Brendan clean from locked
on Suns joining us now.
Brendan, first of all James Jones
he's gotta be some kind of wizard
man to pull this off to to get Chris
Paul back to work campaigns deal in
there Javel McGee just came down.
Just what do you make when you
look at what James Jones was able
to do on day one of free agency?
What do you make of it?
Yeah, I mean he does deserve a lot
of credit because I think he's a guy
we were talking about the Landry
Shamet trade last week on draft night
and he doesn't always, you know,
quote unquote, win, trades, right?
He'll get criticized in some of those.
The value all these things we
like to pick nits with,
but in free agency he gets his guys.
He gets players to want to play here and
he gets them at salaries that that are,
you know, reasonable campaign compared
to some of the guards that we saw get
signed around the NBA today or so million.
Bargain bargain shopping?
Yeah, exactly.
So I think all of those things
are good and look it.
It tells us they're running
it back right there.
They're getting this the band back
together and they think this group
is good enough and they're going
to make some improvements and see
what next year might look like.
Alright, let's get down to the big one.
Chris Paul. Four years 120 million.
I'm hearing it's front loaded a little bit,
which should provide them
some space on the back end.
When you look at this deal,
you know what Chris Paul
is meant to this city.
This seemed like the perfect match made
in heaven for the rest of his career.
When you look at it with what comes to mind.
Well, exactly what you said and that's
good news. I think for the sons,
if it is indeed frontloaded that last
year you know what I'm looking for is,
is it partially guaranteed?
Is there an option on that last season?
Because that would allow not only for
it to be a little easier to to pallet.
I think for fans worried about paying a
40 year old that much money, but also,
you know it could give them even more
flexibility in the coming seasons.
'cause it would take down that
that initial amount.
So I think all of that stuff
is is headed the right way.
This season though,
is is going to be the important one.
Before McHale bridges Indian Drayton,
these extensions we still don't know
exactly what those will look like,
but that's the next big sort of shoe
to drop and so getting him on an
affordable salary this season when
you can add a guy like Javale McGee,
that's what's important because it's
looking like this season might be
their best chance to get what they
couldn't get done last year done.
Why do you think Chris Paul and
the Suns worked so well?
We've talked about it all year,
but just now that it's on paper.
I mean it. You know,
it's it's one thing to talk about
it for a year like we have with
the relationship with money and.
Book and and everything that's been said,
but now that it's on paper and Chris
Paul is going to be a Phoenix sun
for probably the next 40 years,
will finish his career.
Likely here in the valley.
What do you make of that and what
does that mean for this city?
Work I think. I think he liked to
come here and and find a group of
people that 'cause you think last
year right when they traded for him.
All of what everybody was talking about is.
Is he going to great against the
mentality of some of these young guys?
Is he a teammate?
That that is for everybody and that
everybody involved answered that question.
Resoundingly, they got to the finals.
They clearly meshed and I
think the reason why is.
He got here and he's like,
yeah, sure, they're young,
but they all wanna do what I wanna
do they wanna win their ready to win
McHale bridges who he said is one of
the best dudes he's ever been around.
We know the relationship that he
has with Devin Booker, James Jones,
Monty Williams.
All these people that we already
knew and we learned along the way
that he got even closer with the
rest so I think as he closes out
his career it's what's going to
give me the best shot to be around
like minded people who can win.
And also I want to earn some money
so yeah I'd be nice maybe to go
to LA and see what I can get done
with LeBron and and and those guys.
But at the end of the day,
I'm worth what I'm worth.
So it was a it was a perfect
pairing all around I think.
Yeah, you know it makes sense
if you're going to turn down
44 million to get 120 million.
That that. Yeah, I feel like
that's a good life lesson for any
not five or or whatever the Lakers
were going to be able to give
him like at the end of the day.
Come on, you know you, you gotta
get your respect in the form of that
paycheck. At a certain point.
And then also I think it sets up campaign
really well for a future in this league.
You'll get to learn behind Chris Paul.
You saw everybody saw what
that did for this year.
Just one year learning behind Chris.
Now he gets the next three years to do it.
And then maybe this is his team moving
forward after that.
Yeah, I think he's going to be
increasingly important again.
Just thinking about this sort of
all in nature that next season
might have because you want to
keep Chris Paul fresh, right?
You don't. Not to say that his
minutes are the reason he got hurt.
We never know.
But the other news from today was
he had wrist surgery recently and
so having pain bought in happy,
excited, competitive to take
some of those minutes continue
to play things slowly with Chris
Paul is going to be important.
We saw the two of them play together.
We know pain can play instead of
pool and run the offense capably
so the regular season is going
to be a different sort of thing.
They don't have as much to prove next season,
so I think pain just being able
to get in there when keep things.
Plugging that's going to be really huge,
similar to the to the McGee thing.
You just want depth.
You want to improve on the margins
and see what next year might bring
alright. What do you make of
Javale McGee? He's come a long way
since his shaqtin days, right?
He has, yeah. I mean,
I think he he's a guy who who bought
into his role over the past few seasons
and that's going to be important.
I think he's a guy that that we talked
about the last time that we spoke in he.
Is great in that regard.
He can come in and be a backup.
He just went to Team USA knowing look.
I'm just here to fill sort of roster
spot by some minutes when I need to.
But I think the other if we're looking at it.
Realistically,
I think the the potentially negative part
of this is he's not a big body, right?
So Giannis barreling toward the rim is
that his McGee gonna be the guy you
plug on to that type of a situation?
Probably not.
And they did lose Torrey Craig
as well today to the Pacers.
So you're losing size was the one thing
that James Jones emphasized when we spoke.
With him last week,
I don't know if you can necessarily say
they got a huge amount bigger today,
so I think there might be some more
moves to come in that capacity.
They do have some money to still spend,
but McGee just in terms of filling
the role that DeAndre Ayton does.
I think he's all you could ask for and
he didn't come too expensive either.
Yeah,
if
I was looking at a wish list
at another size, guy would be
definitely some of the sun should do.
Moving forward Brendan Clean locked on Suns.
Thank you so much for the time
buddy. No problem.