It’s time to put your GM cap on. With the Suns reportedly shopping everyone and anyone not named Steve Nash it’s time to figure out who they should get back in return. Here are two trades in my book that make sense for the Suns on and off the court.
Trade Amare Stoudemire, Goran Dragic and a second round pick to Detroit for Rasheed Wallace, Rodney Stuckey and a first round pick.
Why it works:
The Suns are looking for a young player who can contribute. Rodney Stuckey fits the bill. Stuckey is 22 year old 6′ 5″ point guard who has the ability to score and pass the ball. He is under contract for two more seasons with options for two more. He could be a perfect back up to Steve Nash and the point guard of the future for the Suns. Stuckey is averaging 13.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
The Suns are also looking for salary cap relief. Rasheed Wallace will provide that while filling the power forward role nicely the rest of this season. Wallace’s $13.93 Million comes off the books at the end of the year. Wallace’s numbers are down this year but is still averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds (Plus how could you not want a guy who can make three point shots with his left and right hand at the same time?).
The Pistons would do this because they get to add a young talented forward to an aging roster. Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Amare Stoudemire could form a formidable “big three” to compete in the talent laden east for years to come. Plus the Pistons would be able to add another piece, probably a point guard, in the offseason with Allen Iverson’s contract expiring.
Why it wouldn’t work:
The Suns might be leery of adding Wallace with his reputation as being a locker room issue. Bottom line is though for 3 months he couldn’t be any worse than what is currently going on.
The Pistons may be hesitant because Amare can opt out after next season and a long term contract may be tough to reach. Also it leaves them thin at point guard for the rest of this season.
Don’t like that? How about Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa to Chicago for Tyrus Thomas, Kirk Hinrich, Drew Gooden and a first round pick?
Why it works:
Tyrus Thomas obviously isn’t at Stoudemire’s level but he has the potential to be a good forward in the association. He is 6′9″ and 215 lbs and very athletic. He is averaging 9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while only playing 24.7 minutes a game (he is averaging more blocks per game in that time than Amare is in 36.9 minutes a game).
Kirk Hinrich gives the Suns a legit back up point guard who can carry the torch after Nash retires. He is can pass the ball and is only committing under 2 turnovers a game.
Drew Gooden is an expiring contract who can give the Suns an additional $7 million in cap space next season while giving them a lift at power forward this season.
This deal makes a lot of sense for the Suns because it would keep them competitive this year, give them building blocks for the future and gives them cap space to avoid the luxury tax next season.
The Bulls would do it because they need a player to share the offensive load with Derrick Rose and the duo could be built around for years to come.
While the likelihood of either of these deals coming to fruition is slim they are the kind of deals the Suns need to pull of in exchange for Amare. Addition by subtraction isn’t enough at this point for the franchise or the fan base. If a deal goes down, which it’s becoming more apparent it will, it will define the future of the franchise.
[Check your trade ideas with ESPN Trade Machine and post them in the comments]
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Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace
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