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Amar'e Watch Day 2 : The Amar'e Stoudemire trade rumors continue to heat up with the first wave of reactions coming out of Phoenix. Stoudemire held court last night in Philadelphia telling reporters that in his mind it was inevitable that he'd be the guy traded, but said if he was not traded he'd continue to give the team his all. Stoudemire said after meetings with management last week, he felt the decision to make changes was more about economics and financial decisions. Here is where some things stand today:
Miami and New Jersey Are Out: The Miami HEAT and the New Jersey Nets seem to be out of the running for Stoudemire. The HEAT's offer was said to include sending Shawn Marion's ending deal and Michael Beasley along with a future first round draft pick, but the deal would have required Phoenix to send as many as four other players to Miami to make the deal work under the cap. The Suns also did not view Marion or Beasley as guys that can insure home court, taking the HEAT out of the race. The Nets offer was said to include the ending contract of Stromile Swift along with Yi Jianlian, Ryan Anderson and a first round draft pick. Again, not enough talent to insure home court in April for the Suns. Both teams' offers are still on the table according to a source familiar with the talks, meaning should other talks fall through the Suns always have the option of coming back, but the odds the HEAT or Nets land Amar'e looks pretty slim today.
Chicago The Front Runner: The Chicago Bulls might have the pieces for a deal, it now comes down does Chicago really want to make a deal? Sources near the Bulls said they are still not sold that landing Amar'e makes them a better basketball team now or in the future. It seems some of the waffling revolves around Tyrus Thomas who over the past week has averaged better than 15 points per game, and has a double-double or close to it, in his last 7 games. The Bulls' discussions for Stoudemire are said to include Thabo Sefolosha, the ending contracts of Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons and Thomas. It seems that this may be the deal that gets it done from Phoenix's point of view, but Bulls sources said neither Bulls' GM John Paxson or Vinny Del Negro have agreed that this deal works for the Bulls. The belief is this thing will not get resolved before the All-Star break, and that the Bulls want to "sleep on it" for a few days.
Golden State Pushing Hard: The Golden State Warriors made it known they wanted in on the Stoudemire talks, but sources close to the situation said the Suns have no interest in the pieces the Warriors have to offer. Any deal with Golden State would have involved the Base-Year Compensation deals of either Monta Ellis or Andris Biedrins and that in itself does not create luxury tax breathing room going forward. It does provide some interesting options for the Suns, but the amount of talent other offers brings to Phoenix makes a deal through Golden State highly unlikely, despite the Warriors' desire to get involved. If the Warriors are really putting Biedrins on the market, they may find an interested suitor - but considering he's out until after the All-Star break some teams might wants to see him healthy before pulling the trigger on a deal. Expect to hear more about the Warriors in the trade market, but do not expect the Warriors to land Stoudemire.
Detroit In The Mix: The Pistons are in the mix for Stoudemire, their offer is said to be built around the ending contract of Rasheed Wallace and likely Amir Johnson. Much like the Bulls reported offer, this deal does give the Suns what they said they wanted, and that's future flexibility and enough talent to compete for homecourt. Say what you will about Rasheed Wallace the person, Rasheed Wallace the player could bring the grit and toughness defensively the Suns are missing, and Amir Johnson is an exceptional future talent. Terry Porter's familiarity with Wallace certainly would make the transition easier. If the Pistons put a first round draft pick in the mix, that might be the best deal for the Suns' defined goals of flexibility and a first round playoff berth this season. Can the Suns squeeze a little more talent out of the deal remains to be seen. Pistons sources said Joe Dumars is not really engaging in talks about possible deals around the team, but the source said Joe tends not to be chatty when he's working on a deal.
Toronto Doesn't Have The Chips: The Raptors were rumored to have made a pass at the Suns regarding Stoudemire, but league sources said the Raptors simply do not have the chips to make a deal, unless they decided to move Chris Bosh, which sources close to the situation said is not going to happen. The Raptors are being aggressive in trying to find a deal before the February 19th trade deadline, it just does not look like it will be for Stoudemire.
The Suns are not in any hurry to make a deal, according to sources close to the talks. The belief is the Suns will work this thing to the deadline before making a decision, and there is still a strong belief that if the right deal does not present itself, the Suns will hold the line rather than sell off their best asset for less than the value they feel he should return. Keep in mind the Suns played this game with Shawn Marion for the better part of two years as well.
