Suns could keep Stoudemire
With the Cleveland Cavaliers no longer an option for Amar’e Stoudemire(notes), the Phoenix Suns are prepared to keep their All-Star forward through Thursday’s trade deadline, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Unless a trade materializes before Thursday afternoon, Stoudemire very well could spend the rest of the season in Phoenix.
“I think it’s 50-50 at best with Cleveland out of it,” said Stoudemire’s agent, Happy Walters.
The Suns weren’t enamored with the Cavs’ offer for Stoudemire – Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes), J.J. Hickson(notes), Danny Green(notes) and a first-round pick – which spurred Cleveland to instead acquire Antawn Jamison(notes) from the Washington Wizards for a much smaller package.
The Miami Heat have continued to express interest in Stoudemire, and have offered Udonis Haslem(notes), Quentin Richardson(notes), Daequan Cook(notes) and a first-round pick. The Heat so far are unwilling to include Michael Beasley(notes) in any deal, league sources said. While the Suns don’t want Beasley for themselves, they think they can move him to another team for other assets.
League executives think the Heat are hesitant to improve their offer because they know they have a good chance of signing Stoudemire as a free agent this summer.
One league source with knowledge of the talks was skeptical the Suns will make any trade.
“No deal will happen,” a Suns source said. “Miami is a long shot, at best.”
