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As many of you know, the Phoenix Suns will most likely own the right to Atlanta's pick in this years draft. They received the possible pick as a part of the Joe Johnson sign and trade deal. The pick is top 3 protected, so the Suns will only receive the pick if Atlanta draws anything below three in June's draft lottery. With the Hawks having only the fifth worst record in the league, it looks as if Phoenix will most likely end up with the pick. The question now is what they will do with it. Conventional wisdom says they will try and draft a Joakim Noah or Corey Brewer type player. But I'm of the belief that they will try and package the Atlanta pick, their two other picks, and Shawn Marion in order to move up and pick Kevin Durant.
As I've detailed here before, the Suns have salary cap issues. With Shawn Marion scheduled to make $17 million next year and strapped with an opt out after 2008, Phoenix will probably have no choice but to look to move Marion. There's no better time to try and do this than this summer. With a one of a kind player with the potential of Durant on the board, the Suns will look to make the move of Marion now. Moving Marion for Durant would give them immediate salary cap relief as Durant would be locked in to a Rookie deal for four years. The two teams most likely to capture the number two pick are the Celtics and the Bobcats. If the Celtics capture the number two pick, the Suns could send the Celtics their three first round picks and Marion for Theo Ratliff, trade filler and the rights to Kevin Durant. Ratliff comes off the books in the summer of 2008, so the suns would receive the cap relief they need. If Charlotte captures the number two pick, the Suns could offer them Marion and their three first round picks for the rights to Kevin Durant. The Bobcats have plenty of cap room, and could afford to take on Marion's $17 million dollar salary. The question is do any of these teams have the balls to pull of such a deal. Chad Ford and Bill Simmons both seem to think it's a possibility.
The only question: Why would Charlotte or Boston be willing to accept such a deal?
If the Celtics made the deal, the premise would be that they could win now rather than later. The Celtics already have Paul Pierce. They need to add someone next to him that is ready to contribute at all-star level. Otherwise, there really is no point in keeping Pierce. Marion is the type of All-Star player that the Celtics could use. Add him and whoever they could get with Phoenix's first round picks and you have a team that could lift the Celtics out of their current sorry state.
For Phoenix, a deal for Durant makes sense not only for salary cap purposes, but because Durant is the type of player that would keep Phoenix in the thick of championship contention long after Steve Nash retires. Imagine a Suns team where Barbosa, Durant, and Amare are playing next to each other for the next 10 years and Steve Nash is passing to them for at least the next 3-5 years. Scary doesn't even begin to sum up that situation.
Previously at Fanhouse:
Why the Suns Will Trade Shawn Marion
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