The Arizona Republic reports that the Cavs are one of three teams thought to be in talks with the Suns about trading for star Amare Stoudemire.
Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer breaks down the potential issues the Cavs face if they do deal for Stoudemire:
But with Stoudemire having the right to become a free agent this summer, it would be foolish for either team to trade for him without an agreement he’d re-sign with them. He already made it clear he didn’t want to go to Golden State last summer, which was one of the sticking points to that failed trade. It is hard to believe he’d want to stay in Minnesota, which is in the middle of a large rebuilding project.
That factor reduces Stoudemire’s value on the trade market and is why such a deal would make some sense for the Cavs. Stoudemire has said he wants to play for a contender, but probably would also be attracted to New York or Miami in the offseason. So the danger is the Cavs may find themselves renting him as well.
Another issue in thinking about this potential trade, however, is Stoudemire’s relationship with O’Neal. The people in Phoenix say that O’Neal and Stoudemire got along just fine in the locker room, but they didn’t so much on the floor. Their styles got in each other’s way, and it was one of the reasons the Suns first thought about trading Stoudemire a year ago and then flirted with the idea again in the summer before trading O’Neal instead.
Windhorst states that the natural trade that makes sense for both the Cavs and Suns would be Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson for Stoudemire, since the Suns have “a history of interest in Hickson.”
Rotoworld.com is reporting that the Nets, Pistons, Warriors and T-Wolves are also interested in Stoudemire, although the Suns aren’t interested in a salary dump. They want good players and will seek the best offer.
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