Want Stoudemire? Give up Haslem, Beasley

Amare Stoudemire supposedly wants out of Phoenix. If you want him in Miami as the result of a straight two-team trade it might cost a package of, say, Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley and Dorell Wright, or something along those lines. That’s just a guess.

Phoenix probably wouldn’t take Shawn Marion back, even though it’s only for a half season and it gets the cap relief. It’d be a miserable situation for everyone, so remove him as a possibility.

The Suns would need a big man immediately, which would mean Haslem (Shaq would probably favor that deal because he loves Haslem). And then consider the money.

Stoudemire earns $15 million this season, $16 million next season and has a player option for $17 million in 2010-11. Haslem, whose contract expires after next season, earns $7 million, so you’d need more money to make the deal work. Phoenix wouldn’t want Mark Blount ($7.9 million). Nor would it want to take Marcus Banks ($4 million) back.

That’s where Beasley ($4 million) comes in. He also gives Phoenix a future at the power forward position. And because more money is needed to make the deal work, throw in Wright ($3 million). That’s a steep cost.

For Miami, it would probably be a deal that begs for a third team.

Again, there’s no Stoudemire-to-Miami deal on the table. It isn’t even rumored to be on the table. It’s just something to make you think about how badly you might want Stoudemire in a Heat uniform. Source: The Palm Beach Post

Heat Pursuing Amare Stoudemire

Sources told ESPN.com that the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers are among the many teams with whom Phoenix has exchanged trade concepts, with the Bulls and Heat believed to be pursuing Stoudemire hardest at this early stage.

Almost every team in the league has some degree of interest in Stoudemire, but sources close to the process maintain that the Suns will only part with the 26-year-old in a deal that delivers at least one decent-sized expiring contract along with younger talent and/or draft considerations. Source ESPN.com

Marion for Chandler Swap?

And word comes now that another matter for Miami to consider is the prospect of sending Marion to New Orleans for a package headlined by Tyson Chandler.

There have been no firm indications that such a swap is imminent, but it's a scenario mentioned more than once in the past week. And that's probably because acquiring Chandler would be consistent with Pat Riley's well-known preference to bring back proven size if he parts with Marion's $17.8 million expiring contract before the deadline.

The Heat, however, are just as determined not to take back contracts that extend past the 2009-10 season, which would seem to rule this out as a possibility, given that Chandler has a $13.2 million player option for 2010-11 that he is certain to exercise.

Is Chandler good enough for Riley to bend his 2010 policy? Would he sufficiently fill Miami's void inside and give Dwyane Wade more reason to re-sign with the Heat in the summer of 2010? Debatable.

There are cons for the Hornets, as well. Can they really part with a big man of Chandler's ability, given how little they have behind Chandler and David West, for a player who could leave them in free agency this summer?

Yet sources close to the situation refuse to rule out Chandler's departure. Chris Paul and West, sources say, are the Hornets' only two untouchables.

Chandler is an elite defensive force at his best, but his dip in performance this season -- which began before the 26-year-old's recent ankle problem -- is undeniable. Factor in New Orleans' own well-known desire to join the clutch of teams trying to slash payroll and its long-standing interest in acquiring an athletic wing man to partner with Paul and West, and you can see why Marion's name comes up. Source: ESPN.com

Still Deciding

A deal for Toronto's Jermaine O'Neal remains readily available to the Miami Heat. The Sacramento Kings likewise would still love to send Brad Miller to Miami for Shawn Marion as long as they don't have to take back Marcus Banks, too.

Miami, meanwhile, continues to pursue Dallas' Josh Howard, in spite of Mark Cuban's insistence that the Mavs won't do a Howard-for-Marion trade. Source: ESPN.com

Heat Trading for Raptor's O'Neal Persist

The red-hot rumor about the Heat acquiring Toronto center/forward Jermaine O'Neal has cooled to a smoldering ember.

Heat President Pat Riley said last month that speculation regarding O'Neal was premature, but that the question around the league is whether O'Neal, who is playing on creaky knees in his 13th season, can again be dominant inside .

"I think he can be; he had the mind-set when he was younger and hungry," said NBA veteran Sam Perkins, an executive with the Indiana Pacers, who traded O'Neal before this season. "But he has to be hungry again."

And he has to be healthy. Already this season O'Neal, 30, has missed 14 games because of his left knee. He had surgery to repair cartilage damage in summer 2007 and missed 39 games last season, including 33 in a row because of a bone bruise.

"It seems to be flaring up again," Coach Jim O'Brien of the Pacers said. "If he's healthy he's a hell of a player."

