Suns: New acquisitions could force Marion trade by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com Wednesday, July 14, 2004 News The East Valley Tribune is reporting that Suns forward Shawn Marion could find himself in a new uniform if the Suns do in fact acquire both Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson in free agency. Phoenix would have a glut of talented players on the perimeter but no man in the middle, forcing them to dangle Marion for a legitimate center such as Golden State's Erick Dampier or Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Views The wildcard is Richardson, who could be retained by the Clippers if they do not sign Kobe Bryant and choose to match the Suns' contract offer. If they do not, Q would shift Joe Johnson to the small forward, the 6-7 Marion to the power forward, and Amare Stoudemire to center. Stoudemire has already adamantly refused to play center, fueling speculation that either Marion or Johnson will have to be moved.
Q Rich strikes me as more of a SG. But they're banking on JJ at that position. Why not use the money they want to spend on Q for talent at other positions?
trade bait.. teams pick up talented players with decent contracts to be able to make trades. Its hard to pick up players in free agency (look at us) it seems to be easier to trade for the players you really want. J
Given the lack of quality centers, couldn't PHOE get what they need by offering JJ instead of Marion??? Marion is so much more versatile.
First, I think the Clippers won't get Kobe. And hence I feel the Clippers will match Q's offer keeping him in Clipperland. Secondly, in terms of Marion....you could see this coming as soon as Nash was signed. The Suns can't afford 3 max contracts. Marion has one and Nash has close to one and Stoudamire will be getting one shortly. Plus JJ is coming into his own and will want a big deal shortly as well. Marion is a nice player but is he really worth the Max? To me he is not the kind of player that can carry a team. He is a #2 or #3 guy, and thus really isnt worth the Max. I know the Phoenix paper is hoping they can get Jamal Magloire for Marion but I dont see the Hornets doing that. They are in the West now and surely know the premium on Bigs in the west and that they will need their own Big just to survive. I really wonder what the Suns could get for Marion?
Not really. Marion can play the 3 and the 4. Too small to play the five(And I wouldn't even really like him at the four) and not skilled enough on the perimeter to play the two. Johnson is a 6'8 swingman who saw significant minutes at PG.
They're going to regret it if they trade Marion for big Z. He's a 30 minute a night guy at most, is lazy on D, and is a gamble to play more than 60 games. Dampier would be a decent fit, but Golden State would have to come up with a way to make the salaries work. I doubt they'd throw much into the deal when they're trying to clear cap space over the next couple of years and already have Dunleavy. Evan
