NBA Free Agency: Amare Stoudemire Reportedly Unlikely To Return To Suns

Amare Stoudemire and his agent Happy Walters (go ahead, chuckle at his name) have had numerous meetings with the Suns to try to work out a contract extension over the past year or so. They've rekindled talks when they seemed dead and have tried everything to work something out. 

But now, it appears that they've finally reached an impasse they cannot solve. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports that the two sides are very far apart, and it's unlikely Stoudemire will return to the team.

Amar'e Stoudemire has yet to get the five-year offer from the Suns he wants, making a league source call a return to Phoenix "highly unlikely." He met two hours late Wednesday with Miami, and his agent said he received a better offer from another team Thursday and plans to go to New York for a meeting Monday with the Knicks.

Walters told Coro that Stoudemire and the Suns are "not that close to an agreement." I think we can safely say Amare's not coming back, especially after the Suns elected to keep Channing Frye. 

This frees Stoudemire to be pursued by teams with cap room. According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, Stoudemire met with Heat president Pat Riley last night. The Nets, Bulls, Knicks, Rockets and Maverics are also in the mix.