Blow it up

[HooverDam]

So I posted some of this in another thread, but I've been doing some thinking on how I'd blow it up if I were the Suns GM. I ran some of my older ideas by friends who said they were way too unbalanced in favor of the Suns (not surprising since Im a Suns fan! ).

Here are the moves in order of realistic possibility:

1.
Phx sends:
Amare Stoudemire

OKC sends:
Jeff Green
Chris Wilcox
Joe Smith
2010 #1 pick (orig. from Phx)
Future 2nd round pick.

Suns get 2 expiring deals, a pick back, and a nice young player. OKC has a nice trio of Amare-Durant-Westbrook to build around.

2.
Phx sends:
Steve Nash

Portland sends:
Jerryd Bayless
Raef LaFrentz
Future pick (I'm not sure what's fair here, a 1st or 2nd rounder, your thoughts?)

Phoenix gets a PG of the future and this deal may put Portland over the top. The only problem is, Steve Blake is a really good fit there, and they may have no desire to pick up Nash.

3.
Phx sends:
Shaq
Grant Hill
Alando Tucker

NY Knicks send:
Starbury
Al Harrington
Future pick

Im not sure what sort of pick the Suns could hope to get from the Knicks here. Also, would the Knicks being willing to take on O'Neals contract instead of just waiting out Starbury? I think so, as it doesn't effect their 2010 plans and may be the push they need to secure a playoff spot in the East and keep the competitive this year and next. Maybe a highly protected future 1st rounder is reasonable.

We know D'Antoni likes Shaq & Hill, for Phx Harrington could man the post this year and then either be resigned or just be an expiring.

Suns new lineup:
C Wilcox/Lopez
PF Harrington/Smith/Amundson
SF Green/Barnes/Dudley
SG J-Rich/Barbosa
PG Bayless/Starbury/Dragic

Picks under Suns control going forward for the next 2 year:
First Rounders:
Phx 2009 (likely mid/late lottery)
NYK 2009 (lottery protected) or 2010 unprotected
Portland 2009 (likely late 1st round)
Phx 2010 (returned from OKC)

Second Rounders:
Phx 2009
Phx 2010
OKC 2010

I think all of these trades are realistic and about what we can hope to get. The Nash and Shaq trades aren't super exciting from a Suns fan prospective and it makes us poor in the short run, but it frees up a ton of cash and gets us picks which are needed.

One problem is perhaps too many 2009 picks perhaps in a weakish draft, maybe 2 could be packaged together and move up, who knows. The front court is completely obliterated and would have to be rebuilt through the draft, but who knows maybe the Suns could finally get lucky, win the draft and take Blake Griffin.

Then in 2010 do everything you can to try to land Bosh.

 

[elindholm]

#1. Good deal. The Suns could also take Watson instead of Smith, which would make more sense for both teams. I think getting one of OKC's three (!) first-round picks this summer is a reasonable upgrade over your proposed second-rounder. (Returning Phoenix's 2010 pick is a given, as far as I'm concerned.)

#2. I doubt Portland does this. Nash just doesn't have much value to a team that isn't contending yet. Most likely they'd rather keep Bayless, and then you want a pick too?

#3. If the Suns were ever to trade Grant Hill for Al Harrington, my head would explode in vomit.

 

[HooverDam]

I agree about #2, but I just can't find a place in the NBA where it makes sense for Nash to go that also benefits the Suns.

Im not big Harrington fan either, but he's an expiring contract and would only be used as a temporary big body to fill the middle. When you move Amare for Jeff Green, you create huge void in the front court. Harrington would fill it in the short run.

 

[Phill11]

Here's another way to blow it up:

Trade 1)
PHO Gets: Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion
MIA Gets: Amare Stoudemire, Alando Tucker

Trade 2)
PHO Gets: Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Roko Ukic
TOR Gets: Steve Nash, 2009 2nd Round Pick

Trade 3)
PHO Gets: Ben Wallace, Eric Snow, 2010 1st Round Pick
CLE Gets: Shaquille O'Neal

That leaves the Suns with:
PG: Calderon/Ukic/Dragic/Snow
SG: Richardson/Barbosa
SF: Hill/Marion/Barnes
PF: Beasley/Amundson
C: Wallace/Lopez

Minutes disbursed like so:
PG: Calderon(34)/Barbosa(14)
SG: Richardson(38)/Barbosa(10)/Barnes(10)
SF: Hill(28)/Marion(6)/Barnes(4)
PF: Beasley(28)/Marion(20)
C: Wallace(20)/Amundson(16)/Lopez(12)

That leaves us with 10 deep and then leaves us with Wallace and Marion both off the books within a 2 years.

