Suns plan to buy out Ben Gordon... no Chandler trade???

[Austin]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/ar ... e0711.html

These moves are being coordinated with the negotiation of a contract buyout with Ben Wallace, acquired with Sasha Pavlovic in the Shaquille O'Neal trade. Wallace and the Suns are close to finalizing a $10 million buyout from the $14 million salary he is owed in the final year of his contract. If that is the final amount the parties negotiate, it would save the Suns $8 million in all ($4 million in salary and $4 million in luxury tax) if the Suns exceed the tax threshold again next season.

According to the AZ republic's latest article about Grant Hill, Frye, and Nash's extension, they also stated that the Suns are trying to work out a $10 million buyout for Ben Wallace, so it looks like they are not planning on using his contract to pick up Chandler or any other big, which leaves the starting center position at either Amare or Lopez unless we pick up a new free agent. Is there anyone out there still?

[MILFSTA]

ben gordon?

[RaisingArizona]

ben gordon? wow, what a bone head move....

[lilfishi22]

I didn't think we could buy out Gordon's contract. He wasn't worth his contract anyway.

[lou_skywalker]

HAHAHAHA BEN GORDON

[TheMan44]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2009/07/10/20090710clarkonline0711.html

Suns are trying to work out a $10 million buyout for Ben Wallace, so it looks like they are not planning on using his contract to pick up Chandler or any other big, which leaves the starting center position at either Amare or Lopez unless we pick up a new free agent

Suns never wanted Chandler!

Just signed Frye. Amare or Frye will play center. Lopez, Lou, and Clark off bench as bigs. Pretty solid.

Big Ben Wallace is now living the high life: Get 10 million to stay away and watch TV at home for a year!

[Sun Scorched]

Haha the Pistons are so screwed... sure we don't spend money often, but when we do it's to buy out players from other teams.

Haha, just when Detroit was getting excited... Boom! Sarver punks them....

[Sun Scorched]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2009/07/10/20090710clarkonline0711.html

Suns are trying to work out a $10 million buyout for Ben Wallace, so it looks like they are not planning on using his contract to pick up Chandler or any other big, which leaves the starting center position at either Amare or Lopez unless we pick up a new free agent

Suns never wanted Chandler!

Just signed Frye. Amare or Frye will play center. Lopez, Lou, and Clark off bench as bigs. Pretty solid.

Big Ben Wallace is now living the high life: Get 10 million to stay away and watch TV at home for a year!

Actually if he can still play, he could sign a contract with someone as soon as we finalize the buyout.

[lilfishi22]

^ That's exactly what I was thinking.

[Sunsphan]

I think the original poster is on to something... buying out players on other teams. I say we buy out Kobe, T-Dunc, and LeBron just to mix things up.

[TXSun]

great find, just wrong name. or maybe it's something IHG posted somewhere else?...just kidding guys.

[DirtyDez]

Lets just go w/ Frye at 'center' and hope he puts on some weight

[BurningHeart]

great find, just wrong name. or maybe it's something IHG posted somewhere else?...just kidding guys.

Yeah, you're real funny.

[ruiner]

Lets just go w/ Frye at 'center' and hope he puts on some weight

Rather use Amare there, and put Frye at the 4.

[garrick]

Frye is even worse at defending the post than Amare, that is unless he really put on some pounds since he was with NY.

[Go7enKs]

We're terribly undersized even with Frye and contrary to the magic SSOL squad we don't have a skilled big like Diaw who can play D decently. The only hope right not is that Lopez develops into a solid center. I'd swap Ben Wallace's corpse with someone else, just as insurance...but then again, I would have done many things differently if I were Sarver or Kerr.

[TheMan44]

We're terribly undersized even with Frye and contrary to the magic SSOL squad we don't have a skilled big like Diaw who can play D decently. The only hope right not is that Lopez develops into a solid center. I'd swap Ben Wallace's corpse with someone else, just as insurance...but then again, I would have done many things differently if I were Sarver or Kerr.

Well, Coro reports a Big Ben buyout is coming (10 million).

The only option Suns have for the final 13th slot in the roster is to either sign Taylor Griffin, keep Pavlovic, trade Pavlovic, or get a veteran free agent for minimum.

Assuming Sarver wants to save money, we can almost be certain Pavlovic is going to be waived. Your best bet - if u want more muscle at center - is to bring in a veteran free agent for the minimum contract one-year: Theo Ratliff is the only one that comes to mind....unless Jamaal Magloire, Joe Smith, or Rasho Nesterovic are willing to sign minimum, but none are run-n-gun guys.

That said, Suns don't have a bad big man rotations: Amare, Frye, Lou, Lopez, and Clark. All these guys are 6-10 or taller (save Lou, but he can jump) and can play both center and power forward.

[the_warden]

They say if we buy out his $14M contract for $10M, we get $8M in savings: $4M from just buying him out and $4M from the luxury tax.

Is this true? I thought the full $14M counts for luxury tax purposes. That would mean we save $4M, not $8M.

I actually think I'm wrong. I might be confusing something that has to do with buying people out later in the season.

[nevetsov]

Nah i'm pretty sure the $14 mill counts towards the cap, but after a buyout, not the tax. The agreed buyout (say $10m) is what the team pays to the player.

SO our cap figure will still be $78mill (meaning we can only use the MLE, LLE etc to sign players) but our salary for tax purposes would be about $64mill.

So before buyout = $78mill salary-> $8 mill tax = $86 mill

After buyout = $64 mill + $10mill buyout = $74 mill (cap figure would still 'read' $78mill).

I'm pretty sure that's how it works..

[Tommy Udo 6]

If you buy out Ben Wallace for $10 million - then only $10 million counts toward the cap & only the same $10 million toward Lux Tax. That's why teams do buyouts.

As for buying out Ben Gordon..........