Nalod wrote:Suns did not want the liabilty on his contract.
Sure they will. Unlike the Knicks, and I think the fans here forget this sometimes, other cities don't have a lock on selling out to crowds, even in the lean years. Robert Sarver will probably lose Steve Nash this offseason, pretty much his draw for fans. If Nash leaves, and Hill leaves, what's left? Marcin Gortat? The Suns aren't going to attract prime free agents. STAT is already established there. He's also a "name" and often names last longer than real production. Plus the Suns would be shedding a ton of bad contracts.
If STAT plays, he draws enough of a crowd to keep Sarver happy. If he doesn't, he doesn't interfere with a youth movement or young guys getting minutes. Either way, he's one focal point of unrest, not the gaggle of bad contracts Sarver signed to try to replace STAT.
ANY contract in the NBA can be traded, it just depends on what you are willing to surrender. The Knicks don't need more star power, they need more sustainable depth ( Getting minimum contract guys to pan out and amnesty refugees, which is a fluke situation, won't cut it for the long haul)
I think fans here need to get past moving STAT for a pure asset and consider if his back is shot for good, that the best situation is a "my problem for your problem" type of trade.
Keep STAT and his bad back, on the injured list, and where is the vaunted depth for the Knicks? It's not in the front line. With STAT out, Jeffries plays more, which is great, but he's often the backup center. You give up STAT, you can get a wave of size to beef up the front line. It's not elite talent, but you can use a Childress and Warrick to hit people and make hard contact and give you hard fouls.
This is a team with little to no cap flexibility, no real draft picks for the next 2-3 years (burned them out in trades) and no real young talent with upside that can get them more front court support without blowing holes into the lineup. Trade is the best avenue to rearm for sustainable depth.
