• The Phoenix Suns acquired Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Keon Johnson, and Nassir Little for Deandre Ayton
• The Suns finally add depth in this risky trade
• Fans are undecided on whether this move will work out or not
The Phoenix Suns used the Damian Lillard sweepstakes to make a splash that saw them finally shed the Deandre Ayton contract and add depth to their roster with Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.
Fans are conflicted on the move, with some liking the move to add depth while others are hating on the perceived talent downgrade from Ayton to Nurkic.
Point Guards: Bradley Beal, Jordan Goodwin, Keon Johnson
Shooting Guards: Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, Damion Lee
Small Forwards: Josh Okogie, Eric Gordon, Nassir Little
Power Forwards: Kevin Durant, Keita Bates-Diop, Yuta Watanabe, Ish Wright
Centers: Jusuf Nurkic, Bol Bol, Drew Eubanks, Chimezie Metu
One fan praised the depth of the team, loving the Nurkic addition.
bunch of depth , sayless #BosniaBeast pic.twitter.com/RcO9HPXiIH
— 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘢☆ (@Stunna999_) September 27, 2023
One fan boldly claimed they’re the best team in the West.
Yea most likely the best
— WG (@9113iiinfinite) September 27, 2023
Some fans think Nurkic is a better-fitting option than what Ayton provided.
https://twitter.com/spamzfmvp/status/1707107312408609196
Some fans are taking a while to warm up to Nurkic, with one believing that Keita Bates-Dio should start as a forward.
1. Again, coming around on Nurkic. If he buys into his role like he did in Portland, we should be fine.
2. I love Josh Okogie, but please. That's Keita Bates-Diop's position to lose. https://t.co/VEblQq7irq
— Aybs (@zonaaybs) September 27, 2023
One fan absolutely hated the move, calling it terrible.
Terrible. I hope the front office has some moves in place. Nurk is a backup center at best in the league. https://t.co/sh2RWzDP22
— Christian Wood (@2ChristianWood) September 27, 2023
Fans also wondered where the defense would be coming from and whether Frank Vogel could use his defensive coaching expertise to make them good.
Vogel is going to have a stroke trying to get them to play defense https://t.co/5OArvmFQ7t
— LakersSpin (@LakersSpin) September 27, 2023
One fan thinks the hate is overblown and thinks the Suns have massively upgraded.
Mfkrs really have no idea how good Phoenix got after that Lillard trade.
Damn! https://t.co/ZLpcJamMya
— Carlitos (@CHItownHustla15) September 27, 2023
Nurkic averaged 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds last season and could be a veteran center who sticks to his role instead of what happened with Ayton wanting a bigger role in the offense. The depth looks good on paper, but it’ll be interesting to see whether it translates on the court.
New Phoenix Suns Roster
Even though Ayton is the best individual player in this exchange, the Suns had a roster full of minimum contracts and have now gotten three rotational players at the minimum for parting with Ayton.
Grayson Allen is the biggest acquisition outside of Nurkic, as he will be expected to provide perimeter defense and stretchability. He was miscast as a starter on the Bucks and could have a big season as the sixth man for the Suns. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists last season.
Nassir Little isn’t a flashy addition but is under a long-term affordable contract and is a valuable addition to the frontcourt depth for the Suns, especially with Kevin Durant likely missing games throughout the season. Little averaged 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds last season.
Keon Johnson is very young but projects to be a player with a high ceiling. Unfortunately, the Suns may not be the place where he can develop that. He averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 assists last season.
Some of these players will likely be cut before the start of the season, as they currently have 17 players under contract and need to trim down to 15. Training camp will have a lot of new energy and players competing to keep themselves on this team that many believe will be among the title favorites.
Are Phoenix Suns Favorites In The Western Conference?
The Phoenix Suns are not to be taken lightly. Even though people have been quick to hate on the talent downgrade from Ayton to Nurkic, the addition of depth, even if it is marginally better, is something they needed. Durant has shown a proneness to injury and so has Nurkic. You can’t rely on your starting five to carry you to a title if there isn’t depth behind them to step in when they’re injured.
As of now, the Suns are arguably one of the three major contenders in the West. The Nuggets come in with a championship-winning core that hopes to replace the losses of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green by promoting youngsters up the lineup. The Suns gave them a run for their money with a disengaged Ayton and injured Chris Paul, so the new-look Suns could weigh heavy on Nikola Jokic‘s roster.
The Lakers have already been touted as the best team in the West by Magic Johnson, but the Suns aren’t going to be happy with that. They have an early-season matchup against each other on October 26 and it’ll show which team is ahead of the other. The Lakers have more quality rotational players, but the Suns starting five can outshoot any team in the NBA.
This will be a fantastic season where the Suns hope to finally bring an NBA Championship to the city. It could be now or never for them.
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