Suns Front Office Answers Fan Questions
On Thursday, Phoenix Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby, President of Business Operations Brad Casper, and GM Lance Blanks answered questions from fans on the team's official website. Here are some relevant details regarding the team's future:
- Babby praised the team's analytics-based system for evaluating players, pointing to rookie Markieff Morris as an example of its success
- He believes that the Suns have the cap flexibility and assets to get back into contention in the near future.
- Blanks uses Grant Hill as an example of a free agent choosing to play in Phoenix in answer to a question regarding the city's attractiveness to players.
Steve Nash Won’t Be Traded
As expected, the Suns won't trade Steve Nash before today's deadline, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
For weeks, Phoenix had maintained that they'd explore deals for Nash if the star point guard asked to be dealt. However, Nash never made such a request, indicating that he didn't want to betray loyalty to his teammates and the franchise.
Heat, Kings, Suns Expecting Quiet Deadline
As trade rumors continue to surface around the league, a number of clubs are saying they don't expect to be active today. Here are a few quotes from teams who don't anticipate any moves, but are leaving the door open just in case:
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald:
"I am on the phone with Pat [Riley], but our focus is on this group. We feel we have enough. Andy [Elisburg] and Pat and Nick [Arison] will always look for opportunities to make our team better, but we made a big splash two summers ago."
Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee:
"If we [make a move], it's more than likely to be something on the periphery of things. It's really unlikely there's some huge deal out there."
Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic:
"As of now, there is nothing that appeals to us. It's possible that something would coalesce, but I wouldn't expect it to…. I don't anticipate that we will have anything, but we will keep talking to the last possible minute."
Broussard On Pierce, Brooks, Curry, McGee, Daye
ESPN.com's Chris Broussard has a ton of trade rumors in today's Insider-only piece. You can read his major update on Dwight Howard here, but let's dive into the rest of his rumors….
- The Celtics offered Paul Pierce to the Blazers, though Broussard isn't sure who else would've been involved in the deal. Portland wasn't interested in Boston's proposal.
- The Clippers are reluctant to trade Eric Bledsoe for Jamal Crawford because they believe Crawford will opt out of his contract at season's end, and Bledsoe will have more value at draft time, since there won't be many point guards available.
- Ramon Sessions is unlikely to be moved unless the Cavaliers can get a first-round pick. Cleveland would try to trade for Jonny Flynn if they moved Sessions, though the Spurs have also expressed interest in Flynn.
- The Cavs are also in talks with the Hornets about swapping Antawn Jamison for Emeka Okafor and a first-round pick.
- Aaron Brooks is drawing interest from the Blazers and Kings, though the Suns hope to re-sign him. When Brooks returns from China, he can only sign with Phoenix. If he doesn't sign anywhere this season, he becomes a restricted free agent again this summer.
- A second-round pick is likely all it would take for the Hornets to move Chris Kaman.
- The Warriors preferred to deal Stephen Curry rather than Monta Ellis, but Curry's ongoing ankle issues hurt his trade value.
- Broussard hears JaVale McGee will be seeking a contract worth $14MM annually this summer. Good luck with that, JaVale.
- Wilson Chandler is seeking a deal starting at $7MM, which the Nuggets feel is too high, since that amount won't be prorated this season — Denver would prefer to start around $5MM.
- The Pistons are shopping Austin Daye "all day every day" but not many teams are biting.
- The Grizzlies would like to move Sam Young to get below the luxury tax line.
Aldridge On Howard, Kaman, Crawford, Nash
In the latest installment of his weekly NBA.com column, David Aldridge runs through the notable names on the trade market, including the big fish, Dwight Howard. While Aldridge doesn't have any new updates for today's round of Howard rumors, the NBA.com scribe thinks the Magic will end up dealing D12 by Thursday's deadline. Aldridge predicts an offer of Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, and multiple first-round picks from the Nets will be the best deal Orlando sees this week.
Here are a few more items of interest from Aldridge's piece:
- The Hornets are "determined" to move Chris Kaman by the deadline. There's no clear frontrunner, but Aldridge says not to rule out the Hawks or Mavericks.
- Alridge hears from a source that the Bobcats and Trail Blazers could be discussing idea involving Jamal Crawford and D.J. Augustin.
- Asked about his situation with the Suns, Steve Nash said that perhaps the team will have a change of heart on its stance this week, but "I don't feel like it's my place right now to kind of ask to be traded."
Odds & Ends: Brooks, Kahn, Raptors, McCants
Aaron Brooks' Guangdong Southern Tigers are making a run at the Chinese Basketball Association title, delaying his return to Phoenix. When his season in China ends, Brooks will find himself in a situation similar to Wilson Chandler's in Denver and Patrick Mills' in Portland, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic outlines. I expect the longer Brooks remains in China, the less likely he is to play in the NBA this year, since he'll be a restricted free agent again this summer if he sits out the season.
Here are a few more Thursday links from around the Association:
- David Kahn is in the final year of his contract, but the Timberwolves hold team options on Kahn for the next two years, and owner Glen Taylor tells Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press he wants to keep his GM around.
- In addition to rounding up a few rumors in his morning column for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler also talked trades in a chat today.
- The Raptors are contemplating their trade options as the deadline approaches, says Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.
