Shawn Marion Trade Rumors - Phoenix Suns
Updated 2/13/09
Shawn Marion Traded to Toronto Raptors
Nealry a year to the day that Phoenix made the Marion-Shaq trade w/ the Miami Heat, former Suns player(s) Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks were traded to the Toronto Raptors for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon. Much like last year, the trade of Marion was preceeded by a lot of speculation and indications that he would be moved before the deadline. It is almost comedic, but Banks was included on the deal w/ Marion AGAIN - this guy really needs to find a home & quit riding Marion...LOL.
The trade comes only 1 day after Shawn Marion had a game-winning dunk for the Heat against the Chicago Bulls last night. After passing the ball in to Dwyane Wade, Marion cut to the basket, received a bounce pass from Wade and dunked it over/through 2 Bulls players... GAME OVER, Heat win! It was a terrific play, made possible by the great pass from Wade.
As far as "value", I feel like the Raptors get the better end of the deal by acquiring Marion. Miami gets an aged veteran who will be lucky to stay healthy and an athletic small forward who will make the highlight reel on occasion. What Toronto gets and/or other observations:
- An athletic guy who can play any position on the floor except point guard.
- A guy who will hustle and be able to play 40+ minutes every night if needed.
- A versatile defender who will help compliment Chris Bosh.
- A fast break waiting to happen - Marion is lightning quick and will most certainly benefit from Jose Calderon's "Nash" like passing skills.
- A great rebounder.
- In Banks, the Raptors get a so-so point guard who might be able to play 10-15 min. per game.
- Marion reunites w/ Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, who left Phoenix several yrs ago.
Updated 2/8/08
It is official... the Suns have traded Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O'Neal.
Original post
I don't like to put something up that's not true or that will never happen, but the Suns are likely to make a move this offseason and Shawn Marion is the player who's the most likely to be traded. I'll try to keep a running tally of all the Shawn Marion trade rumors here on this page. Check back for additional rumors as the 2007-2008 season approaches.
The Suns' Shawn Marion is a fan favorite and would be missed if Phoenix
decides to trade him.
Trade Request - 9/26/07
Sick of all the rumors, Shawn Marion asks the Suns to trade him. He feels unwanted and the team has yet to talk to him about a contract extension, so he's ready to "move on".
Trade Rumor - 6/19/07
It seems the Boston Celtics are very interested in bringing Shawn Marion to Boston, so much so that they're working with other teams to try and create a package that will please Suns' management. The latest rumors have the Celtics involving the Timberwolves in a 3-way trade involving Kevin Garnett and numerous draft pick exchanges and other players.
The Wolves send the 31-year-old all-star to the Phoenix Suns in a convoluted three-way deal with the Boston Celtics that includes Shawn Marion going to Boston and Minnesota getting the No. 5 pick from the Celtics, plus several young players. The Wolves already have the No. 7 overall pick in the June 28 draft. It's unclear, though, how Garnett's $22 million salary would match up for the deal.
The salaries don't matchup exactly and Minnesota would need a number of players and/or draft picks to make the deal work. Garnett would end up in Phoenix w/ Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, which isn't exactly the type of lineup you'd expect. Garnett and STAT would likely both play PF and C at various points throughout the season. The move would help shore up the defense a little bit - “A & G“ would certainly be an imposing force in the paint, along w/ Raja Bell on the perimeter.
Trade Rumor - 6/18/07
There are rumors swirling around that the Suns and Wizards are talking about a Antawn Jamison for Shawn Marion swap. While Jamison is no doubt a good player, he's no Marion. Jamison is a decent shooter and would help open the floor for the Suns, but his poor defense would make stopping other teams a whole lot more difficult, especially if Kurt Thomas is on his way out of Phoenix also.
Shawn Not Being Traded? 6/13/07
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni stated in an interview the past few days that the Suns are not looking to trade Shawn Marion. Despite rumors that management has mandated a payroll reduction to avoid the luxury tax, it appears that may not be the case, as D'Antoni stated “That's not true..“ regarding the rumor.
“I don’t think Shawn is going anywhere,” coach Mike D’Antoni said.
“I hope he doesn’t; there’s no desire on our part. But the names that are floated are the guys who are good. Everybody calls about Shawn because he’s great.“
“Realistically, I don’t think so.“
What does appear more likely is that Phoenix will trade Kurt Thomas, which would also be a mistake.
D’Antoni didn’t reply to questions about Thomas, who is slated to make about $8 million in the final year of his deal. The Suns could end up $9 million or so over the luxury-tax threshold if they don’t make a deal.
The Suns are really in a no-win situation unless they want to pay the luxury tax while attempting one last run at the championship. An optimal trade would have the Suns part ways with Marcus Banks, draft pick and another bench player for a decent defender that can run the floor.
There are also rumors that Grant Hill may be considering the Suns for the 2007-2008 season. If its true, he'd have to sign for one of the lower exceptions; but its not like he needs the money anyway.
Trade Rumor - 6/11/07
This one seems to the most likely at this point...
The Chicago Bulls are the team with the most talent to giveaway in order to get a superstar (yes, Marion is one) back in return. Sixth man extraordinaire Ben Gordon is the player most mentioned in a trade deal w/ the Suns. Shawn is the odd-man out in Phoenix, where Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash demand the attention of the fans and the praise of everyone around the NBA.
Despite Shawn's amazing abilities to average 18 points with no set plays, and his uncanny ability to guard anyone on the court (positions 1 thru 5), he's often looked over when talking about Phoenix Suns' players.
The key for Phoenix probably would be Ben Gordon. He's in an uneasy position with the Bulls with a contract extension on the horizon and questions about whether he should start. And Phoenix has always liked Andres Nocioni, who could play the forward positions Marion played, make a shot and provide toughness.
Trading away Shawn Marion would make the Suns a lot smaller and take even more away from their attempt at being “defensive”. I can't imagine Phoenix pulling off a deal where they don't get a SF, PF or Center in return. They'll get smoked again by San Antonio next year if they get any smaller.
Trade Rumor - 6/11/07
The latest rumor is just stupid... in no way does this trade make Phoenix any better or allow them to compete w/ San Antonio in the playoffs next year.
Here’s your first decent Shawn Marion rumor of the summer: The Boston Globe quotes an unnamed NBA executive seeing the Suns and Celtics (general manager Danny Ainge loves The Matrix, whom he coached in Phoenix) as ripe partners.
Marion and one of Phoenix’s first-round picks (24th or 29th) would go for Boston’s fifth overall pick — something the Suns hoped to get in the lottery from Atlanta — forward Theo Ratliff (one year left at $11.7 million) and another young player (Delonte West, Tony Allen).
Last month, coach Mike D’Antoni said he couldn’t see a scenario where trading Marion made the Suns better. This deal won’t either, but it does wipe out those pesky luxury-tax headaches for the foreseeable future — if the priorities have changed. Source: East Valley Tribune
Trade Rumor - 6/4/07
Both the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns are realing from playoff disappointments. Rasheed Wallace has likely played his last game as a Piston. The latest rumors involved Wallace and Amir Johnson being swapped for Marion. Shawn has 2 years and $33.5 million on his contract, and would provide the Pistons a lengthy SF who could slow down Lebron James. Wait, isn't that what Tayshaun Prince is suppose to do?