Although the Suns weren’t one of the teams named on Kyrie Irving‘s alleged list of preferred landing spots when he made his trade request earlier this offseason, Phoenix has been frequently mentioned as a possible trade partner for the Cavaliers. The Suns possess a win-now veteran (Eric Bledsoe), a young potential star (Josh Jackson), extra future draft picks, and an ability to absorb an extra contract or two, making them a good fit for the Cavs.
Still, the two sides haven’t found common ground yet, and Jackson – this year’s No. 4 overall pick – appears to be a point of contention. Last month, reports indicated that the Suns were unwilling to include Jackson in an offer for Irving, telling the rookie forward that he wouldn’t be going anywhere. The team reportedly prefers to include last year’s fourth overall pick Dragan Bender.
Jackson has been cited as a primary target for the Cavaliers as they explore their options with Irving. LeBron James himself reportedly asked about Cleveland’s chances of landing Jackson, who was named this week as one of several young players the Cavs were focused on — Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, and Jamal Murray were among the others.
If the Suns were willing to include Jackson, a package of the rookie and Bledsoe would be a starting point, though previous reports have indicated Phoenix would need to give up a little more too — perhaps in the form of a draft pick or taking back a player like Channing Frye or Iman Shumpert.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer took a closer look at the situation on Tuesday, making cases for why the Suns should and shouldn’t be willing to put Jackson into an offer for Irving. Ultimately, O’Connor’s “bad cop” – who argued for including Jackson – won out, with The Ringer scribe suggesting that an unproven rookie with some question marks shouldn’t be a sticking point in a deal for a legit star.
What do you think? Are the Suns overvaluing Jackson, or are they right to refuse to include him in an offer for Irving? Does it make sense for Phoenix to hope that the Cavs will accept other players in Jackson’s place, and to move on if that bid falls short?
Vote below in our poll and then jump into the comment section to share your thoughts.
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Irving is good but not great. No sense in trading a defensive stud in Jackson plus Bledsoe plus draft picks. Blesdsoe, Bender and picks makes sense for the Suns. But to empty the store for Irving doesn’t improve the team. See Knicks and Melo as the Suns future if they sell the farm.
As a Cavs fan I wouldn’t take Dragan Bender if they were giving him away for free. STIFF.
You don’t get something good for nothing, Jackson has potential but it remains to be seen if he can actually fulfill it. All these teams think they can get one of the best PGs for nothing it’s hilarious
Teams won’t give up tons of assets for a pg who’s not a playmaker and an awful defender. The most the Suns should offer is Bledsoe, Bender, 2018 PHX 1st (Top 5 Protected), 2019 PHX 1st (if 2018 1st isn’t sent), and 2021 PHX 1st
If I’m the Cavs I’d consider that offer. If their is a thought that LeBron leaves those 3 1sts would certainly help.
You have 100 % right !!!
JJ and Bledsoe is better than Irving alone that’s fackt!
Send Bledsoe, Len, Bender and a pick for Kyrie.
Bender Lol. Hilarious!
Good move
Bad move. Sorry Phoenix. You drafted Bender. You deal with stiff.
Yes! Bledsoe and Jackson for Irving and the cavs 2018 pick or lottery protected 2019 pick
Cavs don’t have their 2019 pick and would certainly not be willing to give the Suns their 2018 1st and Irving
Here we go again. Over and over and over. Without including Jackson the Suns don’t get Irving. They will win 25-30 games again. No one will buy tickets no one will buy jerseys and no one will care. Enjoy.
Irving instead of Bledsoe and Jackson doesn’t make the Suns any better for now or the future. Perimeter defense would be too awful to win and playmaking would be nonexistent
The Cavs don’t have a lot of leverage. I’m a wizards fan so I don’t care if Phoenix over pays or not. I’m just saying that 2 years of Irving at $36m or so is not worth 2 years of Bledsoe at $30m and 5 cheap years of Jackson and the ability to math any 4 year deal or work out a 5 year extension and draft picks. Jackson is unproven but without Kyrie agreeing to a 5 year max extension as part of a deal I don’t see a team giving up promising young talent and draft picks for him.
100% correct
Can’t wait for Bender to be a Cav
Suns should just stock up on young players and compete in a few years when the Warriors are done dominating
Poll: Should Suns Include Josh Jackson In Kyrie Offer?
