5 takeaways from Thursday’s wild trade deadline
It was maybe the most fun I’ve ever had on NBA trade deadline day.
The boring insurance seminar was broken up by a drunken brawl. It was like seeing Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club” — I had no idea the deadline could be this good.
And the Phoenix Suns were right in the middle of it. Forced into action, by factors both in and out of their control, the Suns flushed five players, including the unhappy face of the franchise, Goran Dragic, and the room’s reigning elephant Isaiah Thomas.
Here are some takeaways from the day, in no particular order:
1. This is now Eric Bledsoe’s team. Seven months ago, he was the elephant, due to sour contract negotiations that bordered on vitriolic. Now it’s his team and the ball belongs to him.
2. The Suns did a decent job stepping out of the corner they painted themselves into. Dragic left the Suns with virtually no leverage, daring them to keep him and get nothing or trade him for nothing. The fact that they were able to emerge from this pile up on the freeway with Brandon Knight is a credit to their creativity. That wasn’t easy what the Suns just did. Not easy at all. Of course, this was a mess of their own making and that won’t be forgotten.
3. At the end of the day, they gave up more than they got. The deal, boiled down to the basics, looks like this: Dragic, Thomas and the Lakers pick for Brandon Knight. That looks a little lopsided but then it was always going to be a little lopsided, wasn’t it?
4. I don’t blame Dragic for feeling the way he did. Even though there are similarities to Joe Johnson, it feels different to me because I can understand the Dragon’s angst. Whereas with Joe, I just didn’t get why he wanted to leave.
5. As for Knight, I hope this summer doesn’t turn into Bledsoe part two with his impending restricted free agency. The last time the Suns asked a point guard tp play a role he’s not accustomed to, it got messy. How is he going to embrace his new role and his new team? If we’ve learned anything these last few months, it’s this: It’s not as easy as it looks.
