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Daily Email11Feb/0912:51 PM
The trade winds are swirling again in Phoenix but the direction the winds are coming from seems to be changing by the minute.
The strongest rumor right now is a deal sending Amare Stoudmire to the Portland Trailblazers for a package of young talent and the expiring contract of Raef LaFrentz.
The Portland Trail Blazers have made a strong play for Amare Stoudemire, discussing a package that includes LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, and Raef LaFrentz’s $12.7 million expiring contract, a person with direct knowledge of the talks told CBSSports.com Tuesday.
The Blazers lost any chance of being a major player in free agency this summer when Darius Miles came out of medical retirement and joined the Memphis Grizzlies. Losing $9 million of cap space they thought they’d have, the Blazers are looking to make their splash now via the trade route. The Blazers have four extra second-round picks in the next two drafts to offer, plus the rights to British big man Joel Freeland, taken by Portland with the 30th pick in the 2006 draft. Freeland, playing for Gran Canaria of the Spanish League, is part of the discussion between the Blazers and Suns, the person with knowledge of the talks said. [CBS Sports]
One place we know that Amare won’t be heading is New York City. It sounds as if the Suns and Steve Kerr have absolutely no desire to help out their old friend Mike D’Anotoni.
Count the Knicks out of the Amare Stoudemire Sweepstakes, which has become the buzz of the NBA leading into the All-Star break. According to multiple sources, among the many calls Phoenix Suns executive Steve Kerr fielded about the availability of Stoudemire, one came from Knicks president Donnie Walsh. But nothing came of it other than an understanding that the Suns would not send the 6-11 all-star forward/center to Mike D’Antoni’s Knicks.
“The sense was they wouldn’t do anything with New York,” one person with knowledge of the situation said.
It was similar to when D’Antoni favorites Boris Diaw and Raja Bell were traded in December to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Knicks wanted both players but were unable to make a deal with the Suns.
[Newsday]
Does any of Steve Kerr’s trade talks matter? Apparently Robert Sarver views himself as a GM.
NBA executives say that Sarver has contacted team owners – including those of the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies – in an attempt to broker a deal for Stoudemire. While the Suns’ basketball executives are discussing one possible package with teams, Sarver has, at times, appeared to be pursuing his own agenda. [Yahoo Sports]
By the way is Steve Kerr even in the building anymore?
Kerr is back in So. Cal now, so I doubt anything is imminent. It’s very quiet in the FO. [Suns employee on RealGM forums]
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Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Jerryd Bayless, LaMarcus Aldridge, Steve Kerr
February 11th, 2009 12:51 PM PST
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At this point, since it looks like it’s about a done deal, the Suns better come away with Rudy Gay. Anything less would just be very sad. What I don’t get is why people ride Amare for his lack of rebounding and D so much. He is a scorer and that is what he is. I was looking at the numbers and Tom Chambers averaged six boards for his career. Amare is at nine. Chambers didn’t catch half the heat Amare is getting. I know people see his potential to do that, but some guys just aren’t built for that. Whether it’s timing, positioning, etc., they just don’t have a knack for it on that end. That is why you get a dirt worker alongside him to do that stuff. He should be used for what he is, an unstoppable gun.
Kerr and Sarver need to both stay in San Diego. Leave the basketball decisions to the professionals. Oh, wait…they ran the Colangelos out of town.
If the Blazers let Lamarcus Aldridge go they need to have their heads examined.