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Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. It’s Sykes, once again, ushering you into the weekend. Let’s talk about super teams.
Because the NBA has been so competitive this season with so many teams bunched up into the middle, folks were quick to declare that the “Superteam era” — so to speak — of the NBA was over.
What folks meant by that was that teams could no longer see stacking three and four All-Star players together as a winning formula. Instead, the best organizational building strategy was to have a team of one or two stars, stack up some depth behind them and play your way to 50+ wins.
So much for that, right?
The Phoenix Suns were a team that lived by that strategy. Behind Devin Booker and Chris Paul, they had a rotation that could go nine or 10 players deep at any moment if need be. Depth was the name of the game for them.
On Thursday, the Suns took all of that depth and traded it in for one Kevin Durant. Thus, another “Superteam” is in our midst.
While the strategy of compiling depth is one that we’ve seen work throughout NBA history, the truth of the matter is when teams are given the choice they’ll take the star player over the depth every single time.
The ceiling of the team gets so much higher just by having one star — let alone 3. If a team ever gets a chance to trade for a star, they’re absolutely doing it no matter what it comes with. That’s why the Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving despite everything that he comes with these days.
So, no. The Superteam era never ended. As long as teams have that same mindset, it’s never over.
Now, we’re looking at a new one in Phoenix, so that’s not changing anytime soon.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Speaking of Phoenix and Kyrie Irving, there seems to be a legitimate chance that Irving winds up on the Suns with Kevin Durant this summer.
He’s going to be a free agent this offseason and the Suns could manufacture the cap space needed to sign him outright. It’d take some maneuvering, as my colleague Bryan Kalbrosky writes, but it’s possible.
Phoenix won’t have the cap space to sign Irving, but there is a real shot that they could make it work in a sign-and-trade involving former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton — who potentially had beef with Suns head coach Monty Williams.
The center nearly left the Suns when he agreed to an offer sheet with the Pacers last offseason, and according to Tim MacMahon, the big man is a rumored target for Dallas (via ESPN).
The KD-Kyrie era might not be over just yet. Hold on to your horses, folks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been on an absolute tear over his last 9 games for the Bucks. They’ve won every single one, including a one-point win over the Clippers. He’s scoring 37.9 points per game on just over 60% shooting from the floor in that span. Take the Bucks outright tonight. Giannis is making an MVP push.
Shootaround
— Nia Long spoke out about how the Celtics handled her and Ime Udoka’s private business in the public eye. It was gross.
— Mikal Bridges deserved better from the Suns.
— Going winless for Wembanyama season is in full effect.
— Here are the reshuffled NBA title favorites after the trade deadline.
Enjoy the weekend, family!
