Suns trade pick

[fordronken]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2004/columns/story?id=1827142

Suns get No. 31, future first and cash

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider


The Phoenix Suns have traded away the No. 7 pick in Thursday's draft to the Chicago Bulls, ESPN.com Insider has learned. In the process, the Suns may be out of the running for Tracy McGrady.

The trade, which won't be announced until Thursday, will give the Suns one of the Bulls' second-round picks (No. 31), a future first-rounder and an undisclosed sum of cash in return for the pick.

The move is no surprise on one front -- the Bulls have been looking for a second lottery pick. They have had an infatuation with Oregon's Luke Jackson for some time and sources believe Chicago likely will select Jackson with the No. 7 pick.

For the Suns, the move is more surprising. Earlier on Wednesday, the Suns were dangling the No. 7 pick, along with Shawn Marion, to the Magic in an effort to land McGrady.

However, after the Magic announced that they wouldn't be making a T-Mac trade until after the draft, the Suns grew impatient and agreed to the swap with the Bulls.

While Suns sources wouldn't characterize the talks with the Magic as "dead," they claim that they are no longer in active discussions with the Magic for McGrady.

Why would the Suns give up a high lottery pick for only a future first-rounder? The Suns didn't feel that any player left at No. 7 would help their team immediately. They also wanted the extra cap space. By getting the No. 7 pick off their books, the Suns are suddenly looking at $16.3 million in cap space this summer to make a run at free agents.

The Bulls also included minimum protections on their future first. The pick is protected in the top three in 2005 and as the top pick in 2006.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for Insider.

 

[slinslin]

2M$ cap relief... awesome

And probably out of the TMac trade talk..

The only good thing is that the Bulls pick is only top 3 protected in 2005 and the Bulls are bound to stink it up again.

 

[sunsfn]

I have got to go back and check who the suns bought in that may go in the 2nd round.

 

[JerkFace]

2M$ cap relief... awesome

And probably out of the TMac trade talk..

The only good thing is that the Bulls pick is only top 3 protected in 2005 and the Bulls are bound to stink it up again.

this is what i don't get..... if a player with the skill level of a devin harris was on the free agent market and he was willing to sign with the suns for only 2 million a year the suns would jump all over it.

 

[elindholm]

WTF, this is ********. When are they going to stop planning for the future and actually put together a team?

Couldn't the Suns at least have waited to see who was left at #7 before agreeing to the deal? It sounds like Chicago has a wider range of players they'd be happy with.

 

[F-Dog]

I'm still searching for a possible reason for this.

--The Suns have been assuming their #7 would go to Orlando, and now that Orlando's idiot GM is dithering, they're trying to turn it into future considerations, so it remains in play as a trading piece?

--Dallas trades up to snatch Podkolzine?

--Josh Smith's second workout was a disappointment?

--The Suns still think they're going to get Kobe?


I wonder if the Suns now regret not giving a guarantee to Andriuskevicius...

 

[elindholm]

I wonder if the Suns now regret not giving a guarantee to Andriuskevicius...

Actually they did give him a guarantee, but once he pulled out, they had to do something to make sure they'd be able to draft him in 2005.

 

[F-Dog]

I wonder if the Suns now regret not giving a guarantee to Andriuskevicius...

Actually they did give him a guarantee, but once he pulled out, they had to do something to make sure they'd be able to draft him in 2005.

They'll have to lose a lot of games next season to get into the top 3, which is what it's supposedly going to take.