Piece by: Nick Lombardi
Almost 9 years ago, the Phoenix Suns made a trade that sent the franchise into a decade of futility. Steve Nash was officially a Laker. The trade was a sign-and-trade so Nash was leaving anyway and in the end, the Suns were lucky to get anything for the 2x MVP. What happened after was a decade of draft missteps, poor trades and signings, consistently finding themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference.
What happened on June 22nd 2021 was the end of this dark age of Suns basketball. We should rewind a little more though to really understand this moment. Initially things didn't look too bad after Nash left, in 2014 the Suns finished with 48 wins which was 1 game short of a playoff appearance in an absolutely stacked Western Conference. Then the team made their infamous Isaiah Thomas signing and in doing so, they decided on attempting a three point guard experiment with Thomas, Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. They used the 14th overall pick on T.J. Warren out of NC State. The three point guard experiment failed miserably as Dragic and Thomas were traded away at the deadline. The Suns didn't know it at the time, but their 2015 draft would land them a franchise altering player in Devin Booker (more on him later).
They wasted the 2016 and 2017 drafts on Dragan Bender, Marquiss Chriss and Josh Jackson, if you haven't heard of them, don't feel bad. All three have either left the NBA entirely or are reserve players across the league. In 2018, they made another huge draft pick, literally. Deandre Ayton out of local U of A. The big man initially looked like a regrettable pick as he battled injuries and suspensions early on while 3rd overall pick, Luka Doncic grew into a megastar in Dallas. Just when all seemed lost for the Suns, the bubble happened. As the 13th seed in the west, the Suns earned an invite to the NBA bubble to finish out the COVID cancelled 2019-20 season. In the eight regular season games remaining, the Suns went 8-0 beating both the Lakers and the Clippers to once again, finish just a game short of reaching the playoffs. A disappointing end to an incredible run, but it was the start of something new
The Suns traded for Chris Paul in the short 2020 offseason and haven't looked back since. Devin Booker has slowly developed into one of the best pure scorers in the league, Chris Paul has turned back time as he hunts for his first ring in a storied career and the role players have been amazing all year and in the playoffs. The most impressive development has been Ayton however.
He has transformed himself into a dominant big man in the 2021 playoffs. Defensively and offensively he has been wreaking havoc on the some of the NBA's best big men. Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals was a long painful battle constantly being interrupted by referee reviews and the back and forth buckets and errors down the stretch. It finally ended when Deandre Ayton threw down a thunderous go-ahead dunk with .8 seconds left, aided by a sweet pass from Jae Crowder. It was the dunk that rocked the desert and signaled a new era for the Phoenix Suns as they have taken a 2-0 in the Western Conference finals, something that a year ago that seemed impossible.
Whether the Suns win at all this year or not, even if they lose this series to a seemingly un-killable Clippers team, it is a sign of things to come in the Valley. Western Conference beware.
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