- Rashad McCants told Primera Hora that his agent advised him to play in Puerto Rico as a potential route back to the NBA (hat tip to Sportando for the translation).
- Pistons GM Joe Dumars, who told MLive earlier this week that he's "talking to everybody," answers a few more trade-related questions from Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News.
Berger On Howard, Pierce, Jackson, Beasley, Nash
The latest Postups column from Ken Berger of CBS Sports is packed with interesting deadline notes, so let's dive right in…
- While Berger doesn't necessarily predict a quiet deadline, he points to other factors that could contribute to reducing trade activity this season: For potential contenders, the need to roll the dice on a veteran is offset by a strong draft class this summer. Additionally, the amnesty clause gives teams an alternative to trying to offload bad contracts in trades.
- The Rockets and Warriors maintain interest in trading for Dwight Howard without assurances that he'd sign long-term. Houston also continues to be "in hot pursuit" of Pau Gasol.
- The Celtics are "prepared to entertain offers" on Paul Pierce, but he may be the hardest of Boston's Big Four to move, since he doesn't have an expiring contract like Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, or the youth of Rajon Rondo.
- One executive says the Trail Blazers, who have been among the most active teams, need to make major changes.
- Rival execs think that the Hawks may deal Kirk Hinrich in the next week.
- The Cavaliers are open to absorbing salary in exchange for the right assets.
- Stephen Jackson has drawn an "amazing" number of inquiries, though most interested teams would want the Bucks to take on future salary to complete a deal.
- The Magic and Nets could look into trading for Michael Beasley, with both teams ultimately sharing the same goal — enticing Dwight Howard by upgrading their rosters at other positions.
- Steve Nash is content to remain with the Suns this season, in part because it's not in his nature to ask out and become the bad guy. "He'd like to go and win," a person connected to Nash said. "But he's not prepared to play the Carmelo [Anthony] card." To me, that suggests he'd be a long shot to re-sign in Phoenix at season's end.
- Berger also shared an update on Jamal Crawford, which we covered in today's Crawford rumor round-up.
Ford On Rondo, Smith, Kaman, Wallace, Nash
While a number of NBA executives are anticipating a quiet trade deadline, the conversations ESPN.com's Chad Ford has had still lead him to believe that significant deals will be made. In an Insider-only piece, Ford listed ten impact players who could be moved, from the most likely (Rajon Rondo) to the least likely (Steve Nash). Here are the highlights from Ford's column:
- Even though the Celtics insist they won't trade Rondo, that isn't consistent with what rival GMs are saying after talking to GM Danny Ainge. Ford thinks Ainge would move Rondo if he could get two solid pieces in return.
- The Hawks have been exploring potential Josh Smith deals "for years" and would be interested in an offer that nets them a legit point guard and a decent forward.
- Chris Kaman has drawn "a lot of interest" from the Warriors, Rockets, and Heat.
- The Blazers appear more open to trading Gerald Wallace now than they were at the start of the season. Ford thinks the Magic could make a big push for the 29-year-old forward.
- If the Magic hang onto Dwight Howard, the Nets will stay the course with Deron Williams, but a Howard trade anywhere besides New Jersey could force the Nets to explore trade options for Williams.
- Ford says it doesn't make much sense for the Suns and Steve Nash not to consider a trade, since Phoenix could end up losing Nash for nothing at season's end anyway.
- Monta Ellis, Pau Gasol, and Eric Gordon also cracked Ford's list.
Kyler On Thunder, Howard, Crawford, Young
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wraps up his look at trade options for all 30 NBA clubs today, running alphabetically from Oklahoma City through Washington. You can find our recaps of the first two installments in the series here and here. Now, let's round up a few of the highlights from Kyler in part three….
- The Thunder aren't actively engaged in any trade talks, but if they're concerned about Thabo Sefolosha's foot injury lingering, they could look into acquiring a defensive-minded replacement.
- Sources close to the Dwight Howard process say the Magic are at least 50% sure they can keep D12 around for another season, if not longer. If that's the case, a blockbuster trade involving Howard is unlikely. Orlando is working hard to acquire pieces around its star center, though the team's lack of assets is making it a challenge.
- Daniel Orton is "a safe bet" to be traded by the Magic.
- While the 76ers have trade chips, they're unlikely to make a move before the deadline.
- The Suns would gladly move Josh Childress, Hakim Warrick, or Robin Lopez.
- Kyler hears from sources close to Jamal Crawford that the Blazers guard hasn't requested a trade, but that he wouldn't be opposed to being sent to a less chaotic situation.
- The Spurs haven't had "meaningful discussions" with any potential trade partners, and will probably stand pat at the deadline.
- The Raptors may be active in the next ten days, but Toronto continues to turn away proposals for Andrea Bargnani.
- Although the Jazz have some strong trade assets, they probably would want to include Devin Harris in any deals, which could turn off potential suitors for other players.
- Having accepted a qualifying offer from the Wizards this season, Nick Young can veto any deal that sends him out of town. However, Kyler hears that Young would welcome a move.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Porter, Tanking
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday night:
- Newsday's Al Iannazzone takes a look at the success the Knicks have had this season signing minimum-salary players, including Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic talks to Terry Porter, who is hoping for another shot as an NBA head coach after a disappointing stint with the Suns.
- SI.com's Zach Lowe has an interesting post on how the NBA can eliminate tanking for draft position.