No because the Suns wanted Josh Jackson and he fell to them, so why would they give up on him without even starting a game, much less spend a day in Suns’ pre-season training camp?
The Cavs wanted Andrew Wiggins more than anyone else in the draft a few years ago and promptly traded him for Kevin Love after he had only played a handful of summer league games for them
I love my Suns with the eyes in the future with a Amazing core of good talent player next year we Sign Luka Doncič this player ist the Crux and we sign a good center like Drummond Or Cousins and we have very good team !!!
Doncič
Booker
Jackson
Chriss
Drummond
Ulis
Warren
Bender
Williams
Green
Suns Win Championship 2020
Championship lol. Maybe a .500 team.
Drummond isn’t a free agent next year and why are you just giving them Doncic? You know there’s a draft right?
Josh Jackson is going to end up a better overall player in the long run. He’s gonna be like a Jimmy Butler type player who makes a difference on both sides of the ball.
How do you know this? If Jackson was such a slam dunk prospect he would have gone 1st overall. And even if he did you still would have no idea if he’ll be as good as you’re proclaiming
Bender Bledsoe draft pick a much better deal.
Sorry Bender is a bust. Worst draft pick since Anthony Bennett. Better luck next time.
Bender is 19 years old and about to enter his 2nd year. Give the guy time to develop. Besides, if you knew anything about basketball talent you wouldn’t be over here pounding on your keyboard trying to respond to every comment someone makes on this thread.
I won’t give him anything. I will let the Suns worry about that. Cant shoot from the field. Can’t even shoot free throws. Can’t rebound. Doesn’t even know where to stand on defense. And now all of a sudden foot issues. Phoenix Suns 24-58. Have a nice day.
Why is everyone hating on Bender I’ll bet anyone he’ll get better
Don’t bet your house on that. You’ll be living in a box.
Just remember this, Suns fans: there is no way that the Cavs would trade Kyrie for Bledsoe. That’s a huge downgrade, regardless of Kyrie’s defence. In fact, Bledsoe is probably somewhere in the George Hill-Kemba Walker-Jeff Teague morass of perfectly average point guards. In any given season, he could be better or worse than any or all of them. Add in the fact that Phoenix seems eager to move on from him, and his value is pretty minimal, something like a lottery protected first, a C+ young player, and expiring contracts. That doesn’t equal Kyrie.
So Bledsoe isn’t the centrepiece, and no amount of sweeteners like Bender, Len, or picks make the trade worth Cleveland’s time. The only legit assets that PHX has to offer are Booker and Jackson. Booker would be stupid, since he’s clearly trending up, and might be as good as Kyrie soon. Jackson, on the other hand, is still totally unknown. He could be Marvin Williams, Rudy Gay, or Tayshaun Prince. If that’s the case, it’s a win for Phoenix. They only really lose if he turns out to be Paul George or Kawhi Leonard. I mean, let’s say he turns out be Gordon Hayward, which would be a fantastic outcome. Would you trade Kyrie for Hayward? Probably depends on roster construction, but both sides would have to think about it. And there’s a good chance he’s never as good as Hayward.
Here’s the list of wings drafted in the top ten recently: Ingram, Brown, Hezonja, Winslow, Wiggins, Gordon, Stauskas, Parker, Oladipo, Barnes, Ross… not one of those guys has popped in a way that suggests you shouldn’t have included them in a blockbuster trade. That tells me the odds are against Jackson being a star, and you know Kyrie already is.
So Bledsoe, Jackson, and a 1st is a good deal for Phoenix, and leaves them with enough assets/future cap space to make another move, like Boogie Cousins, for example. Cleveland stays in contention short term, and actually has a future if Lebron leaves.
A lot of Bledsoe’s stats are due to the fact he’s a #1 option on a horrible team.
Not to mention his THREE knee surgeries.
I agree that in a vacuum it would be dumb for the Cavs to trade Irving for less than 100% value. However, if they want to move him to avoid locker room and team chemistry issues then they won’t get full value unless he agrees to an extension.
The odds of Jackson becoming George or Hayward are slim, but you don’t include Jackson because the odds of Irving staying with the Suns are low…like super low.
