SUNS Free Agent News

[mojorizen7]

From AZ Republic
Other guards in Suns' sights

32 commentsby Paul Coro - Jul. 16, 2008 10:11 PM
The Arizona Republic
It's like free-agency season has begun anew for the Suns.
There was not much chance that the financially hamstrung Suns would land any free agent early except Tyronn Lue, a point-guard target. Lue favored the Suns and the chance to play for a winner alongside friend Shaquille O'Neal and behind Steve Nash up until Milwaukee called with a better offer this week.
The Suns learned Wednesday that Lue agreed to terms with the Bucks, who are believed to be offering him their biannual exception that will pay $1.9 million this year and has a $2 million player option for 2009-10.

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Phoenix will not offer a free agent more than a one-year veteran's minimum deal because any payroll hit would be doubled by the luxury tax.
A minimum deal, up to $1.26 million based on experience, is offset $465,000 by a league fund. That saves the Suns another $465,000 because the offset portion is also not a tax hit.
The Suns need to sign three players to reach the 13-man roster minimum. The priority was to land a veteran point guard before signing a wing and a big man. Phoenix will pursue Sam Cassell, Damon Stoudamire or Jason Williams to be its backup point and Carlos Arroyo if he fell to minimum-contract status.
Shaun Livingston, a 22-year-old former No. 4 pick, could be brought in if he checks out with the medical staff.
He may be a year away from returning to full strength after tearing four left knee ligaments and dislocating his patella in February 2007.
The Suns could settle on a rotation of point guards whose rights they already own - Nash, D.J. Strawberry and 22-year-old Slovenian Goran Dragic.
Two league sources said Dragic, the Suns' second-round pick last month, has negotiated a buyout with Spanish club Tau Ceramica to leave this summer.
The hang-up is Phoenix can cover only $500,000 of his buyout. He would need to make almost $2 million next season to pay his part of a buyout that is more than the $1.55 million buyout his contract had stated for 2009.
Phoenix spent $500,000 in a trade to get him. Due to a doubling tax hit, the Suns are seeking a deal to shed payroll and fit in Dragic, who is considered Nash's potential successor.
Others have said Leandro Barbosa has remained in trade talk.
The Suns do not see Barbosa as a point guard but still could play him there if Grant Hill or Boris Diaw ran the offense.
Brian Skinner could return too but it will be awhile until the roster fills up.
Allan Houston will play in the Suns' September voluntary games to see where his comeback try stands.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/07/16/20080716suns0717.html

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Suns 2008-2009 slogan

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Dont worry fans, there's bound to be something decent down here if we scrape hard enough.

 

[Griffin]

Phoenix will pursue Sam Cassell, Damon Stoudamire or Jason Williams to be its backup point and Carlos Arroyo if he fell to minimum-contract status.

Why would any of those players want to come here to play for the minimum? I would love to see Cassell back, even at that age, but why wouldn't he just stay with the Celtics for the same money?

Two league sources said Dragic, the Suns' second-round pick last month, has negotiated a buyout with Spanish club Tau Ceramica to leave this summer.
The hang-up is Phoenix can cover only $500,000 of his buyout. He would need to make almost $2 million next season to pay his part of a buyout that is more than the $1.55 million buyout his contract had stated for 2009.
Phoenix spent $500,000 in a trade to get him. Due to a doubling tax hit, the Suns are seeking a deal to shed payroll and fit in Dragic, who is considered Nash's potential successor.

Shed payroll how? It would have to involve either Diaw or Barbosa.

A scary possibility: the Suns give away Barbosa for next to nothing in order to shed enough payroll to pay Dragic enough to cover his buyout. That would definitely rival some of the worst moves ever, and yet I would not be surprised if that happened.

 

[shazaam6]

Why would any of those players want to come here to play for the minimum? I would love to see Cassell back, even at that age, but why wouldn't he just stay with the Celtics for the same money?

Shed payroll how? It would have to involve either Diaw or Barbosa.

A scary possibility: the Suns give away Barbosa for next to nothing in order to shed enough payroll to pay Dragic enough to cover his buyout. That would definitely rival some of the worst moves ever, and yet I would not be surprised if that happened.

