Nash's backcourt mates in Phoenix:
It is almost certain the Suns will buy out Carter. That leaves a hole at the starting SG position. Dudley got a few starts last season and played well, but the Suns have mentioned how they would like to pick up a more offensive-minded wing, someone who can create his own shot. That would certainly help relieve Nash from having to create offense on every single possession.
Still, the Suns have limited options as to where to obtain that player. Possible trades? I always thought Iguadala would be a great pickup, especially considering his defensive ability, and he is certainly available, maybe even could be had by trading Carter's buyout-able contract + something else. But AI still has $44M left on his contract and a history of injuries, and the Suns aren't big risk takers. They could trade for a less expensive SG, but they don't have a lot of assets, other than Carter's contract, to play with.
They could draft a SG like Burks, if he's still available, but any drafted player is unlikely to have a major impact in his rookie season, and probably wouldn't be thrust into a starting role. There have also been reports that the Suns are targeting either a PG or a forward in this draft.
They could sign a FA, but not many good ones are available, and the Suns will be restricted to only using whatever exceptions remain under the new CBA, if any, since they are already over the cap. Plus, they already signed Childress last year and acquired Pietrus, and we know how well those two worked out.
Which brings us to Childress and Pietrus. I think the Suns will try to trade Pietrus (one year left at $5.3M) and they will give him away for free if they find a taker. They already tried to trade Childress to no avail. Pietrus doesn't belong anywhere near the starting lineup, but Childress is a more interesting option, if all else fails. The Suns made a mistake by signing him and compounded it by putting him behind Carter, Dudley and Pietrus in the rotation. Consequently, Childress hardly ever got off the bench. I think he can help a lot more than what he has shown last season, but starting him at SG would be similar to starting Frye at PF after Amare left. Neither Childress nor Frye can replace what Amare and Richardson brought respectively, but the Suns may not have a more viable option.
- Joe Johnson (2004-2005)
- Raja Bell (2005-2008)
- Jason Richardson (2008-2010)
- Vince Carter (2010-2011)
It is almost certain the Suns will buy out Carter. That leaves a hole at the starting SG position. Dudley got a few starts last season and played well, but the Suns have mentioned how they would like to pick up a more offensive-minded wing, someone who can create his own shot. That would certainly help relieve Nash from having to create offense on every single possession.
Still, the Suns have limited options as to where to obtain that player. Possible trades? I always thought Iguadala would be a great pickup, especially considering his defensive ability, and he is certainly available, maybe even could be had by trading Carter's buyout-able contract + something else. But AI still has $44M left on his contract and a history of injuries, and the Suns aren't big risk takers. They could trade for a less expensive SG, but they don't have a lot of assets, other than Carter's contract, to play with.
They could draft a SG like Burks, if he's still available, but any drafted player is unlikely to have a major impact in his rookie season, and probably wouldn't be thrust into a starting role. There have also been reports that the Suns are targeting either a PG or a forward in this draft.
They could sign a FA, but not many good ones are available, and the Suns will be restricted to only using whatever exceptions remain under the new CBA, if any, since they are already over the cap. Plus, they already signed Childress last year and acquired Pietrus, and we know how well those two worked out.
Which brings us to Childress and Pietrus. I think the Suns will try to trade Pietrus (one year left at $5.3M) and they will give him away for free if they find a taker. They already tried to trade Childress to no avail. Pietrus doesn't belong anywhere near the starting lineup, but Childress is a more interesting option, if all else fails. The Suns made a mistake by signing him and compounded it by putting him behind Carter, Dudley and Pietrus in the rotation. Consequently, Childress hardly ever got off the bench. I think he can help a lot more than what he has shown last season, but starting him at SG would be similar to starting Frye at PF after Amare left. Neither Childress nor Frye can replace what Amare and Richardson brought respectively, but the Suns may not have a more viable option.
We had that guy but we let him go.
