From Coro's blog:
So it seems to me that if the Suns really want Chandler, they can pretty much have him, and it really depends on whether they are willing to take on his salary and potential health issues.
As for the Cleveland draft pick, that is really sad that the Suns again are allowing other teams to dictate the terms of the deals. Other teams will think the Suns are desperate to save money and will not offer a lot of value in any other trades the Suns office may wish to pursue.
A direct Suns source has shot down the report that the Suns are talking about trading Amare Stoudemire for Tracy McGrady in a package including other players. Such a discussion has never taken place, according to the Suns this morning.There's the same full-fledged denial out of Houston.
As for speculation about Ben Wallace being moved on to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler, it's a possibility. Chandler has long been of interest as an ideal basketball fit for the Suns that would make them a really good team immediately. Chandler also has a big in-house fan in Suns assistant coach Bill Cartwright, who was Chandler's first head coach in Chicago. Chandler would be the ideal center in a Suns lineup because he is a rebounding machine and the kind of defender Phoenix needs to protect Steve Nash in pick-and-rolls and Stoudemire in the paint. He is athletic enough to play the Suns' run-and-fun ways and can finish in a two-man game.
The salaries work as far as a straight-up trade but the problems could be Chandler's health issues that caused Oklahoma City to veto an in-season deal and that the Suns would be hurting their 2010 free agency flexibility. Wallace is an expiring $14 million contract that could also provide the Suns more immediate financial relief with a buyout (although he would still count as a $14 million salary for luxury tax purposes). Chandler's contract goes into the 2010-11 season at about $13 million.
If you haven't seen the story that makes the Suns trade official, there was a change in the second-round pick the Suns are acquiring. How about Danny Ferry asking for top-40 protection on a second-round pick with a team that just went 66-16?
One other detail: Pavlovic apparently does not need to be released at any particular time to avoid a full guarantee on his $4.95 million salary. It even sounds like he could be on the roster for a percentage of the season that would pay him the $1.5 million he is guaranteed and still be released to get the $6.9 million savings ($3.45 million in salary and another $3.45 million in luxury tax)
So it seems to me that if the Suns really want Chandler, they can pretty much have him, and it really depends on whether they are willing to take on his salary and potential health issues.
As for the Cleveland draft pick, that is really sad that the Suns again are allowing other teams to dictate the terms of the deals. Other teams will think the Suns are desperate to save money and will not offer a lot of value in any other trades the Suns office may wish to pursue.