SB Nation’s Suns blog Bright Side of the Sun diligently breaks down the possibility of Amare Stoudemire being traded to the Nets, one of the teams originally rumored to express an interest in the impending free agent.
Seth Pollack writes that, despite their 3-40 record, no team fits Stoudemire’s wish list better than New Jersey.
No trade for Amare can start without exploring if it meets Amare’s stated requirements which primarily are a franchise committed winning and a big market. While the Nets are on pace for the worst season ever, they actually have a fairly bright future.
The team has a core based on a young dynamic point guard in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez who is considered already in his second year to be a top three center in the east. As an added bonus, Amare already knows how to understand Brook’s distinctive voice from having played with Robin.
The market size is a no brainer and with a very wealthy new Russian owner coming on board there are strong indications that the Nets will be a team willing to spend money to win – especially if they ever get to their new home in Brooklyn.
Of all the possible trade destinations for Amare, none meet his requirements better than the Nets – despite being a 3-win team this season.
Pollack writes that the Nets have an excellent combination of expiring contracts (such as Bobby Simmons), young talent (Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Terrence Williams, not to mention Devin Harris and Brook Lopez) and draft picks (four in the next two years — their own, Dallas’ this year and Golden State’s in 2011) that could entice the Suns. Any combination of those assets should appeal to Phoenix because they could face the prospect of losing Stoudemire for nothing in the offseason.
New Jersey, meanwhile, would make this trade if they thought they couldn’t do any better in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes. However, with the prospect of maximum cap room and potentially a number one pick, they can probably afford to wait until the summer, when they don’t need to sacrifice key young players to get their guy.
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