We build around Calderon, Richardson, Barbosa and Beasley.

 

[HooverDam]

Toronto and Cleveland wouldnt do those deals. Nash isn't enough of an upgrade over Calderon for them to also give up Bargnani. Theyd maybe think about it if they thought it would put them 'over the top' but theyre awful this year.

Cleveland likely wouldn't do that deal either, as theyre taking on Shaq, when they already have Big Z. Plus they lose a pick, doesn't make a whole ton of sense.

 

[elindholm]

Trade 2)
PHO Gets: Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Roko Ukic
TOR Gets: Steve Nash, 2009 2nd Round Pick

 

[JerkFace]

Trade 2)
PHO Gets: Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Roko Ukic
TOR Gets: Steve Nash, 2009 2nd Round Pick

If we could get Calderon straight up for Nash we should probably jump on it (obviously some more bit players would be need to make the money even).

 

[asudevil83]

Suns trade:
Amare
Suns get:
Tyrus/Noah/Hinrich

Suns trade:
Nash/Tucker/Lopez
Blazers trade:
LaFrentz/Outlaw/Bayless/o9 first

Shaq/Lopez
Thomas/Amundson
Outlaw/Hill/Barnes
JRich/Barbosa
Hinrich/Bayless

 

[HooverDam]

Suns trade:
Amare
Suns get:
Tyrus/Noah/Hinrich

Suns trade:
Nash/Tucker/Lopez
Blazers trade:
LaFrentz/Outlaw/Bayless/o9 first

Shaq/Lopez
Thomas/Amundson
Outlaw/Hill/Barnes
JRich/Barbosa
Hinrich/Bayless

I dont like your Bulls trade for Phoenix, unless some other trade happens where the Suns get a good PF somewhere else. But you've got two sort of tweener SF-PFs coming to Phx in Outlaw and Thomas.

Further, Portland likely wouldn't do that trade. They are one of their slower paced teams in the league, so having Steve Nash there doesn't do them any good. Steve Blake is actually a really good fit for them.

 

[asudevil83]

I dont like your Bulls trade for Phoenix, unless some other trade happens where the Suns get a good PF somewhere else. But you've got two sort of tweener SF-PFs coming to Phx in Outlaw and Thomas.

Further, Portland likely wouldn't do that trade. They are one of their slower paced teams in the league, so having Steve Nash there doesn't do them any good. Steve Blake is actually a really good fit for them.

apparently Portland just nixed a trade with Phoenix, because they wanted Nash instead of Amare

 

[mojorizen7]

apparently Portland just nixed a trade with Phoenix, because they wanted Nash instead of Amare

(sigh)

 

[Dback Jon]

Seeing this thread "Blow it up" Hoover Dam made me think I stumbled on a green terrorist site... :d

 

[Phill11]

I'm too bored and this trade machine is great


Big 4 Way Deal with:

PHX Trading: Steve Nash, Shaq O'Neal, Leandro Barbosa, Alando Tucker
PHX Getting: LeMarcus Aldridge, Jarryd Bayless, Raef LaFrentz, Stephon Marubry, David Lee, Nate Robinson

NYK Trading: Stephon Marubry, David Lee, Nate Robinson
NYK Getting: Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse

POR Trading: LeMarcus Aldridge, Jarryd Bayless, Raef LaFrentz
POR Getting: Steve Nash, Alando Tucker

DAL Trading: Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse
DAL Getting: Shaq


Leaves us with this rotation:
PG: Robinson/Bayless/Marbury (if not cut)
SG: Richardson/Barnes
SF: Hill/Barnes
PF: Lee/Aldridge/Amundson
C: Amare/Lopez/LaFrentz

Fair 9 man rotation, ready for the future....

 

[HooverDam]

apparently Portland just nixed a trade with Phoenix, because they wanted Nash instead of Amare

Well we have no way of knowing if thats true or not, but if it is, its horrid. I'd love Nash to go to Portland and have a (slim) chance at a title. Plus it would mean the Suns would get some good young players back, AND get to keep their good young star. It would be the most ideal situation but hey, Kerrs an idiot.

 

[mojorizen7]

Well we have no way of knowing if thats true or not, but if it is, its horrid. I'd love Nash to go to Portland and have a (slim) chance at a title. Plus it would mean the Suns would get some good young players back, AND get to keep their good young star. It would be the most ideal situation but hey, Kerrs an idiot.

^Yeah, all that.