Here's the Biggest Win and Loss in the Phoenix Suns' Offseason
We're still months away from basketball, yet the Phoenix Suns have majority of their roster already set.
If you've been stuck in a time capsule, have no fears: not much has changed.
Most notably, Phoenix brought back center Deandre Ayton after he agreed to an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers. The Suns have also been in pursuit of Kevin Durant, though nothing has materialized.
Some chess pieces have moved, but the meat of the Suns' roster remains. Faces such as Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges again look to be pivotal in Phoenix's hunt for a NBA title.
Now that we're nearly a month into NBA free agency, what has been the Suns' biggest win and loss thus far?
Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes broke this down for each team in his latest article. Here's what he offered for the Suns:
Phoenix Suns Biggest Win and Loss Thus Far
Biggest Win: Playing a Cold Game with Deandre Ayton
"The Phoenix Suns could have panicked. They could have succumbed to the pressure to give Ayton a max five-year extension last October. They could have traded him for limited value at the most recent February deadline. They could have rushed to action during free agency.
"Instead, they waited.
"Ayton went out and got a four-year max offer sheet from the Pacers, and the Suns almost immediately matched, retaining their starting center. Now on a four-year deal, Ayton has lost leverage to angle for a trade, which the Suns couldn't even complete until Jan. 15. If and when Phoenix decides to move Ayton and his new four-year deal, the return will be greater than it would have been ahead of his restricted free agency. His four-year contract brings the security acquiring teams covet.
"Bad blood and hurt feelings could make this Suns season complicated, but that's not a given. Ayton has a max deal and a starting role on a contender. If he's outwardly disgruntled, nobody will feel sorry for him. Phoenix understood its leverage, set a limit on what it would pay Ayton and followed through. That's a shrewd and rare approach to negotiating with a non-superstar."
Biggest Loss: Not Finding Insurance at the Point
"Devin Booker's playmaking at the 2 makes the Phoenix Suns' reliance on backup point guard Cameron Payne less of a concern than it'd otherwise be. But Chris Paul is entering his age-37 season, and Payne's slippage from the heights of 2020-21 that included a drop in true shooting percentage from 60.2 to 50.0, means the Suns are a little thin at a key spot.
"Payne could rebound, and Landry Shamet passes the ball decently for a wing. Phoenix has gone overboard on point guard depth before, and nobody's suggesting they rehash the era of Isaiah Thomas, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic sharing the floor. It just feels dangerous for the Suns to enter the season without a third point guard who could credibly slide into the backup role if necessary."
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