Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Garnett and Nash together?

KG to Phoenix is the hot rumor, with Amare Stoudamire, not Marion, leaving for Atlanta. That complicates the budget picture for Phoenix because Stoudamire is a base-year compensation player, especially if they want to keep Kurt Thomas – which looks almost impossible. Here’s a version that meets the salary cap restrictions:

Phoenix: gets KG
The Suns give up: Stoudamire to Atlanta, James Jones, Piatkowski and K. Thomas (all expiring contracts) to Minnesota

Atlanta gets: Stoudamire
Hawks trade: Lorenzen Wright, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson (all expiring contracts), #3 and #11 pick, all to Minnesota

Minnesota gives up KG, and gets all expiring contracts and the #3 and #11 pick

If Atlanta wants more, like Barbosa (I think they’re giving up too much for Stoudamire alone), it gets more complicated, but still doable:

Phoenix gets: KG, Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia, and Salim Stoudamire
Phoenix loses: Stoudamire, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks to Atlanta; James Jones, Piatkowski and K. Thomas (all expiring contracts) to Minnesota

Atlanta gets: Stoudamire, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks
Atlanta loses: Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia, and Salim Stoudamire to Phoenix; Lorenzen Wright, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson (all expiring contracts), #3 and #11 pick, all to Minnesota

Minnesota is unchanged - gives up KG, and gets all expiring contracts and the #3 and #11 pick


Childress and Pachulia is a lot for Barbosa, but the new rosters make more sense for both teams – Pachulia is a much needed center for Phoenix after they deal both Kurt Thomas and Amare, and Childress fits well on the wings – a shooter who should flourish in the Suns system. Likewise Salim Stoudamire should enjoy chucking 3s for the Suns, who also went to Arizona for college and could back up Nash. Atlanta meanwhile addresses its PG problem with Barbosa and Banks, along with a C in Amare.

And it might actually happen…..

2 comments:

Dan said...

Rumor around the Atlanta area has had the Hawks passing on Ohio State PG Conley in order to draft Yi Jianlian, a Chinese 7-footer. Sounds like this trade would at least be smarter than that option...

Keith said...

Rumor has it some of the dumbass owners of the Hawks have major business in China, and for political reasons want the Hawks to take Yi (instead of Horford or Conley); I think they are idiots.