyes and envision it? I mean look, I think Booker, we’ve seen him toggle between being this offball guy who can hit threes off of screens and curl around and attack off the basket. We’ve seen him be point book. We we saw that pre Chris Paul. We saw that a little bit uh post Chris Paul as well. So I think Booker, you know, at this point he’s going to be 29 years old next season. He’s a season veteran. You know what you’re going to get from Devin Booker. I think it means more point book I would imagine for the Phoenix Suns this season and moving forward. And Jaylen Green is just more of an offball guy. Green is that guy coming off of screens, coming off of handoffs, being a floor space or attack and closeouts, also a lob threat in the half court as well with his elite athleticism. So, I think Booker is going to be that primary creator for the engine of the offense. And then Jaylen Green is going to be that kind of athletic flank next to Book um offering like different style, different speed next to him. So, I in theory I I like the combination, but so much of it comes down to Jaylen Green’s consistency because he’s one of those weird guys where like he has elite touch from the free throw line. He’s an 80% guy from the line going way back to high school, but he’s never been a consistent three-point shooter off the catch or off the dribble. So, I I’ve always wondered, is it something mechanical in his hands that just hasn’t been corrected? Is it something mental with him? Is it is it something with like how he’s transferring power from his lower body into the release of his shot? It could be any of those things or all of the above of those things. But if he can develop into a consistent three-point shooter and translate that elite touch from the line and near the basket into three-point range, that’s when you’re cooking. That’s when you have a dominant back court. And so, we’ll see if he can ever do that, though.
Obviously, the Damen Lillard news caught everybody today. I saw your tweet about it and it was shocking to see it. All I could think about was Bradley Beal and and the Phoenix Suns and wondering about the cards that he holds and the power that he has in his situation, whether it’s the no trade clause or his willingness to take less money when it comes to a buyout because he he it needs to happen. What do you think is the most likely outcome for Bradley Beal’s tenure with the Phoenix Suns? Kevin,
I mean, it feels like a trade is highly improbable at this point. teams are, you know, running out of money in free agency and it’s just not a lot of destinations that you can imagine getting to that number for him in a trade. So, I I would imagine that a buyout would be most likely involving Bradley Bale and him perhaps giving something back. But at the same time, like you mentioned Damen Lillard, Lillard didn’t give anything back. He’s going to get all of that money. And so if you’re Bradley Beal and his representation, I’m sure you could make the argument, well, Damen Lillard just had that when he, you know, he he’s Damen Lillard and he’s out for a season. With Bradley Beal, why would we have to give anything back? So, I’m sure those negotiations will happen. But ultimately, if if you’re Bradley Beal and you really want to go to a situation where you’re wanted in a team because you could sign anywhere, maybe giving something back is advantageous for you. And so, I I think that’s the most likely outcome for Hammerhead.
Yeah, sure. because he could get two years mid-level with somebody else. I would think he’s still gonna, you know, even if he only plays 4550 games a year, you’re going to get 20 points out of the guy. He can still score the basketball. He should go somewhere he’s happy. The Suns have to move on. They have to addition by subtraction. They’ve got to get rid of that guy. So,
big time. They they they have to for Jaylen Green’s sake. And like also for the young guys, like Rashir Fleming is a guy who’s going to be getting three-point shots. Kobe Brea, their second round pick, is going to be a weapon. So, it’s like you want those younger players, not to mention Jaylen Green, getting those opportunities and those minutes, not a guy who a you don’t want to be there and b doesn’t even want to be there. He’s not part of your future. So, like they have to get rid of him regardless of what it has to be. Whether it’s waving him or buying him out, stretching the contract, like whatever the way you get to do it, you got to get rid of Bradley Beal. Have to. I want to sneak one in here on this one because I’m I’m curious. the level of urgency for the Suns to get this Bradley Beal business wrapped up as soon as possible given the unlocking that it would create for the rest of the roster with the second apron. What how what level of urgency needs to exist to come to a resolution with Bradley Beal soon so they can get on with the rest of the business when it comes to the roster by getting out of that second apron.
I think there’s urgency for both sides really. I think for the Suns there’s urgency and if I’m Bradley Beal’s representation I want him to be let go as soon as possible as well because eventually those you know mid-level exceptions $14.1 million are going to get dried up. Teams are going to offer those elsewhere and the preferred destinations aren’t going to be there for you anymore. And so I think for Bradley Beal’s side of things, there may be even more urgency than there is on the side of the Phoenix Suns considering those situations could dry up and you know suddenly you’re like okay well what are we looking at here? We’re not looking at 14 million. We’re looking at vet minimum or or the room mid-level exception and that’s a hell of a lot less money for fe for Bradley Beal. I was blown away by what the Suns did in the second round to go from the end of the second round with two useless picks that were going to be guys on two-way contracts to get to the number one spot to get Fleming. You usually don’t see three trades before the draft even started to go get their guy. Fleming was the guy that they wanted. They had a grade, a top 20 grade on him and they tried to move up at the end of the first round. Didn’t do it. Got him in the second round with all of those maneuvering. You I read what you said about you loved the Suns draft. Love it. Malawatch Fleming Brea, what did you love about their draft?
I mean, with Malawatch in the first round, you get just an upside two-way big. He’s he’s an elite lob guy. He’s he got great touch. He could become a shooter, and he’s an excellent rim protector who’s rapidly improved. He’s raw. Had zero rebounds in his last game at Duke. So, there’s ways for him to improve, but major upside. Rashier Fleming with a 31st pick out of St. Joe’s. With him, you’re getting typical 3ND style guy. He he hasn’t faced a high level of competition at St. Joe’s. Struggled in some tougher opponents, especially towards the latter end of the season, but knockdown shooter, can do the simple stuff on offense, plays hard on defense, has just great size as well. So to get him at 31 and it was kind of a bidding war for that 31st pick, it seems like was a win. And then you get Kobe Brea after that, one of the best shooters in this entire draft class. And with Brea, he’s going to come in right away from day one. I think in summer league, Suns fans are going to see right away like, whoa, this dude is lights out. Like, he has a skill that is going to allow him a lot of chances over the years in the NBA. I had him, I think, ranked in the late 30s or early 40s. And with him, he can do more than just shoot as well. The only question with him is defense and how much he’ll be be a reliable defender. But offensively, he can shoot off of movement and he can shoot off the dribble. And so I think with him, he’s not just some specialist stand still in the corner. He’s a guy you can use in creative actions and he can hit a one or two dribble pull up or side step off the dribble as well. So I think like all three of those picks, the Suns, I mean, look, maybe Brian Gregory and Matt Isia, those guys know exactly what they’re doing because I thought they nailed it on draft night. Uh, all three of those picks I love for the team and I love for the fit around Devin Booker as well because they’re upside guys and great fits with Booker. Kevin, we appreciate the conversation. Thanks for carving out a few minutes of your day for us. Really, really enjoy your work and we thank you for your time, man.
Thank you guys. Always a pleasure to come on with you. Have a great day.
All right. Thanks, Kevin. Kevin Oconor, Yahoo Sports, the Kevin Oconor show, joining us here on the Burns and Gambo Show and we are very appreciative of him coming on for a few minutes. Thanks for watching Burns and Gambo. Click to see more from the guys and hit the button in the middle to subscribe so you never miss a video from Arizona Sports.

Burns and Gambo chat with Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor to talk about everything NBA free agency and recap the Phoenix Suns’ draft strategy.

Report: Forward Nigel Hayes-Davis to sign with Phoenix Suns: https://arizonasports.com/nba/phoenix-suns/nigel-hayes-davis-suns/3588833/

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