Ever since the "Seven Seconds Or Less" era ended, the Phoenix Suns have been among the biggest jokes in the NBA.
A joke that both Marquese Chriss and Kelly Oubre Jr. had to endure. Chriss was selected by the Suns with the No. 8 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, but his career never got off the ground in the desert thanks to a franchise with an unclear direction. He found his way to the Warriors last season and began to turn his NBA career around.
Oubre was traded to Phoenix during the 2018-19 season and played 96 games for the Suns before being traded first to the Oklahoma City Thunder and then to the Warriors this offseason. Chriss is happy Oubre found his way out of the NBA no-mans-land known as Phoenix.
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"I think it's good for him not to have to be over there no more," Chriss told the media Thursday. "The way they handle things is kind of wild. I feel for him with the situation he was in because that's kind of how I got traded out of Phoenix. I'm thankful that he's here and with an organization that truly wants him and wants him to be the best player that he can be and I'm glad to have him as a teammate."
Chriss' shot at the Suns comes on the heels of Oubre firing a shot across Phoenix's bow after being dealt to the Warriors.
"You just hit the nail on the head," Oubre told 95.7 The Game. "I can play for an owner -- somebody who actually cares about the organization and not just the perception of the organization on the media end of it. It's all about the foundation for me, man. You have a beautiful foundation, can build a beautiful [future]."
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The Warriors traded for Oubre in the days following Klay Thompson's Achilles tear. The 24-year-old has been blossoming into a good NBA player and now he will look to take the next step alongside Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green.
Both the Warriors and Suns are expected to be in the middle of the Western Conference contenders pack this season. The Suns landed Chris Paul in the deal that sent Oubre to Oklahoma City, signaling to star Devin Booker that they are ready to contend.
It sounds like Oubre and Chriss will believe that when they see it, though.