Suns News: Week 17 2/16-2/22

[Dan H]

I'm trying to think of guys who've broken legs like that. Theoretically it should be an easier recovery than ligament damage, and the bone won't be any weaker at the breakpoint than it was before.

[carey]

Simmons & Grantland staff wrote on best trade locations for Goran: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/light ... an-dragic/

[JCSunsfan]

Good morning,

So my word on the meeting is that we offered to get rid of IT and asked Dragic if we gave the best offer if he would stay with Bledsoe. Dragic will not play next to Bledsoe. He wants a big market team where he is the primary ball-handling point guard.

He does not want to go to a team and will tell any teams that is not a playoff contender and where he is in his role as primary BH that he will not resign.

He specifically wants the Lakers or the Knicks. Not Houston because of the Harden/Bev factor.

The NBA seldom sees people who turn down 5 year / 100 mil deals. But we know the Lakers are likely to offer 4/80. I haven't heard about the Knicks. The dilemma is who gives up assets for him at 5/100? Not many. None, really. It's an overpay at 4/80.

The Knicks have nothing we want. The Lakers are offering crap. The Celtics if he will resign are willing to part with picks and Sullinger. But that depends on Dragic. Houston is offering Morey type deals. The Kings are sweetening but nowhere close to Cousin, so quit dreaming. The other teams can sign him in the offseason but he wants a five year deal. That's our only leverage. His bird rights.

Good chance we offload Dragic, IT, Green, and Plumlee. Zoran is gone fo sho if Dragic goes.

But we aren't trading Dragic for 2nd rounders. Lakers unwilling to give Randle and remove protection. It's a pickle. I think none of us will get what we want for Dragic. But we won't toss it down the drain, either; for nothing.

Zoran was signed for Dragic. His request. We've asked Zoran to go to the D League and he refuses utterly. We have coddled his behavior and brother for the sake of Goran. The FO was unwilling to part with Bledsoe and commit to him being the primary PG.

Some of this I figured out. Some is new info totally and makes sense. I've been wondering why Zoran hasn't gone to the D-League at all.

I am done with Dragic then, and I am not blaming McDonough. You can't build a team by coddling players. The good ones step up. Move on.

[Dan H]

Meanwhile:

@ProFootballTalk: Per source, Cardinals' new deal with Larry Fitzgerald is done. Creates nearly $13M in 2015 cap space.”

[carey]

https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/568084221589372929

[gosuns]

Good morning,

So my word on the meeting is that we offered to get rid of IT and asked Dragic if we gave the best offer if he would stay with Bledsoe. Dragic will not play next to Bledsoe. He wants a big market team where he is the primary ball-handling point guard.

He does not want to go to a team and will tell any teams that is not a playoff contender and where he is in his role as primary BH that he will not resign.

He specifically wants the Lakers or the Knicks. Not Houston because of the Harden/Bev factor.

The NBA seldom sees people who turn down 5 year / 100 mil deals. But we know the Lakers are likely to offer 4/80. I haven't heard about the Knicks. The dilemma is who gives up assets for him at 5/100? Not many. None, really. It's an overpay at 4/80.

The Knicks have nothing we want. The Lakers are offering crap. The Celtics if he will resign are willing to part with picks and Sullinger. But that depends on Dragic. Houston is offering Morey type deals. The Kings are sweetening but nowhere close to Cousin, so quit dreaming. The other teams can sign him in the offseason but he wants a five year deal. That's our only leverage. His bird rights.

Good chance we offload Dragic, IT, Green, and Plumlee. Zoran is gone fo sho if Dragic goes.

But we aren't trading Dragic for 2nd rounders. Lakers unwilling to give Randle and remove protection. It's a pickle. I think none of us will get what we want for Dragic. But we won't toss it down the drain, either; for nothing.

Zoran was signed for Dragic. His request. We've asked Zoran to go to the D League and he refuses utterly. We have coddled his behavior and brother for the sake of Goran. The FO was unwilling to part with Bledsoe and commit to him being the primary PG.

Some of this I figured out. Some is new info totally and makes sense. I've been wondering why Zoran hasn't gone to the D-League at all.

I am done with Dragic then, and I am not blaming McDonough. You can't build a team by coddling players. The good ones step up. Move on.

Im done with him too. I'm gonna start calling him Dracig as soon as he is gone...

[gosuns]

https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/568084221589372929

Let the bidding war begin!

[Bruiser]

Simmons & Grantland staff wrote on best trade locations for Goran: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/light ... an-dragic/

Thanks for that! From that article ...

If I were Phoenix, I would dump Thomas for an expiring and second-round picks from Boston (the Celts have been circling him for two weeks), Detroit or Washington, then do everything I could to make up with Dragic — even if it meant signing Dragic’s nemesis, Sasha Vujacic, then forcing Vujacic to carry everyone’s bags on road trips and participate in gimmicks for home games like Sasha Vujacic Human Piñata Night.

[Sunsfan4life]

Uh ohh theres the dreaded "i want to play in a big market" request

[iLLmatic]

What I don't get about that request is that Indiana isn't a big market team.

[iLLmatic]

https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/568103765938724864

[JCSunsfan]

What I don't get about that request is that Indiana isn't a big market team.

Have we seen a list of teams? I would think NY, LA, BOS, MIA, and ???.

The simple end of it is that Goran is going to get a $20 per offer. No changes in the balance of the roster etc are reasonably going to get him to take a home town discount. So all the handwringing about how we alienated him are pointless. Unless we are willing to pay $20 million per year, we arent keeping him. As much as I like Goran, that does not make sense given the roster we have.

So we get what we can.

[iLLmatic]

Yeah I think it's LA, New York, Indiana, and Miami.

[In2ition]

I heard there were 7 teams. Who would be the other 3 teams?

[carey]

Gambo is tweeting that he thinks the Suns should call his bluff meaning the Suns intend to offer 5/100. I can't think of anything more stupid they could do right now.

[iLLmatic]

Gambo is tweeting that he thinks the Suns should call his bluff meaning the Suns intend to offer 5/100. I can't think of anything more stupid they could do right now.

That would be the worst.

[iLLmatic]

After sleeping on it last night I'm still more pissed at the Suns front office which allowed for this situation to progress as it has, but I think Goran shares blame in it. He won't even give the Suns a chance to rectify the issue and simply says that trust is irrevocable and wants to be traded. To top it off, he's requesting to be traded to one of our most hated rivals in the Lakers.

[carey]

Right now all I want is McLemore or Stauskas and a future #1 from Sac or the protection removed from Los Angeles.

[TOO]

20m per for a soon to be 29 year old 0 time all-star? Where do I sign up?

[iLLmatic]

The all-star game is a popularity contest, but, I agree that 20 mill is too much for him and Bledsoe to be on the same together.