Post#618 » by JDLAW » Mon Dec 2, 2013 7:20 pm
It is perplexing that some want to make some of the trades mentioned here.
Larry Sanders? Really? Take a look at Miles Plumlee versus Larry Sanders. We already have a player that is equal to or better than Sanders. He is a better scorer, rebounds the same, about equal defensively. Both are little light (weight wise) for full time duty in the center position. Plumlee is just as athletic as Sanders and appears to have a much better head on his shoulders (character and smarts). Plumlee is also much less expensive ($1.5M versus $11M) next year. Both are the same age. Why do we need a virtual clone for about 8x the price? This is just silly. Len will be fine as the long term center - he just need some time to finish healing his foot.
Next, trading the Lakers 2015 first round pick and Okafor back to them for Pau Gasol? This is even more absurd than the Larry Sanders idea. Gasol does not fit at all. The Suns started this rebuild with the idea they were going to build with fast, young, and athletic players and they were going to play at a fast pace. They were not going to recycle the "old stars" who were on their last legs. Which of the two descriptions would you place a 33-year-old Gasol in? Here is a hint - he is not fast, he is not young, and he is not athletic. (At least Sanders meets that criteria even if he is an expensive duplication of Plumlee). Once you get past Pau's tears and whining about being traded from his beloved Lakers (see the failed Houston trade), try to conceive of a reason that the Suns would take on Gasol's ginormous ($19M + a 15% trade kicker) salary? I cannot. Basically we lose the possible savings on Okafor's contract if he does not play and we use up our cap remaining cap space. In other words, it likely costs the Suns at least an additional $9M and what might be a (6-14) lottery pick for Pau Gasol?
Trades for these players are the anthesis of what the Suns are trying to do in their rebuild. They likely would not be considered.