[Arizona Republic] Suns may not match Johnson offer

Maybe to Memphis for Warrick and some of our expirings after we trade them to Memphis for Swift, etc.

 

I think Deuce nailed it. To me, it's not a question of matching, but of what do you do with Marion? The future is Amare. Amare will still be here after Nash is done. If you have to choose one or the other to pair with Stoudemire, do you go with Johnson or Marion? Clearly Johnson, IMO.

 

retain jj and trade marion to knicks for tim tomas was another saying goes...

suns needs cap room to give stade max salary next year....

 

I really can't understand why the Suns traded that #7 pick last year in exchange for the Bulls' pick this year. Knowing that there was a chance they could lose Johnson, they should have drafted either Deng or Iguodala. And spending their MLE on Raja Bell? WTF? The Suns management has gotten alot of praise over the past year but now it's looking more and more like they're not so smart after all.

 

The Suns traded the #7 pick last year so they could sign Richardson. That pick would've taken up enough money so that the Suns wouldn't have the cap room needed to sign him.

There is a way to resign him and get around paying 4 players $50+ mil when Amare gets his payday. The idea is to trade Nash or Marion beforehand, and get expiring contracts and a talented cheap young player. Similar to how Phoenix managed to swap Marbury for JJ last season. Basically, they can maintain their 4-star lineup as long as one of them isn't making what he deserves.

 

It sounds like you are assuming that Nash is a max contract. They actually have only 1 max contract on their sheet now (Marion). Amare will be once he re-signs and JJ will be as well is they choose to match. That will make it 3 max contracts. Though Nash's contract is not max, it is however hefty.

Left to me, I would match and build my team around Amare and JJ since they are relatively the youngest of the core and possibly most talented. The only problem about that is that Sarver's pocket is not as deep as say the NY Knicks or LA Lakers.

It will be interesting to see how all of this breaksdonw but I cannot imagine Phoenix not matching.

 

Agree. I don't see how they have much choice given the moves they've made.

 

they should sign JJ and trade Marion if they are worried about the money...

With Thomas and Amare (and I re-signed Hunter), they are set (although undersized) at the 4 & 5 -

do the Knicks deal and send Marion for Tim Thomas who comes off the books next summer

 

I know by definition Nash's contract isn't a max contract, but $57MM over the next 5 years is a big contract. The Suns' revenue stream cannot sustain Nash, Amare, JJ & Marion, plus Kurt Thomas & Raja Bell. Their payroll next year for just these 6 would be ~$65MM-$66MM!

I agree with you they will match, but I'm with those who think they will dump Marion because they can't afford him with JJ. Losing Marion will hurt their team but that is better than insolvency.

 

They're screwed either way, so I don't care what they do. Either they match and maintain a formidable team for next year but are eventually crushed under the weight of their payroll and fade away from contention soon after. Or, they let Johnson walk and slide back into the pack and forever trying to find the final piece of the puzzle with only the MLE to help them look. Either way, it's good for the Rockets. Plus, if they need to unload Marion, we've got some expiring contracts they may want.

 

I wish.

I'm sure the Suns' management has the hershey-squirts right now, trying to find a taker for Marion, getting back value and expiring contracts, so that they can keep Joe Johnson.

 

To split hairs, they moved the pick in order to have cap room for Kobe. That didn't work out, so they switched gears and grabbed Nash and Q.

Further, I seriously doubt Marion is or will be on the block anytime soon, regardless of Joe Johnson. They know full well that this team is inches from the finals, based on last year's success. Why break it up so soon over the money? If Marion was on the slide like Finley, it would make sense, but not while he's still contributing at such a high level (WCFs aside). If they match JJ, and sign a couple of other guys with the MLE or min, they're looking at $60 mill in payroll next year. That's lux tax land, but not NYK land. The following year is when an Amare max extension would kick in, slightly tempered by Eisley ($7 mill) coming off the books. Believe it or not, they'd only have around $55 mill under contract. They could still survive if they go cheap in FA. By a thread, though.

The big trick is whether Nash holds up. If he goes down and the winning formula with him, they'll break up the squad (Nash, Marion, maybe JJ) in a flash. No sense in paying for a team whose window is closed. Until then? Forget the Marion for Spoon & Moochie acid-trips.

Evan

 

14 mil a year for Joe Johnson is a complete joke. That's probably one of the most outrageous contracts I've seen in a while. He needs to send AT LEAST half of that to Nash and Stoudemire.

 

Marion was great in regular seasons, but looked awful in the whole playoffs last season. I will be shocked if anyone believes that kind of performance in the post season deserves any kind of talk of a max contract.

 

Not at all. Look at contracts this year:
-Redd got 90some mil
-Allen got 80mil over 5 (he will be like 35 when that contract peaks)
-Hughes got 65-70mil over 5 (this contract should = Joe J's once the CBA is worked out)
-Simmons got 50mil (5 year)

How about last year:
-Dampier got over 70mil
-Parker got a 66mil extension
-KMart got 90mil over 7
-Camby got 60mil over 6
-Sheed got 60mil over 5
-Jefferson got 76mil
-Boozer 70mil
-Okur 50mil

By these standards when you consider Joe Johnson's production and upside there is no reason to think he would get anything other than a max contract. Certainly any team hoping to get Phx to not match had to throw the max at him and see what happens. Either way Phx isn't using their own max to sign him, 6 years with 10.5 raises, like the 90+ mil contract Redd is getting.

"most outrageous", not even for this year, definetly not compared to last year.

I would even get into previous ones (Raef for 70 mil, A Davis for 60 over 5, Finley 100+, Van Horn 70mil, Croshere 50mil, Brian Grant 86mil, Eddie Jones 93mil, Wally 65mil, Houston 100mil, Penny 86mil, Francis 85mil, Webber 120mil, NVE 77mil, D Stoud 81mil, Rose 92mil)

 

If Pheonix does not sign JJ it would be one of many stupid mistakes that they have done over the years. They traded or lost so many awesome players, such as Barkley, Majerle (however u spell it), Kidd, Marbury, Richardson, and now they may lose JJ (I'm not surprised)...there could be more but thats all that I can think of right now.

 

Ray Allen deserves max dollars. He's a great player who never got his recognition except for playing Jesus Shuttlesworth.
He can do it all, drive, pass, and shoot.

Joe Johnson hasn't proven himself to deserve that much money. If I were the Suns, I'd save the money and find a cheaper replacement.

 

The sad thing is that they then dumped Richardson *and* the pick they got for the #7 -- who turned out to be Nate Robinson this year -- for Kurt Thomas. So on top of a bad move in losing Robinson, they basically threw away two years' first round picks for a mediocre forward from the Knicks' mediocre crop.

I don't get it.

 

i think atlanta should hope phoenix matches it because they already have enough swingman...i dont even know what atlanta was thinking by even signing him to a big contract like that when they have other holes to fill in

 

The Suns needed to win it all last year, like Miami their salary cap problems are going to catch up with them. I was always wondering how they could sign JJ to a max deal with Amare's max deal coming up, I guess the light finally went on in Phoenix.