Burnt out?

Today it was announced that the Phoenix Suns traded away Kurt Thomas, 2008 and 2010 first round picks to Seattle for a second round pick and a 9 million dollar trade exception. No your not reading a typo, they really did give away Kurt Thomas and 2 first rounders for a trade exception that probably won't be used other than to try and avoid the luxury tax. Now how does this move make sense other than to possibly be financially healthy for this year and maybe next; well it doesn't theres no way to look at it other than that. Seattle just robbed its second team this offseason this deal potientally putting them over the top depending on where that 2010 draft pick is.

Which brings me to my second point, the Suns have put everything towards a stay under the luxury tax but hope to compete while Steve Nash is still the best PG in the game, but in doing this what they killed today was any hope to be a championship contender in 4 years. Look at this team in the summer of 2010 Nash will be 35 and sadly probably done with his career, Amare will be just entering his prime at 27, Shawn Marion will probably be gone, Leandro Barbosa will be just entering his prime with Amare but he's more of a 2 then 1. Raja Bell will be 33. Grant Hill will be retired, and everyone else on the roster will be as useless then as they are now. Theres really no young talent outside of Amare and Barbosa that the team can groom to be the future.

I started thinking about it, the Suns are near the limit cap wise and yet this team will be done in 3 years without possibly ever reaching the nba finals. Now I admit the Suns probably have the best scouts in the NBA or they are 2nd to only the Spurs, but with that being said where are the reasonably cheap rookies that they could use right now to groom for the future and maybe put this team over the top. Well they've all been sold to the highest bidder. In 2004 the Suns had the 7th pick in the draft with it they picked Luol Deng, who was then shipped to Chicago for a 2nd rounder(Jackson Vroman) and a future first rounder. In 2005 (after they traded their own pick for Barbosa in 2003) they picked Nate Robinson with Chicago's pick(Traded with Q Rich for Kurt Thomas). Now in the 2006 draft they had 2 picks 1 from the Joe Johnson deal and the other their own; with those picks they picked Rajon Rondo(Bought by the Celtics) and Sergio Rodriguez(Bought by the Blazers) both look like they are going to be good point guards in the future. However instead of groom one of those guys (Sergio would've been perfect) the Suns gave a 5 year 21 million dollar deal to marcus banks. Which makes no sense because the Suns couldve had both of those guys for the same price of Banks(who will spend those 5 years at the end of the bench). So in 2007 with another fairly low pick they sold the rights to Rudy Fernandez and traded James Jones to Portland for money again. At least they kept Alando Tucker who is now one of their 3 guys of the future.

So looking at the draft this is what the Suns have done with their picks since 2004
Brought in: Alando Tucker
Traded away: Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, Rajon Rondo, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, Kurt Thomas(Recieved him for Robinson and Q), 2008 and 2010 draft picks.

Think about the Suns right now with the depth of all those guys, sure they couldve traded say Nate Robinson, even then they have 2 pg's of the future, a potiental all star wing, and a skilled european who would fit into their system perfectly. They had someone who could D up TD better than anyone else on the team and now hes gone.

The future has been given away in Phoenix and that 2010 pick could be a lottery pick which may put the Durant-Green Sonics/Tornadoes over the top. In 3 years when Phoenix is struggling people will look back at all of these moves and think what were they thinking, and frankly thats what I'm thinking right now.