Stoudemire eyeing life in LA?

[devilalum]

I keep reading and thinking about the "Amare Situation" and I had this thought.

IMO the Suns cannot trade him. Nothing they could get would be adequite. If he wants to go to LA the Suns should put a max offer on the table and leave it there. Tell Amare that they want him here, they love him and they have NO intention of trading him or facilitating a sign and trade, EVER.

The offer is on the table whenever you want it, if you want to leave then play out your rookie contract, sign the one year tender, play here another year and if you still want to leave good luck with your new team.

If all he wants is a 3 year out, I can live with that. In this scenario Amare will be here for 4 more years. At that point Nash will be gone or should be gone, Marion will be looking at the downside of his career and if the Suns haven't won a title they'll be needing to rebuild to some extent anyway.

 

[Silverbullet]

I realy dont like the way he is dragging his feet and I would never agree to help send him out of town. I agree with you, put the deal on the table and have a take it or leave it approach. I also would like to see them stick with the 5 year rather than a 3 year opt out. I think the Suns have some leverage here, I dont think he wants to loose money and would risk injury. I think he should sign now and could sign another deal at age 28. He could sign 2 max deals before he turns 29. I hope the Suns get this done and not drop the ball on this one. Amare is a future mega star and could be the greatest Sun ever, I would hate to see him leave and end up in purple and gold.

 

[JCSunsfan]

This is the NBA and if things turn sour, players (esp. of amares stature) can force their way out.

SO until their is a report on amares signing, we should consider the worst case scenario

If you want to be that paranoid, what difference will it make when he signs an extension? He could still "force his way out" if he really made up his mind to.

The Suns lost Johnson precisely because he wasn't that valuable to them. If losing Johnson was going to cripple the franchise, the Suns would simply have matched the Hawks' offer, and that would have been that.

That's exactly right. If the Suns really WANTED to keep JJ, they could have. The only way Amare leaves is to sign a QO and then opt out later.

He can sign a 5-year extension at the max now. Its his best financial option. It is secure and he can have the option of getting out later.

He can wait and become a RFA, in which the Suns will not only match ANY offer he gets, but offer a six year deal at the max, at far more than any other team can offer.

He could take a QO and then try to head somewhere else, but the risk during that year would be huge. He could have a major injury. The worst case scenario would be a nagging injury that allows him to play but severely limits his production.

IMO it would be as easy for Amare to force a trade while under contract, as it would be to try to hit free agency with some chance of going to a team like LA.

He likes it here, and he has said so often. He also likes all the attention he's getting in the offseason.