The Proposal
Golden St.
- Outgoing: Belinelli, Curry, Maggette, Turiaf, Wright
- Incoming: Stoudemire, Fesenko
Phoenix
- Outgoing: Amare
- Incoming: Boozer, Curry, Wright
Utah
- Outgoing: Boozer, Fesenko
- Incoming: Belinelli, Maggette, Turiaf
According to RealGM's trade checker, this works financially. (link)
The Reasoning
Golden St. ~ We get to bring in Amare without giving up Biedrins, and we get to dump Maggette's contract to boot. The only downsides are losing Turiaf and Curry, but really they're well worth it. Curry is 100% potential at this point and the fact is this trade is virtually impossible without giving him up to Phoenix. After this trade, we are locked up at C and PF with Biedrins, Amare, and AR. We clear up the logjam on the perimeter, with only Jackson, Azubuike, and Morrow as the remaining wings. At guard, we have Monta, Law, and Watson. This is a potential weak area, since Monta will probably be forced to run the point if Law can't step up, and that would leave us somewhat weak at SG/SF. Ideally we bring in Sessions or Jack for the MLE which allows us to have a legit fulltime PG, meaning Monta can help fill the hole at SG and have limited minutes at the 1.
Overall we would have a very strong young frontcourt, a few solid wings, and if we could pick up Sessions, we'd have virtually all the keys to making a deep playoff run.
Phoenix ~ It seems Amare is awkwardly standing in the doorway with one foot out and one foot in. If they ship him, they need a legit big man to replace him. Boozer provides that insurance better than Biedrins can, at least in the short term. They may want to restructure his contract before the trade, which could be a snag. It is certainly understandable why Biedrins is a more ideal pick-up than Boozer in some senses: he is younger, cheaper, and less injury-prone. However, Boozer is a proven difference-maker inside, and his playing style suits the Suns' system better than Biedrins's style would IMO. The real reason the Suns take this trade though is the fact that we throw in Curry. It's no secret that they want him, and for what we're getting it's worth giving him up easily.
The big question with this trade proposal is, would Phoenix take Boozer if it meant not getting Biedrins? If they get Curry for it, I think the answer is yes. They also get some insurance in Wright, who actually produces quite consistently and whose numbers are pretty solid -- not to mention his pure potential. The Suns are intrigued by Wright, they get a solid, proven vet in Boozer, and best of all they get their guy in Curry.
Utah ~ As I mentioned in the introduction, Ric Bucher has reported that it is very unlikely that Millsap, Kirilenko, and Boozer will all be able to stay in Utah considering the money all three are getting [going to get]. Bucher believes Boozer is the likeliest candidate to leave, and I think he is the best fit for this deal since Millsap is all but off the table... I have seen several Jazz fans who were interested in a Mags for Boozer trade, and they proposed Turiaf/Maggs for Boozer/Fesenko. That's basically what they're getting here, only we're throwing in Belinelli as well (even though fans generally know a good deal when they see one, I'm not sure if the Jazz FO would be supremely eager to take Maggette's contract, even though they could use his skillset). Turiaf is a great energy player to help fill the shoes of Boozer. Belinelli is an intriguing guy who could work well with Deron Williams as a role player.
Overall I think this trade leaves all sides relatively satisfied and it works financially. Let me know any criticisms, questions, comments, etc.