Getting Dragic to play this year makes us stronger. Losing Barbosa makes us weaker. One step up, two steps back.

Barbosa is a weapon to have, not a way to raise money.

If the Suns do this, Sarver will see my middle finger if I ever see him in person. At that point though it won't matter because he won't be able to see or hear anything with his head being permanently stuck so far up his ass.

Keep Barbosa, sign Dragic and pay what it takes. You are saving millions on Grant's contract. Players cost money. Ask Cuban.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't see it happening because of the salary structure, but Arroyo would be an excellent fit in Phoenix. Also Jason Wiliams would certainly liven up the team. The Suns played too tight last season. Now getting Dragic over here is a must. Actually I think Dragic could see playing time at both guard positions which would be nice.... and another way to get him in the lineup sooner rather than later.

 

[95pro]

yeah i'd be pissed too.

im all for getting rid of barbs, but not just to just give him away for nothing.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

shouldn't the name of this thread really be "SUNS NON-Free Agent News"???

 

[nowagimp]

OR: "

Suns looking closely at one-legged PG to back up nash. The suns have inquired within the NBA front office whether a one pegged player can only be paid 1/2 of the vet min. This would help avoid the luxury tax on an extra 400K".

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

OR: "

Suns looking closely at one-legged PG to back up nash. The suns have inquired within the NBA front office whether a one pegged player can only be paid 1/2 of the vet min. This would help avoid the luxury tax on an extra 400K".

lol. once kerr reads this post we know what he'll be doing this afternoon.

 

[scXfreakX]

...A scary possibility: the Suns give away Barbosa for next to nothing in order to shed enough payroll to pay Dragic enough to cover his buyout. That would definitely rival some of the worst moves ever, and yet I would not be surprised if that happened.

Scary, and I can totally see it happening. Although getting Dragic over here would be nice right now, is it really worth the risk of possibly seeing Barbosa go for nothing? Are we going to have another situation like a Marcus Camby for nothing trade? This just makes me very weary.

 

[Folster]

Barbosa and Bell are our only off the ball three point shooters. I cringe at the thought of trading Barbosa for that reason alone. A salary dump of LB would leave us with a total of two 3-point shooters, Bell and Nash. That's a far cry from 04-05 when we had Nash, JJ, Q, JJ2, and Marion to an extent. And we all know Q counted as two 3-point shooters with how many he launched.

The Suns need to keep Barbs unless they get a good deal. I like the idea of bringing in Livingston. If healthy(big if), he would be the perfect point to play alongside LB.

 

[Irish]

Arroyo and Williams are not ideal, but they might welcome being on an up tempo team.

Skinner did not get much attention last summer I'd be surprised if the situation changes. Still, I think he'll wait it out and hope that lightening strikes.

Alan Houston is a replacement for Pike. It is hard to imagine he'd be much help, but he'd love to just be on a roster and it might help to have a pure shooter for certain situations.

 

[shazaam6]

OR: "

Suns looking closely at one-legged PG to back up nash. The suns have inquired within the NBA front office whether a one pegged player can only be paid 1/2 of the vet min. This would help avoid the luxury tax on an extra 400K".

 

[Covert Rain]

The Suns better not go anywhere near Sam Cassell. The guy is done. He was pulled from so many playoff games with the Celtics because of his poor shot selection and chucking them up. Doc pulled him several times. The guy is done.

I wouldn't mind them bringing in Jason Williams or DS. However, like someone else already stated, what makes anybody think these guys will come here for the minimum? We are already are being shunned by other scrubs who tell the media "I think we are going to get it done in Phoenix".

Why do I get the sinking feeling we are about to trade someone for salary cap space????

"I have a bad feeling about this".

 

[nowagimp]

The Suns better not go anywhere near Sam Cassell. The guy is done. He was pulled from so many playoff games with the Celtics because of his poor shot selection and chucking them up. Doc pulled him several times. The guy is done.

I wouldn't mind them bringing in Jason Williams or DS. However, like someone else already stated, what makes anybody think these guys will come here for the minimum? We are already are being shunned by other scrubs who tell the media "I think we are going to get it done in Phoenix".

Why do I get the sinking feeling we are about to trade someone for salary cap space????

"I have a bad feeling about this".

