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OT poll. You know the team will not resign Amare in the off-season. What would you want the team to do with Amare by the trade deadline?

This situation isn't the same as the Joe Johnson situation because we are in a stronger playoff spot and have expressed a desire to sign Joe to a deal so it isn't a sure thing that he'll walk in the off-season, just a possibility. I'm just curious if short term competitiveness is worth more than future hope. Getting back a good player is no guarantee of future success, it is just a hope that you'll be back to competitiveness quicker.

I'd try to get Beasley from Miami or both Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright from the Warriors(you never know with GSW). All their other realistic options just look "meh". I'd hold out hope that I can sign and trade him or re-sign if the best offer I got was something along the lines of JJ Hickson and meaningless 1st round picks. The playoff revenue alone from potentially keeping Amare has to be enticing.

As a Suns fan, I am still pissed off that the team could have had a championship had they gone ahead with the Amare/Garnett trade. Or not traded Rondo, Deng, Fernandez, and others away. Or not traded for Shaq. Or resigned Joe Johnson the year before his free agency at a discounted rate. Or not gotten rid of Mike D'.

Sorry...went on a rant there.

But I honestly think they can keep Amare. I am starting to think they will. I highly doubt he will opt out of 17 million dollars which will give the suns this year and next to come up with an extension, which its in Amare's best interest to sign because of the CBA coming up. I would keep him, and go back to craming that Nash/Stat pick and roll again instead of what they are doing now and they will be a dangerous playoff team.

Amare might not even decline his option, which makes it more lulzy for the Suns.

Since Amare is on the subject.

ESPN Insider can only be posted here if it's in your own words. So, this is basically sums it up.

According to Chad Ford, Philly is holding up (thinking it over) a Amare Stoudemire for Andre Iguodala and Sam Dalembert offer. When Amare heard about possibly being traded to a rebuilding team he started to claim he may opt in this offseason. It possibly scared Philly, but they most likely view Amare as expiring anyway.

Amare's positioning is funny to follow. He publicly reassures the Nets that he wouldn't have problems signing with them when they were the rumored destination, but he goes the opposite route with Philly. The difference? If he goes to Jersey and they still have Brook Lopez then he can play PF with a C beside him and they'd have room to add someone else. Philly would likely let him walk due to financials without a sign and trade and if not he'd be the C in that situation beside Brand/Speights.

If I were a Suns fan I would want Amare gone before the trade deadline in hopes of getting some players back because if the contract expires Sarver cannot spend equal dollars on talent and probably wouldn't if he could. Think to all the draft picks they sold off, can you trust this man to give you the best product?

Don't fall for the talk about staying. Amare will opt out because it makes the most business sense to do so. If he plays out his contract he'll be unsigned at the time of the 2011 labor unrest, which means that he would be signed on the new CBA after the disagreed is settled. If he opts out he would be under contract at max or near max dollars. I doubt the league will be able to get current contracts reduced in the deal even if they try. A player's best bet is to have your deal already inked when the stuff goes down.

Given that Amare will opt out then if the Suns hope to get anything for him they need to do it now.