Kyrie’s not a good fit next to Booker which is why the Suns aren’t going to trade Jackson for him, nevermind Jackson and a future 1st. Kyrie and Booker are both below average playmakers and awful defenders. Keeping Jackson, who looks to be a solid playmaker and defender, is a better option than trading for Irving
This is the only legitimate reason for not trading Jackson for Irving, in my mind. There is a lot of skill duplication, and conversely, overlapping weaknesses, with Booker and Irving.
In the end, there aren’t a ton of great fits for Irving around the league
You’re wrong on this one. The point I wish people would see is no team HAS to trade for kyrie, but the cavs HAVE to trade him. Why? 1) he doesn’t want to be there. 2) his relationship with bron is toxic now. No way they start the season with him and if they do… then it’ll be a long, awful season.
Teams are offering pennies on the dollar and the cavs will HAVE TO accept the best offer.
So, all this talk about josh Jackson, tatum, Wiggins, kp from New York… not happening. No, the cavs will end up getting someone else’s garbage, a consolation prize because they are desperate to unload him.
Sure, if there is a well-executed league-wide conspiracy. If not, then no. The Suns deal is simply the one that got exposed early on. There are 28 other teams, most of whom are trying to improve themselves, though some, like the Suns, seem to believe more in getting those high draft picks you get by losing. I trust the Cavs FO is also talking with teams that want to step up.
In my mind, you hit the nail right on the head with this…well said
If they think they’re ready to contend within a year or so, then yes. If not, then no. No matter how good they think their guys are, the team won 24 games last year; does swapping out Bledsoe for KI, plus development elsewhere, dramatically change that? If they are still not a playoff team, KI might not resign with them in 2 years (although Phoenix is an attractive place, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on that). Jackson, like the majority of high picks in any draft, is more likely to be worth less once he takes the court. If I did offer him, I’d do it soon on a take it or leave it basis without draft picks (Bledsoe and Jackson for KI and Shumpert, with some balancing contracts). I don’t like dangling a top 4 pick out there while the Cavs continue to shop. Nobody’s offering anything right great right now, so the Cavs may decide to bite without the picks and end the drama going up through camp. If not, move on.
Y’all talking about Jackson like he’s already all NBA lol. Chances of him becoming as good as prime Kyrie are very unlikely
Kyrie comes with huge red flags though. He’s an awful defender and not a playmaker just like Booker. And will he be willing to stay with Phoenix? Phoenix needs to stay patient as trading Jackson for Irving would be a mistake. They wouldn’t win with a poor defensive team and Kyrie might leave
Nope not worth it. Irving is good but overrated. He can score but not much of passer and no defense. Bledsoe if not for injury history would be considered better. Bledsoe warren and a pick should he max offer. If another team gives more than more power to them. Boston won’t overpay as they would have butler or George now if we’re going to cash in. You can thank lebron for this mess
Bender-stiff. Warren average rag tag player. Enjoy another 25 win season. Have a nice day.
This would be my trade proposal.
Phx-pg kryie irving
sg iman shumpbert
Cle- pg eric bledose
c alex len
sf josh jackson
pf/c dragan bender
’18 1st rd pick
This would be great… as a Christmas gift for lebron. No way the suns do this. Why not? Because they have all the leverage here. The cavs have to dump kyrie.
Suns 24-58. No real talent other than booker. Leverage? Baloney.
How about a kyrie for Tatum trade straight up?
Doesn’t work under salary cap. Celtics would have to include Thomas. Don’t see Celtics trading Tatum. Maybe Thomas and Brown.
Honestly I think dragan bender is the future of the NBA. He will win an MVP.
Drugs are bad for you.
Bender has a real chance for win the MVP Titel in the future !!!
Bender is the biggest draft bust since Anthony Bennett.
He is 19 years old!
Bennett was 19 too.
Bennett was already 20 even on draft day (Bender was still 18 even when the season started by a few weeks).
According to NPD Group sports industry Irving has the best selling signature basketball shoe on the market. He is NBA2K18’s cover athlete and is immensely popular among young NBA fans. Irving’s presence would drive merchandise sales up and sell a lot of tickets in cities that sorely need it.
The Phoenix Suns 24-58 who have become one of the NBA’s joke franchises are one of these teams that “sorely need it.”
Its like I am the only one who read the commenting policy. Some of y’all need to chill
Seriously? This is like puppy love compared to other sites I’ve been to.
True
Does Jackson project as a Durant-buster? Asking for Bron ;)
Yeah. You are.