Agreed, cassel is done. But I thought he was pulled for terrible defense, like he was just so slow on defense he wasnt really there. I do recall him just chucking shots though.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

ok let me get this straight, Cassel is done but with our miracle staff we can sign two guys that didn't even play last season?

 

[95pro]

my view, i never read or waited for pre/post game comments about the celts and lakers....but when cassel was in the game, he was chucking up shots trying to take over, IMO he just really disrupted the celtics game, on offense and defense.

thats my take on what i saw during an actual game. didnt read or hear anything about what or why he was pulled.



anyway, he's done. i hope we dont sign him. jaywill(white chocolate) might be entertaining here and there, but there's no D, bad shot selection. we already have barbs as it is.

 

[Covert Rain]

ok let me get this straight, Cassel is done but with our miracle staff we can sign two guys that didn't even play last season?

The Suns can rehab his body. They can't rehab his brain. His shot selection and selfishness got him pulled from several games that I watched.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't think Cassell would be a good choice for the Suns because of his age and defense. However, just to give Sam his due, if I were an opposing team, I would not want Sam to take the last shot. He is lethal in that situation.

Let's get Jason Williams and Dragic and call it good. Too bad the Suns cannot afford Arroyo. Also I'd love to see the Suns take on Shaun Livington as a 14th player and see if his medical issues can be resolved over the course of a year. He would be a steal if he ever got close to preinjury.

 

[Irish]

Williams has been in the league for 10 years. During his last three his shooting has steadily declined:

2005-06 13.2 ppg 44.2% and 37.2% for three 4.9 apg in 31.9 minutes
2006-07 10.9 ppg 41.3% and 33.9% for three 5.3 apg in 30.6 minutes
2007-08 8.8 ppg 38.4% and 35.3% for three 4.6 apg in 28.1 minutes

 

[mojorizen7]

I'd rather have Barbosa turning the ball over than J. Williams turning it over + chucking up brick after brick. Williams is a mess of a PG.
I'd also rather take my chances with DJ.
Just circumvent the salary cap already and get Dragic & Skinner signed.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Coro Free Agent news:

* A while back, it was mentioned that there is a strong chance the Suns would bring back Brian Skinner or Sean Marks into the fold. The thought after the draft was that maybe Marks would be favored, considering there would some duplication in skill set with first-round pick Robin Lopez and Skinner. However, it appears there is more of a concern for how many games Shaquille O’Neal will miss next season, creating a need for Skinner’s ability to protect the paint. Skinner’s knack for getting a blocked shot each 11 minutes of play was one of the most undervalued assets the Suns had last season. Among NBA starters, only Marcus Camby blocks shots more often.

* A couple of free agent swingmen possibilities who have been mentioned for Phoenix are Devean George and Devin Brown, among others. There are few who wouldn’t favor George of the two but the more realistic for the Suns might prove to be Brown, even with New Orleans now likely out of the picture on George with the James Posey pickup. Dallas is prioritizing re-signing George (odd, considering he nearly blew up the Jason Kidd trade) and he has enough interest that a Suns veteran minimum offer may not be enough. Brown is willing to play for the minimum and has some fans in the Suns organization.

* You heard that the Suns got mentioned as a potential destination in Ron Artest trade rumors. The hunch here is that this may be one-way interest coming more from Artest’s desire to play for Phoenix. The Kings do have interest in Leandro Barbosa and are known to be shopping John Salmons, ftw the Suns free agency pledge for a day back in the Marcus Banks summer of 2006. By the way, the Banks act already has lost some favor in Miami, where the Heat has tried to move him and continues to seek an alternative to him at the point there. Could it be a fifth team in Banks' sixth season?

* The Suns have not been affected by not having their biennial exception. First, they got a steal in using it on Grant Hill last season and now have him for less than $2 million this season. Second, with the payroll situation what it is, there might not be a player out there like Hill that Phoenix would jump to the $1.91 million salary to get. In essence, with veteran minimum offsets factored in, using a biannual would cost Phoenix an extra $2.2 million on a player.

