RealGM

A lot has been said about Amare in the off season, but not a lot about Richardson. He has been very consistent in the playoffs and wondering what you guys are valuing him at. Should the Suns keep him as the future SG of this team? Or let him walk/trade when he becomes an unrestricted free agent? If you want to keep him what would be his worth (i.e what's the max year/money you'd pay to keep him here). Depending on how long Nash/Hill can play (at their level), having a SG who can create his own would be an awesome addition to the team. Richardson commands genuine attention (unlike Barbosa when he's at the 2), he may not be Kobe and perhaps isn't the best defender (though he's not that bad) but he brings rebounding and is a great finisher on the break (nevermind his shooting). So I'd love to keep him here.

Yes. He needs to stay now.

I gotta say, I liked Richardson from the beginning, then hated him, started to like him, then hated him yet again. But now, I enjoy watching him play and I am glad he is in a Suns uniform. He finally found his role on the team, and is playing very efficiently.
If the Suns were to keep the current squad together, and I mean the whole squad, I like all our guys, then I don't see why J-Rich would have to leave either. I'd like to keep em at around 5-8mil. More closer to 8mil.
However, if the Suns keep the current team together, I'm only worried about where Clark is going to be seeing minutes at, unless Hill retires, I don't see him taking anyone's minutes really. But that's another subject...

He turns 30 next year...They should trade his expiring contract for some draft picks and/or young talent and get a SG of the future through the draft.

MaryvalesFinest wrote:He turns 30 next year...They should trade his expiring contract for some draft picks and/or young talent and get a SG of the future through the draft.

I do like Richardson, but I have to agree with Mary on this.

Moving his large expiring might not be that simple this summer. You have to consider what you get back. Me thinks Kerr and Sarver are too crazy about him to trade, plus he can be resigned a lot cheaper after his contract expires.

I still wouldn't mind a J-Rich for Iggy deal, even though Iggy isn't a great outside threat, but I don't think the Suns would be able to contend if they were developing a SG, without actually have a veteran SG. I don't think Nash would have the patience for it too...

If the right deal comes up then yes, trade him. If Amare leaves and we decide to rebuild then let him expire in 2011 before T-Will takes over. His value is high right now and his contract increases it even more. No doubt Kerr's phone will ringing off the hook this summer about Richardson.

DirtyDez wrote:If the right deal comes up then yes, trade him. If Amare leaves and we decide to rebuild then let him expire in 2011 before T-Will takes over. His value is high right now and his contract increases it even more. No doubt Kerr's phone will ringing off the hook this summer about Richardson.

+1

It really comes down to how much money he wants. I would give him 24m over 3 years (7.5 - 8 - 8.5) unless we have a grand plan to blow it all up.

I must admit I do have conflicting feelings about re-signing JRich. Like Marysville said we might be better off blowing it up and trying to get a young player. I really don't like spending too much on swingmen purely because you can get a pretty good role-player reasonably cheap.

I still think we need a defensive swingman who can stop dribble-penetration. Hill's not gonna be around forever.

Sacremento's got a glut of swingmen ... wouldn't mind seeing what they would want for Nocioni and/or F.Garcia (if he has recovered fully).

Your right KJ7, I forgot about the lack of a defensive swingman (something we missed out since Raja was traded) at the 2 spot. Considering Hill will be gone or regress defensively, we'll need another Marion type of player to guard the 2,3 spot. Not sure how much the CBA will cripple us though. 8 mil / year for Jrich might seem reasonable currently but might not be reasonable under a new CBA. Blowing it up might be the best conservative move.

Blowing the team up would be more difficult then finding a suitable trade for Jason's expiring. We'll draft a 2 or look around once the upcoming strike is settled and have a new CBA.

KJ7 wrote:It really comes down to how much money he wants. I would give him 24m over 3 years (7.5 - 8 - 8.5) unless we have a grand plan to blow it all up.

I must admit I do have conflicting feelings about re-signing JRich. Like Marysville said we might be better off blowing it up and trying to get a young player. I really don't like spending too much on swingmen purely because you can get a pretty good role-player reasonably cheap.

I still think we need a defensive swingman who can stop dribble-penetration. Hill's not gonna be around forever.

Sacremento's got a glut of swingmen ... wouldn't mind seeing what they would want for Nocioni and/or F.Garcia (if he has recovered fully).

Yeah this is it.

It would be a shame though because he has been awesome this post season. He has showed a LOT of heart. I'm loving that.

I think its in the best interest of the suns to keep j-rich. whatever happens this series. they need to give this core a chance to build more chemistry with each other. I think the player that needs and should be traded is LB. its because he is heading into his prime and he is a starter but not with this team. I think him we can replace with draft picks.

Keep J-Rich. Even if we are rebuilding, we have to keep him. his experience will help mentor the younger players, and he can set an example for them on the court.

Keep him unless you can land Iggy for him.

Miklo wrote:Keep him unless you can land Iggy for him.

I don't know that. I mean I'd keep him even Iggy were available to us, especially if JRich were to extend for 9 mil per year with us.

dantian wrote:

Miklo wrote:Keep him unless you can land Iggy for him.

I don't know that. I mean I'd keep him even Iggy were available to us, especially if JRich were to extend for 9 mil per year with us.

+1. Iggy + 3 pt shooting = jRich IMO

JRich is better at shooting but Iggy is better at cutting. So I guess with our system we may need to favor the shooting. Either way, I don't know that JRich has shown me enough games at this level (he's shown many more games where his BBall IQ is exposed through his time here) to be convinced to shell out 9 mil for him.

Iggy is a MUCH better defender ... I would do it especially when you consider that Iggy would get a lot more time to shoot his 3s, so his % would naturally increase. I also think he's a better play-maker/creator then JRich. I would pull the trigger on that trade.