Suns trading up?

As we discussed in our last post, there are many Shaq rumors flying around the ‘net.  However, after my last post ripping the possibility of trading Shaq for nothing more than salary relief, I was pleasantly surprised to read a report that the Suns aren’t going to give up Shaq and not get some basketball value back in the deal.  Phew.

The draft is coming up next Thursday night, and draft night always proves to be a breeding ground for trades.  It looks like GMs will be especially active on the trade front during this year’s draft, as the economic woes are affecting different teams in different ways.  There have been a couple rumors of the Suns trading for a pick at the top of the draft.  One such rumor would have the Suns sending Amar’e to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Al Jefferson and the 6th overall pick.  This ain’t gonna happen.  I’m a huge Amar’e fan, but that deal would be robbery for the Suns.  Those kinds of deals only happen when you’re dealing with fantasy owners who aren’t paying attention, or Chris Wallace (GM of the Grizzlies).

It also looks likely that the Wizards will ship out their 5th overall pick.  Now that Gilbert Arenas is coming back, and he’s supposedly healthy, the Wiz believe they can compete this year.  So the chances of them using that pick as a trade asset for another piece to their puzzle looks probable.  If by some chance the Suns do trade up into that area of the draft, let’s take a quick look at what options might be there to pick from…

• Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, and Ricky Rubio will all be gone by #5.  Book it.
• James Harden.  I like James Harden quite a bit, but that may be due to my general affection for beards.  Harden is a skilled well-rounded talent who many view already as a veteran-type player.  He’s a SG/SF, though many think he’s too small to consistently play the 3.  If he’s available at pick #5 or after, that’s a pretty good steal.
• Jordan Hill.  An athletic big man, he put up good numbers for Arizone this past season.  It would be nice for the Suns to have another big man with some offensive potential, but the Suns have bigger needs.
• Tyreke Evans.  This kid is good.  He’s still very young, completing only one year at Memphis.  He seems to be a bit of a combo guard to me, but he put up 17 points a game as a freshman.  He’s still got plenty of room to grow, but he’s good already.
• Jrue Holiday.  I don’t know why people call him the most complete freshman in the country – Evans put up better stats in every single category, including twice as many points.  He’s what we call a project, something that doesn’t make sense for the win-now-or-else Suns.
• Stephen Curry.  He can shoot.  Really well.  His stock has been on the rise since the season ended.  The kid has good bloodlines, and a lot of talent to boot.  He’s a prolific scorer, but how he would fit on this roster is exactly how Barbosa fits right now.  He’s very similar to Barbosa, though he can probably play the point a little better, and he’s not quite as quick as the Brazilian Blur (but who is?).

I’d be surprised if the Suns did end up trading up, but you never know.  What you do always know though is that this is the place to be for all your Suns needs.  We’ll continue to count down to the draft, exploring all the potential movement that could take place.  And hit up the comments to let me know which of the guys above you would love to see in a Suns uniform next season.

Tags: 2009 Draft, Al Jefferson, I want to trade with Chris Wallace, James Harden's beard, Shaq, Trade Rumors