Summer must-do list starts with Amaré, JJ
Suns may pursue Lithuanian guard
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 30, 2005 12:00 AM
There is no need to gas up Robert Sarver's plane this time. Though flying to see Steve Nash worked a year ago, a car would suffice for the Suns' free-agent priorities this year.
When free agency commences at 9 tonight (Phoenix time), the Suns will reach out to Joe Johnson about re-signing him and Amaré Stoudemire about extending his deal.
"Joe and Amaré will know very quickly what our intentions are," said Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo, who added that the Suns will be active but non-committal with other free agents until Johnson's and Stoudemire's deals are resolved.
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It's an important day, starting with the deadline for centers Jake Voskuhl and Steven Hunter to act on player options. Here's a rundown of what is to come for Phoenix:
• Voskuhl will pick up his $1,875,000 player option, but the Suns will continue to look for a trade that would help the former starting center get in someone's rotation.
• Hunter will decline his $745,000 option, but said he expects to return to Phoenix. Hunter, who recently underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right middle finger, said his return is more about security, a long-term contract, than money. He has said he wants more than the $1.6 million to $1.7 million exception.
"I definitely want to be back. I'm sad to see (Quentin Richardson) leave, but Kurt Thomas is a great addition, especially depth-wise. I love the organization, coaches and management," Hunter said.
• Johnson may want to feel out his free-agent value with teams that want him (Cleveland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta). However, he could agree to a six-year deal with Phoenix and not sign an offer sheet from another team, which can offer only five years. If he signs an offer sheet elsewhere, Phoenix can match it to keep him, but he would miss the chance at a six-year deal.
• Phoenix likely will pursue 25-year-old Lithuanian sharpshooter Arvydas Macijauskas with its $5 million, midlevel exception, which can be split among more than one player. Macijauskas helped Tau Ceramica of Spain reach the Euroleague championship game. He averaged 17.8 points a game and shot 48 percent this season in the Euroleague. The 6-foot-4, 214-pounder scored 24 against the United States in the 2004 Olympics' bronze medal game.
• The Suns also will consider shooting guard Raja Bell, who averaged 12 points as a part-time starter with Utah last season. Bell, who played a season with Steve Nash in Dallas, is fleet and defends well.
• The "amnesty rule" of the new collective bargaining agreement will have the Suns looking at other veterans such as former Suns guard Michael Finley, one of Nash's closest friends. Like Allan Houston and Brian Grant, Finley is expected to be waived on a one-time tax break.
Dallas, well over the salary cap, will not have to pay the luxury tax on his $15.9 million salary next season. He still gets that money, so he might consider a veteran's minimum offer.
• The Suns will have one new staff member for sure. Mike D'Antoni's older brother, Dan, 57, will join the Suns as an assistant, but not as a bench coach.
He coached at Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for 30 successful years. He founded the Beach Ball Classic, one of the top high school tourneys in the nation. This will be his first pro work since a stint with the Baltimore Bullets in 1971.
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Suns may pursue Lithuanian guard
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 30, 2005 12:00 AM
There is no need to gas up Robert Sarver's plane this time. Though flying to see Steve Nash worked a year ago, a car would suffice for the Suns' free-agent priorities this year.
When free agency commences at 9 tonight (Phoenix time), the Suns will reach out to Joe Johnson about re-signing him and Amaré Stoudemire about extending his deal.
"Joe and Amaré will know very quickly what our intentions are," said Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo, who added that the Suns will be active but non-committal with other free agents until Johnson's and Stoudemire's deals are resolved.
advertisement
It's an important day, starting with the deadline for centers Jake Voskuhl and Steven Hunter to act on player options. Here's a rundown of what is to come for Phoenix:
• Voskuhl will pick up his $1,875,000 player option, but the Suns will continue to look for a trade that would help the former starting center get in someone's rotation.
• Hunter will decline his $745,000 option, but said he expects to return to Phoenix. Hunter, who recently underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right middle finger, said his return is more about security, a long-term contract, than money. He has said he wants more than the $1.6 million to $1.7 million exception.
"I definitely want to be back. I'm sad to see (Quentin Richardson) leave, but Kurt Thomas is a great addition, especially depth-wise. I love the organization, coaches and management," Hunter said.
• Johnson may want to feel out his free-agent value with teams that want him (Cleveland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta). However, he could agree to a six-year deal with Phoenix and not sign an offer sheet from another team, which can offer only five years. If he signs an offer sheet elsewhere, Phoenix can match it to keep him, but he would miss the chance at a six-year deal.
• Phoenix likely will pursue 25-year-old Lithuanian sharpshooter Arvydas Macijauskas with its $5 million, midlevel exception, which can be split among more than one player. Macijauskas helped Tau Ceramica of Spain reach the Euroleague championship game. He averaged 17.8 points a game and shot 48 percent this season in the Euroleague. The 6-foot-4, 214-pounder scored 24 against the United States in the 2004 Olympics' bronze medal game.
• The Suns also will consider shooting guard Raja Bell, who averaged 12 points as a part-time starter with Utah last season. Bell, who played a season with Steve Nash in Dallas, is fleet and defends well.
• The "amnesty rule" of the new collective bargaining agreement will have the Suns looking at other veterans such as former Suns guard Michael Finley, one of Nash's closest friends. Like Allan Houston and Brian Grant, Finley is expected to be waived on a one-time tax break.
Dallas, well over the salary cap, will not have to pay the luxury tax on his $15.9 million salary next season. He still gets that money, so he might consider a veteran's minimum offer.
• The Suns will have one new staff member for sure. Mike D'Antoni's older brother, Dan, 57, will join the Suns as an assistant, but not as a bench coach.
He coached at Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for 30 successful years. He founded the Beach Ball Classic, one of the top high school tourneys in the nation. This will be his first pro work since a stint with the Baltimore Bullets in 1971.
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