Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 9:46 am  |  50 responses

Suns and Wolves Swapping Bigs?

by Ryne Nelson

In case you were wondering, the answer is “no.” Al Jefferson will not be going anywhere but rehab and conditioning sessions this offseason. So there, we’ve started this post at the end. Now we can go back to where this mess began… for posterity’s sake.

Marc Spears of the Boston Globe reported on his blog late Wednesday that an unnamed league exec. knew Wolves novice GM David Kahn was entertaining trade scenarios with the Suns involving Al Jefferson, Minnesota’s No. 6 pick and Amar’e Stoudemire. Here’s what Spears wrote:

An NBA executive told the Boston Globe that the Timberwolves and Suns are working on a trade that would send Al Jefferson and the Wolves’ sixth draft pick to Phoenix in exchange for Amare Stoudemire.

This deal, as reported, will not happen. Not only is Al Jefferson arguably the more valuable player (considering he rebounds, defends and is much healthier and younger), the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft is also included. Stoudemire, with one year left on his contract, could leave any team after this season. The Wolves would be giving away two of its major building blocks for essentially a goggled, one-year rental.

But some with a little less sense (and others with early onset offseason boredom) began to take this news to another level. Thankfully KTAR‘s John Gambadoro set the record straight right away. In so many words, Gambo plainly states what should’ve been said from the outset: The trade has no legs.

The truth is that there have been NO discussions between the teams about this trade. It is a total BS made up rumor with no legs.

[...]

So before this trade rumor starts to take off let’s do a reality check — it is not going to happen. It has not been discussed. And it is 100 percent completely made up.

So before we get all excited (or depressed) or go off on David Kahn for his foolishness, just remember it was one sentence, on one blog post, from one unnamed source, about one completely unrealistic scenario.

Don’t you just love the offseason!

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  • Czar Ruke Posted: Jun.18 at 10:02 am
    throw in mike miller and we got a deal!!

  • potapenko Posted: Jun.18 at 10:02 am
    F**k this s**t

  • potapenko Posted: Jun.18 at 10:04 am
    Amare Stoudamire for a box of chocolate and an analog television.

  • Freedom Fries Posted: Jun.18 at 10:08 am
    Come on now, Big Al is the future and their only blue chip piece – Amare had his shot and is beginning a decline – of course that’s a silly rumour.

  • andrew Posted: Jun.18 at 10:09 am
    Ha. STAT would be lost in the wilderness there. Although I like the idea of Jefferson in PHX

  • Gerard Himself Posted: Jun.18 at 10:14 am
    just to be sure: Jefferson does not play defense. Sure, he gets his blocks, but he’s not a great defender.

  • Jukai Posted: Jun.18 at 10:19 am
    Damn, I got all excited.

  • Hisham Posted: Jun.18 at 10:24 am
    They’re the same player, production-wise. 20 to 25 points and 10 rebounds, bad defense

  • Chendaddy Posted: Jun.18 at 10:34 am
    Off the box score, they’re not the same player. Al Jefferson is one of the most talented low-post scorers in the world. Take away all the oops, running dunks, and transition baskets that Steve Nash gives Stoudemire, and he becomes Dwight Howard with a serviceable 12-foot jumpshot but half the rebounding ability. Now what about all these rumors that Kevin Love is leaving for picks?

  • ciolkstar Posted: Jun.18 at 10:35 am
    Yeah, this one wouldn’t make any sense for the Twolves. Al Jeff AND the no. 6 is way too much to give up for (a potentialy disgruntled) Amare who could very likely bounce after just one season.

  • Freedom Fries Posted: Jun.18 at 10:40 am
    Notice how all PHX fans are excited but no Wolves fans are – that right there lets you know who’s more valuable.

  • Jukai Posted: Jun.18 at 10:42 am
    Freedom Fries hit it on the nose. I’d rather have the guy I know can score without Steve Nash than the guy whom I’m pretty sure can only score with him.

  • Babygab Posted: Jun.18 at 10:44 am
    I couldn’t care less. This trade wouldn’t change the face of the western conference. Oh by the way can anyone tell me where Omar is ? It’s been a while since I read one of his funny movie reviews. I hope he’ll be back soon since we have all these summer bockbusters thrown at us. And I value Omar’s opinion very much ’cause he sees them movies exactly the same way I do or may be it’s the other way around. Anyway tell him to get back at work lol !

  • Stoudemire to Minnesota? Does this Help Either Team? « Souvenir City Posted: Jun.18 at 11:12 am
    [...] Suns and Wolves Swapping Bigs? (SLAM Online) Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Amar’e Stoudemire Linked to Minnesota [...]

  • Z Posted: Jun.18 at 11:12 am
    BS. Stoudemire was already a 20 ppg scorer in his second year in the league with a pass first pg by the name of… um, Stephon Marbury. He can score without Nash, don’t you worry. I’m always amazed by how little respect Phoenix fans give to their players not named Nash. STAT is a beast and he’d be beasting for ANY team. Marion was already getting 20 and 10s before Nash came to the desert as well. We all saw that Joe Johnson could create for himself in Atlanta. Boris Diaw was posting the same ol’ 15-5-5 for Charlotte last year. Nash is a great basketball player but he didn’t ”make” anyone in PHX. Get real, guys.

