Pure speculation, at this point it is unlikely Amare signs anything before at least visiting other teams and listen to their offers.
Someone will pay him the full max and the Suns won't and probably shouldn't.
Do you mean
his max? I'm still skeptical than anyone will offer that. $20 million per year is huge.
We won't get anything of value in a sign and trade that will keep us competitive.
Depends on what you mean by "competitive." There are lots of sign-and-trade scenarios that would bring back enough talent for the Suns to play .500 or so, maybe a bit better if Lopez continues to develop.
Now, you will say, there's no point being an old team that plays .500, might as well blow it up completely. And I basically agree, but we both know that the Suns' front office doesn't think that way.
Yes it is because salaries are going to go down most likely. So teams won't offer Hill, what he could get possibly still get this year from someone.
That makes no sense. If a team projects that they won't be able to pay Hill $3 million in 2012-13, they won't offer him a contract that includes that amount for that season. They can see salaries coming down as well as anyone else.
The new CBA will effect everyone, but the
timing of it affects only this summer's free agent stars. Since they can get more right now than they'll ever be able to get again, they have an enormous incentive to engineer that one last big score. No team wants to give those dinosaur contracts out, but they know that they have to if they want the player.
For smaller-salaried players, teams can plan for the future more rationally. For example, Dudley can be extended this summer, and hopefully the Suns recognize his value. But everyone can see the new CBA coming, so the amount that they work out for him will already be taking those reductions into account. (And if the Suns and Dudley's agent can't agree on what the future holds, they'll wait for the lockout.)
