When Amaré Stoudemire started talking about Mike D'Antoni in the past tense last April - before the then-Suns coach departed - D'Antoni's exit appeared increasingly likely.
After meeting Friday morning with Suns General Manager Steve Kerr about trade rumors, Stoudemire sounded like he had started packing.
He talked as if he expected to be traded before clarifying that he wishes to be "a Phoenix Sun forever" and sign a contract extension this summer.
"It's kind of good that a lot of teams want me right now," said Stoudemire, who is under contract for two more years worth $34.1 million. "That's positive. Obviously, probably a little bit of financial decision going on. Probably trying to clear things up from their standpoint. A lot of times, when something like this happens it's more of a business move than anything else.
"I know for sure, wherever I go, we're going to definitely be playoff contenders. I bring a lot to the table."
When noted that he sounded like he anticipated a trade, Stoudemire said he "would love to stay here. You just never know what happens. You would never have thought Shawn Marion would get traded when they did it or Raja (Bell) or Boris (Diaw). Just to be a step ahead, I always try to look forward and turn anything into a positive."
Stoudemire emphasized how well he gets along with teammates but made it clear that he is getting an unfair share of blame for the Suns' underwhelming season.
"To whom much is given, much is expected," coach Terry Porter said on whether criticism of Stoudemire was unfair.
"Half the time, it's pretty much on me," Stoudemire said. "But I'm not a captain. So you can't put too much of the blame on me. It's not my job to rally the troops and get everybody on board. It's the captains' job to do that. I pretty much play my position. I go out there and play hard and try to lead us in scoring and try to do the intangibles. I try to get better defensively, and I have gotten better defensively."
Stoudemire was a captain last season but the players voted for Grant Hill, Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal as captains for this season. He said Kerr told him anybody on the team could be traded and admitted the trade rumors have been "a little bit of a distraction."
Kerr said the Suns have been taking "a lot of calls" on Stoudemire.
"We're not playing to our capabilities, so that's the way it goes when that happens," Kerr said. "I think we can still be good this year, but we also have to make sure we can sustain our success. The last five years, we've made a concerted effort to keep our talent around. We've built up a really big payroll. We've traded some first-round picks, some young assets, so we've got to keep that mind, too."
Nash also addressed trade talk after Friday's shootaround, which O'Neal missed for traffic school.
"Of course I want to be here," Nash said, noting that he heard about a Yahoo report that he was "untouchable."
"I love playing here. I want to see it work out here. I apologize to the fans that it's been a tough year. It's killing me, and I'm sure it's really hurting the fans. I want to see a positive outcome and a resolution to the trouble."
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