  • catalan Posted: Jun.18 at 11:13 am
    Al Jefferson > Amaré

  • Lang Whitaker Posted: Jun.18 at 11:29 am
    I don’t think this is that ridiculous a deal, esp since, if I’m not mistaken, Amare might have an eye injury but Jefferson blew out his knee last year, too.

  • niQ Posted: Jun.18 at 11:29 am
    Good thing its just a rumor, cause the Wolves would be getting the bad end of that deal. Honestly, Al J for Amare does not sound bad, but adding the 6th pick is like giving up all future hope as well. And without PHX’s SPECIAL HEALING CREW, amare is gona crumble.

  • Moose Posted: Jun.18 at 11:35 am
    Don’t do it, Wolves. Don’t do it.

  • Darksaber Posted: Jun.18 at 11:59 am
    HA. “early onset offseason boredom”, indeed!

  • Bryan Posted: Jun.18 at 12:22 pm
    al jeff is great but his less mobile than amare and you need a mobile big man the way the suns play, how can jefferson play with shaq(if they keep him)?

  • Myles Brown Posted: Jun.18 at 12:49 pm
    Al Jefferson may have blown out his knee, but his post moves will never go away and he didnt need any explosiveness to execute them. Amare on the other hand has had microfracture and eye surgery and went to the Dwight Howard school of post moves. I wouldnt make this trade even if you threw Nash in.

  • Myles Brown Posted: Jun.18 at 12:53 pm
    And I bet you a dollar that the ‘unnamed exec’ was Kevin McHale.

  • Blinguo Posted: Jun.18 at 1:17 pm
    Post disapearo act. And I didn’t manage to copy that one to clipboard if it didn’t go thru. for repost. Hopefully it does and this empty post is just a skip over/placeholder.

  • Zee! Posted: Jun.18 at 1:30 pm
    If Phx could re-up Amare then trade him, I’d take the deal if I was Minny. Al is playing on one knee.

  • KOBESBESTFRIEND Posted: Jun.18 at 1:32 pm
    WE CAN GET RID OF AMARE SORRYMIRE???…SHIP HIS A$S OUT!!!

  • Blinguo Posted: Jun.18 at 1:47 pm
    I guess I’ll try again, with less jokey jokes which weren’t even low brow or vulgar… baby! Hold on now, Amare isn’t exactly Shawn Kemp yet, nor is Al Jefferson Z-Bo with no knees left. But if Z-Bo was on the Suns he’d have 1.5 rejuvenated knees. So Amare for Z-Bo! Or really, Amare for J-Smoove! Both could benefit from a change of scenery/coach/system/new lease on life cliche’ etceteras. Big like the Steve Francis and T-Mac move. And plenty fine for selling preseason SLAM mags if they have a cover story on these two in new unis?

  • Superman_Osman Posted: Jun.18 at 2:24 pm
    AMARÉ!! and to Minnasota?! Why didn’t son of a *bleep* Paxson follow through with this guy in the first place.

  • doyouwantmore Posted: Jun.18 at 2:45 pm
    I can’t think of a more appropriate place for Amare Stoudamire than Minnesota.

  • Fernando Sanchez Posted: Jun.18 at 4:18 pm
    anyone but amare… oh and nash, and barbosa, oh and j-rich, hill and dudley, goran and robin, shaq, tucker… their anyone but them

  • Reflex Posted: Jun.18 at 4:56 pm
    Worst rumour ever, Al is a better player than Amare, so to throw in a draft pick would make no sense at all, Cleveland should try for Jefferson if they can, one of only 4 true low post scorers in the league (Yao, Pau & Tim)

  • lbj23 Posted: Jun.18 at 4:57 pm
    Smart move. Let Amare go to NY next year. Injuries or not, I’ll take him.

  • JESSEG Posted: Jun.18 at 5:14 pm
    Do people honestly not watch Amare play or something? He is a beast with or without Nash. Whoever compared him to dwight howard offensively is just insane. Amare can score anyway against anybody in the world. Watching pretty much every game of his career I honestly believe that if surrounded by the right group of players Amare wouldn’t be a bad defender. It’s just the Suns management hasn’t complimented him well enough if you ask me.

  • nbk Posted: Jun.18 at 6:03 pm
    JESSEG you know very little about Amar’e. Although your right about him offensively being better then dwight…..he is atrocious everywhere else. On defense he is consistently lost, and fouls out of frustration. The two worst things a big man can do on defense Amar’e does with regularity. And i am a suns season ticket holder, and watch every game on TV, havent missed more then 3 games in Amar’e's whole career.