* Shaquille O’Neal sounds like he’ll have an early return to Phoenix. The plan is for his kids to enroll in Phoenix in the coming year, meaning he will be back in town in August. The Suns start voluntary workouts in September but the early start in schools in Arizona helps Phoenix get its family men in earlier. Grant Hill was an early arrival last year and worked out daily with the athletic training staff in August. Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson was dispatched to Orlando recently for twice-a-day sessions of manual and corrective therapy. This September, the Suns will get a long look too at Allan Houston, who will play in their pickup games that month.

* A reminder on just what Phoenix thought of Goran Dragic . . . The Suns were considering making him a 15th overall pick and had only Derrick Rose ranked higher at point guard. Phoenix flew him in the week of the draft secretly and tried to keep his buyout prospects for this year quiet in league circles. Dragic has a 37 ½-inch vertical leap and tested extremely well in upper- and lower-body agility tests. Point guards are so hard to come by that you would figure Phoenix will want to do everything it can to allow its projected point guard of the future to learn under Steve Nash for at least two years. At one point, someone said, “He’s got some Manu in him.”

* Speaking of Nash, he’s directing more than offenses again. After becoming the first pro athlete in a mainstream sport to produce his own commercials, Nash will make his film directing debut with a one-hour documentary project for ESPN Films. It will be about Canadian hero Terry Fox, who lost a leg to cancer and tried to run from coast to coast on an artificial one before falling ill and dying a year later. “As a 6-year-old in Canada, I remember what it felt like and how proud we were when he was running across the country to raise money for cancer research,” Nash told Canada’s Sun Media. “I also remember what it felt like when we found out that he couldn’t continue, going to school and everyone was so upset. Those things have stuck with me.” Nash's charitable foundation also won the Steve Patterson Philanthropy Award this summer. The award is named for the late former ASU basketball coach.

* It is early and nobody should read too much into NBA Summer League results (remember, D.J. Strawberry was last summer’s assists leader) but Strawberry has looked like a player who will finish better at the rim during workouts and the summer league opener.

* A major kudo from the Suns summer league opener got lost in the shuffle. The summer Suns protected Banks’ summer league scoring record of 42 (in his one and only performance to learn how to a better point guard before he shut it down for a sore shoulder) by keeping Houston’s Donte Greene to 40 points in the opener. Yeah, Von Wafer went for 42 last year too. Actually, Wafer belongs in the NBA for his shot alone.

* The Shaun Livingston prospects have not left the garage. There had been no real consideration or conversations about him among the Suns until Tyronn Lue plans fell through. It would take a thorough look from the Suns medical staff too because there is only a slim chance he could contribute in the coming season. That said, Livingston is a far more possible signing than Darius Miles, who did get examined by the Suns this month.

* Free agents weren’t supposed to be able to command much in this summer’s market but the guys Phoenix liked sure have. Lue, Jarvis Hayes, Roger Mason, Brent Barry, Anthony Johnson and Chris Duhon all proved to not be candidates for a veteran minimum deal.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Cheapskate wishful thinking.

 

[jlove]

Another cheap big that would be interesting to pick-up would be Michael Harris. He played limitedly with Houston last year. He had a pretty damn good summer league as well. If Houston doesn't sign him to a contract this year (which I don't think they will with having Greene and having to re-sign Carl Landry), he'd be a big to look at bringing in. Last year with Houston he averaged 3.6 Pts - 3.2 rbds while shooting 50% in 9 minutes a game (17 games). During the Summer League he averaged 13.4 Pts - 7.6 Rbds - 1.2 Asts while shooting 59% FG, 80% FT in 28 minutes per game (5 games). I see him as a Carl Landry impact player out of no-where type.

 

[Irish]

Another cheap big that would be interesting to pick-up would be Michael Harris. He played limitedly with Houston last year. He had a pretty damn good summer league as well. If Houston doesn't sign him to a contract this year (which I don't think they will with having Greene and having to re-sign Carl Landry), he'd be a big to look at bringing in. Last year with Houston he averaged 3.6 Pts - 3.2 rbds while shooting 50% in 9 minutes a game (17 games). During the Summer League he averaged 13.4 Pts - 7.6 Rbds - 1.2 Asts while shooting 59% FG, 80% FT in 28 minutes per game (5 games). I see him as a Carl Landry impact player out of no-where type.

At 6'6" he's a bit short for the inside.