Even if he isn't completely healthy, O'Neal -- a 6-11, six-time All-Star -- could be worth the risk, Indiana forward Troy Murphy said.

"The way he scores and rebounds and blocks shots, it could be something that could really help a team like the Heat," Murphy said.

O'Neal is an accomplished scorer and rebounder with career averages of 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. This season he is averaging 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds.

O'Neal has been rumored to be the centerpiece of a trade that would send him to the Heat for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks. The trade deadline is Feb. 19.

The Heat would want O'Neal's low-post presence to anchor an inside-out offense fueled by All-Star guard Dwyane Wade.

O'Neal is to be paid $23 million in 2009-10, the last year of his contract. The team that has him next season could let his contract expire and thus gain salary-cap room to help shop for a high-profile free agent in the 2010 class that is expected to include such stars as Toronto's Chris Bosh and Cleveland's LeBron James.

If Miami made the rumored trade, it would get proven NBA talent in exchange for Marion's expiring $17.8 million contract. The Heat also would erase Banks' $4 million-a-year contract, which runs through the 2010-11 season.

It was only seven months ago that O'Neal was traded to the Raptors for guard T.J. Ford and center Rasho Nesterovic. Toronto's idea was to team O'Neal and Bosh for a potent 1-2 punch in the low post. But the experiment failed -- their talents have not meshed -- and the Raptors are 19-31.

"He has to realize now he's with an All-Star and he has to maybe play a supporting role," Perkins said of O'Neal.

Riley is candid about his desire for a low-post presence, and it's possible that O'Neal still could fill the bill.

"I know his heart," said former NBA coach and player Quinn Buckner, a longtime Pacers TV analyst, "and he's very interested in getting back to the Jermaine O'Neal of old." The Palm Beach Post

Kings Not Sure About Banks

One other follow-up is in regards to talks for Brad Miller and Kenny Thomas to Miami and Shawn Marion to Sac - yes, I'm still under the impression that the Heat is demanding the Kings take back Marcus Banks. The point guard has two years and approximately $9.1 million left on his contract, which is why the Kings are hesitant to take him on as it would eat into their precious salary cap space for the 2010-11 season (when he'll make $4.7 million). Source: The Sacramento Bee

Wade Committed to Heat

Days after suggesting the possibility of becoming a teammate of LeBron James after the two become free agents in 2010, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade shot down at least one potential destination for the star-studded tandem: New York.

Wade said Tuesday that he remains committed to the Heat for now and could see himself spending the rest of his career in Miami. But Wade also said he would explore all of his options should he elect to opt out of his contract and become a free agent in 2010, the same summer several of the NBA's top players have options.

James, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward, is expected to be the most sought-after free agent in 2010 as part of a class that also includes Wade, Toronto's Chris Bosh and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire.

''Is it a possibility me and LeBron will play together? It's always a possibility,'' Wade said after the Heat's practice Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena. ``We're both free agents. Is it a possibility I'm going to New York? That's not a possibility in my mind.''

That's the strongest stance yet Wade has taken on his potential free agency in 2010. His comments came on the heels of a New York Post story published Friday in which Wade was quoted as saying he and James could end up as teammates.

But Wade took exception to some of the comments attributed to him in the story and said Friday that he never implied that the two would play in New York. The Knicks are among several teams that are clearing significant salary cap space to make a run at James and another top-tier free agent. The Heat also is among those teams angling to sign two players to maximum-level deals.

Wade said he takes the questions about his future in stride. But he also said his comments sometimes are taken completely out of context.

''Everybody puts their quotes where they want to put them [but], you know what you say,'' Wade said. ``I understand how things get twisted. I just laugh at it and keep going.'' Source: The Miami Herald

Chris Bosh Will Not Resign With Raptors?

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN has reported that Chris Bosh has already informed GM Bryan Colangelo that he will not resign with the team in 2010.

Bosh, who is averaging 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and about a block a game, has proven to be one of the premier power forwards in the game. Smith thinks that Bosh’s name will surface in trade rumors, and he mentions Miami and Dallas as possible teams that may look to trade for him. Although Stephen A. Smith does simply like to talk, I can buy this. Why would he want to stay in Toronto? They are a franchise on the decline, they lack young talent, and they have a surplus of big men hogging the paint with Jermaine O’Neal, and Andre Bargnani. Josh Howard was mentioned earlier in trade rumors with Toronto and that could resurface, or Phoenix could get involved with either Shaq or Amare Stoudamire. The Knicks Blog