[ESPN.com] Sign-and-trade with Hawks would net Johnson $70M

Why does Johnson want to leave Phoenix? Doesn't want to be 3rd or 4th fiddle?

 

I love Jim Jackson and ripped CD when he traded him for Wesley, but he didn't "ably" fill in for Johnson in the playoffs -- as Stein suggests.

 

I don't get it as well. He'll get around the same money, and, with their current system, play around 35 minutes in the regular season. If he wanted to, he could probably get by coasting on some games while his team is still competitive. With Nash in his twighlight, he'd get even more responsibilities if it was for that.

I guess it's his inner circle or his agent thinking of endorsements or something. Maybe he truly has something personal to prove.

Does he have any family in Atlanta?

 

i can care less about the motives behind Johnson's decision. What I care about is that Phoenix looks a little more vulnerable.

 

I posted this in another thread but if you look at how they've treated him last year and this year, its total disrespect. He felt he was insulted and now the Suns are paying for it.

 

I think the Suns look alot more vulnerable..

Losing their top two 3 pt shooters (JJohnson / Richardson) and not replacing their outside shooting with anything?

That leaves SNash as their best 3pt shooter which could spell trouble when Nash doesnt have anyone he trusts to kick out to.

good for JJohnson he was never going to become a great player in Phoenix if he was always at the bottom of the pecking order.

J

 

If Finely went to the Suns thinking that he could contend, he is the biggest moron in the world. You figure after being in Dallas all these years, he would have figured out that an all offense no defense style of play is only good for the regular season and is not the situation that you give up money to play for.

 

The Suns seem to sacrificing their shooters for defenders and future flexibility. However, will D'antoni be able to coach a more defensive game? I think letting JJ go really hurts their chances of contending for a title next year. Without those shooters, Amare and Nash look a lot less dangerous. Maybe Amare will see a double-team for the first time in his career. The Suns definately did good to get what they got though. That could really solidify their team in the future, but I doubt their new, more defensive team will be able to beat us in the WCF.

 

Finley doesn't like to play defense. This is one of the reasons he and Avery did not connect. He would fit in Phoenix perfectly, getting paid pocket change in addition to his 3yrs/$51MM and teaming up with his longtime buddy Nash. With Nash, Marion & Amare on the team, they will "contend" next year because they will probably make the playoffs. If Nash misses too many games, it'll be lottery time for them.

 

The Suns are cooked. Even with Finley, the current Finley is no Joe Johnson. The Suns really have had a dimwitted offseason when you look at it now--they have lost a ton of the athleticsim and versitilty that made them hard to play. The west is a two horse race now, they are the South Texas teams.

I think this is the story.

 

Max contract, young & servicable role player + 2 future 1st rounders all for this guy. That's a pretty sizable investment on Atlanta's part.

I think it's too much and that although Raja Bell isn't quite the player Johnson is, they share many of the same strengths. I think Bell could step into Johnson's role and still get the job done, at a fraction of the cost no less.

Nash will play hardball as a recruiter when Finley gets the amnesty-boot in Dallas. If you ask me, although Finley is slowing down and not as good as he used to be he's still maybe a better player than such an overrated one in Q-Richardson.

They save money that will ultimately result in Amare's inevitable max contract as well as finding adequete replacement players. Looks like Phoenix comes out the winner, in my judgment.

 

Great, Johnson's going to be the next Jalen Rose.

Joe Johnson doesn't make a lot of sense for Atlanta unless they can turn one or two of their SFs into a center or point guard.

Whatever, I'm glad Phoenix doesn't get Johnson although I would have preferred they not got nothing in a S&T.

 

I thought the Mavericks were a train-wreck after losing Nash, Walker and Jamison last off-season...

They actually posted a six-game improvement.

I think the Suns will be hurt by their lack of outside shooting like the Nuggets were last season (defenses will be able to swarm Amare like never before), but they'll still be OK.

 

I agree 100%. Is Joe really worth Diaw and two #1's, when you are already giving him the max?

 

Al Harrington for Eddy Curry would round out the team nicely.

 

the suns are imminetly beatable now - they were a gimmick team that was exposed in the playoff. If Dallas played with any heart they would have won that series

 

To be 12th in the East instead of 15th

 

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0801suns0801.html

JJ going to Hawks for Diaw, 2 picks

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Asked by Suns brass whether he would rather be in Atlanta starring on a losing team or a cast member in Phoenix on a winning team, Joe Johnson picked the Hawks.

He will get his wish Tuesday in a sign-and-trade deal.

Trade-talk wheels began turning faster Thursday when Johnson told Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver that he did not want him to match a five-year, $69.6 million offer with Atlanta.

Johnson will be the second starter traded this summer from the Suns' conference finals team.

Phoenix will sign Johnson to Atlanta's terms and trade him to the Hawks for two-year guard Boris Diaw, two first-round picks (a protected Atlanta one and another the Hawks acquired) and a $4.9 million trade exception that can be used to offset salary gaps in a future deal.

The arrow points both ways in the blame game. Johnson was upset that the Suns would not give him $50 million over six years last summer and then offered $60 million over five years last month as a counter to Atlanta's maximum deal.

He had hoped Phoenix would open July with a huge offer, became upset when he was asked to choose between offers and rejected a Suns request to restructure the $69.6 million.

His Atlanta deal will include a $20 million payment this month.

Johnson told several people that being a third option on the Suns was "unacceptable." He reportedly resented teammates' star treatment and disliked Amaré Stoudemire after a March halftime incident in Miami.

After Dwyane Wade's 19-point half, Stoudemire barked at Johnson in front of the team: "Are you going to play any (expletive) defense?"

Stoudemire got seven shots in the next game and then sat out two with ankle inflammation. Johnson played his best ball after that but told friends he would never re-sign.

Many close to the situation are adamant that Sarver was not willing to pay for his mistake from last summer, when he ignored advice to give Johnson an extra $5 million over six years.

Those people said Sarver never intended to match the offer and was looking for an out, particularly after issuing internal promises. Johnson provided an out by saying he would rather run the point in Atlanta.

Johnson did tell ESPN.com that he would work hard and put everything behind him if Phoenix matched Atlanta's offer, but Sarver did not want to pay steeply for a player who did not want to be with him and possibly could disrupt team chemistry.

If Phoenix had matched Atlanta's offer, a cash call may have gone out because of $55 million going to starters, an over-budget team payroll and a projected $72 million payroll (with a $10 million tax hit) in 2006-2007.

A star player - not Johnson, because of a front-loaded deal - probably would have been traded next year.

Losing money is said to be not an option for Sarver, even if a title would boost the franchise's value.

The ordeal did not go to a management committee vote.

Phoenix might recover if Dallas waives Michael Finley, as expected, under the amnesty rule.

The Mavericks want to find a trade to keep Finley from a rival but may not find a taker for his contract, with three years and $51.8 million left.

Phoenix could sign him for a minimum deal because he will collect all of his Dallas money and would be lured by his former team, close friend Steve Nash and a possible starting job.

The Suns also could get help by using the trade exception during the season if a non-contender wants to dump a salary.

Phoenix has tried to acquire Diaw, 23, before and sees the 6-foot-8 French guard as the potential backup point to Nash. He defends and runs well but lacks a long-distance touch.