Arizona Sports’ top headlines of 2016

The 2016 calendar year didn’t include a lot of winning in the world of Arizona sports.

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting.

To review 2016, we’ve taken a peek at the funniest stories and the ones that did well on social media. We asked our hosts to dish on what they believed were the biggest moments of the year.

In this exercise, we’re going straight to the numbers.

We looked at what our readers read most.

Then, we skimmed off stories that weren’t what we’ll call newsworthy (Adrian Wilson hugging Larry Fitzgerald is nice and all but of little news value). We also didn’t include stories that were too redundant (for example, there were two stories about Sun Devils Stadium renovations that received a bit of interest).

Below, behold the top 15 stories on ArizonaSports.com from the past year.

15. Suns draft Marquese Chriss after trading Kings for No. 8 pick

After drafting Dragan Bender fourth overall, the Suns put together a trade with the Kings to draft Marquese Chriss at No. 8. The cost? The No. 13 pick, which Sacramento used on Georgios Papagiannis, the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic, the No. 28 pick and a 2020 second-round choice. That night shaped what’s been a youthful shift in identity this season.

14. Amazon releases Arizona Cardinals ‘All or Nothing’ trailer

The Amazon documentary series on the 2015 Arizona Cardinals only added to the expectations before the disappointing 2016 campaign. Despite disappointing results, it’s hard to argue that Cardinals fans will enjoy the series any less.

13. Suns trade Markieff Morris to Washington Wizards

Phoenix’s dramatic offseason of trading Markieff Morris’ brother, Marcus, in the LaMarcus Aldridge pursuit continued with Markieff drama all the way until the trade deadline. Morris’ struggles before being dealt, and off-the-court distractions, will be fairly or not tied to the firing of coach Jeff Hornacek.

12. Larry Fitzgerald: True feelings on Cardinals cutting Floyd might upset some

Following the DUI arrest of teammate Michael Floyd and the subsequent cutting of the soon-to-be free agent receiver, teammate Larry Fitzgerald didn’t quite express his full opinion on the Cardinals’ decision. But we got the idea: He wasn’t super pleased.

11. Arizona Diamondbacks seek to end Chase Field lease

This story could end up on a similar list next year because the saga isn’t concluded. The D-backs and Maricopa County appeared to have found a solution for the team wanting out of its lease by selling Chase Field, but a potential sale was canceled after a buyer backed out.

10. TNT’s Charles Barkley rips Phoenix Suns

Charles Barkley’s rant about the Suns on TNT was both funny and noteworthy as the team struggles to find the winning path.

9. Dodgers still a little sore over Zack Greinke signing with D-backs

Former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, now a color radio commentator, said “a better pitcher wouldn’t leave” Los Angeles. He was talking about Zack Greinke, who before the year signed a $206 million contract to join the D-backs. Out in Arizona, fans likely enjoyed hearing the bristling comments coming close to the Dodgers organization — even if Greinke’s season was relatively disappointing.

8. LeBlanc: Coyotes have chosen site for new arena

Coyotes fans just want this to be over. The team officially announcing a new home was coming was well-received. The Coyotes announced in November that the site was on the Karsten Golf Course and would be a project involving both the NHL team and ASU, though exact plans have yet to be finalized.

7. First-round pick Nkemdiche goes through first practice as a Cardinal

Robert Nkemdiche’s first practice got more love than the Cardinals drafting him 29th overall. The hype was not followed up with production — Nkemdiche has one tackle as a rookie going into the season finale. He’s battled dings and inconsistency.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks unveil new uniforms for 2016 season

Yeah. People were interested, as they always are, in uniform redesigns. Based on the reviews and the expected tweaks heading into next season, fans did not receive these too well.

5. Kobe Bryant admits to hating the Suns, passes the torch to Devin Booker

It’s another story of the Los Angeles-Phoenix relationship. This time, Kobe Bryant’s retirement tour took its final stop in the Valley with mixed results. A villain to Suns fans, Bryant confirmed the true rivalry he felt with Phoenix but also passed the torch to young Suns guard Devin Booker.

4. Yahoo!: Teams ‘gobsmacked’ by D-backs’ haul in Brad Ziegler trade

Of all the Diamondbacks’ trades and roster moves deemed questionable last year — Shelby Miller, Jean Segura and the rest — the strong words coming out of anonymous baseball executives’ mouths regarding a relatively small trade explained, in itself, why Arizona cleaned house of Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart atop the front office.

3. Suns GM Ryan McDonough would take ‘mulligan’ on Isaiah Thomas trade to Celtics

The Suns’ signing of Isaiah Thomas to a value contract for the 2014-15 season didn’t mesh with a backcourt of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. Thomas and Dragic were dealt at the deadline, the latter of whom asked for it. While Phoenix got Brandon Knight that day, Thomas went on to become a 2016 All-Star with the Celtics, and McDonough was honest in his admission that he’d take that trade back.

2. Sun Devil Stadium renovations are as good as advertised

Sun Devils fans were excited about the new digs. ASU’s renovations were a big deal.

1. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd arrested on DUI charge

Unfortunately, the biggest story for the Arizona Cardinals this season came away from the field. Michael Floyd’s December DUI arrest in Scottsdale was a more sour topping to a season that, on the field, fell short of expectations.

Follow @kzimmermanaz