  • nbk Posted: Jun.18 at 6:19 pm
    Oh and Amar’e is nothing without a player creating for him. He cannot create his own shot and finish with a good percentage. Nash is frankly the only reason he has ever averaged more then 20 points a game. And he is terrible on the boards

  • Weezy F. Leezy Posted: Jun.18 at 6:49 pm
    better get something in return…yall traded garnett for big al

  • Z Posted: Jun.18 at 8:36 pm
    there’s no freaking way the wolves are giving up on al jefferson after they got him for… oh… THE BEST PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE FRANCHISE AND A FIRST BALLOT HOF.

  • Z Posted: Jun.18 at 8:36 pm
    i just should have said co-sign weezy. didn’t read the post.

  • Freezy Posted: Jun.18 at 8:56 pm
    Weezy & Z, Al is a better player right now than Garnett. Why not? And Reflex, when did Pau Gasol turn into a low post scorer? Once you win a championship, all the players on the team start to get over-rated to a crazy extent. Really? You would put Gasol’s low post skills up against Yao and Duncan?

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.18 at 10:35 pm
    Cosign Freezy.
    And nbk you clearly don’t remember Amare kicking major @ss with Marbury as his point guard.

  • nbk Posted: Jun.18 at 11:05 pm
    Did i say amare was nothing without nash teddy? Don’t ass-u-me, marbury averaged 22.7 and 8 and 20 and 9 those years while amare put up 13 and 9 and 20 and 9. But Marbury was still a premiere point guard creating for Stoudemire. I don’t enjoy this conversation but its true

  • Bart Posted: Jun.19 at 12:11 am
    nbk, your an idiot….
    this really pis$$es me off, this is the 1st bad season STAT has had since his microfracture and the dude averaged 20 and 8!!!! christ, look at all the $hit he had to deal with from the horrible suns management: a horrible coach constantly giving the ball to a washed up mess instead of him, trade rumors every 5 seconds and a eye injury received during TRAINING CAMP…. Suns fan… my a$$, friggin moron

  • big sauce Posted: Jun.19 at 12:47 am
    i don’t understand why everybodys hatin on amare now. he DID score without nash because when he was drafted starbury was the starting point guard. al jefferson is arguably more productive, but for a while people talked about stat like they talk about dwight howard now. and i don’t care what anybody says, stat’s dunk on michael olowakandi and hakim warrick on royal ivey are the 2 best slamadamonth posters EVER…

  • Reflex Posted: Jun.19 at 12:58 am
    Freezy, I didn’t once compare Pau with Yao or Tim, all I said was that they are the only dudes you can give the ball to who can subsequently get their point without putbacks, or a stellar PG set up, and for that matter, throw Shaq in the list, old guy’s still got it.
    And if you’re insinuating Pau hasn’t got low post skills then I’d have to say your wrong, he was giving it Dwight on a consistent basis

  • what Posted: Jun.19 at 1:40 am
    Amare for Jefferson straight up is not all that ridiculous, although the Suns still win since Jefferson is younger and more polished. But Amare for Jefferson and the #6 pick is just insanity.

  • nbk Posted: Jun.19 at 5:35 am
    bart no matter what amar’e had/has to deal with doesn’t change his defensive effort and ability. I never said he was bad at offense, i said he needs a player to create for him. He is a top mid range shooter at the 4 in the league, and probably top 5 finisher in the entire NBA. but if you can’t see how much amar’e struggles on defense you got your own problems.

  • nate the great Posted: Jun.19 at 3:35 pm
    how bout shaq, their first round pick, and matt barns for al jefferson.

  • blaze Posted: Jun.19 at 5:46 pm
    id take al jeff over stat any day.

  • Logan Posted: Jun.20 at 1:40 pm
    big al is already better than amare, plus he is younger. this would be really dumb for the twolves to do, but it wouldnt surprise me cause look at all the stupid crap they’ve done the past years. the only reason amare is as good as he is cause of nash. put him with the twolves he wouldnt be as good, esp with telfair and foye passing him the ball

  • HoopsFanMike Posted: Jun.21 at 9:36 pm
    JESSEG Posted: Jun.18 at 5:14 pm
    Do people honestly not watch Amare play or something? He is a beast with or without Nash. Whoever compared him to dwight howard offensively is just insane. Amare can score anyway against anybody in the world. Watching pretty much every game of his career I honestly believe that if surrounded by the right group of players Amare wouldn’t be a bad defender. It’s just the Suns management hasn’t complimented him well enough if you ask me.
    ———————–
    Thing is, Amare does have those skills, he just doesn’t SHOW UP to play everyday. Seems like he takes 2-games off for every good one he plays, he disappears for whole quarters and does not attack like he should. He is the type of player that shows SO much talent, then doesn’t use it. That is the worst type, the kind that is so talented and doesn’t show up. He SHOULD be dominating, but he’s merely serviceable much of the time. He’s had enough seasons to get his game together, if he doesn’t start using it in the next year or two he’s going to go down as a huge bust for his career. If I were Kerr I would strongly look at Jefferson who at least shows up most games and has a great low-post game, something he can have a year to refine under Shaq’s tutelage…

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