That's Amare

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Feb 16, 2009 5:20PM

With the NBA trading deadline quickly approaching, trade rumors involving perhaps the biggest catch out there -- Phoenix Suns power forward Amare Stoudemire -- are circling back towards his landing with the Bulls. There is no doubt that Stoudemire would give the Bulls the front line scoring they need and the star type player they've been missing in recent years. The Suns seem to be very intrigued by Tyrus Thomas and are attracted to Drew Gooden's expiring contract. The Bulls, of course, want to move Larry Hughes and his overinflated paycheck. So can these two teams work out a deal? If Stoudemire does get traded, the Bulls seem to be the front runner now.

But even if the Bulls and Suns can agree on players who'll make each team happy while balancing salary cap issues, the turmoil in both team's front offices could derail the talks at any time. While rumors of Bulls GM John Paxson resignation surely make it harder for the Bulls to be taken seriously at the negotiating table (who's making the decisions if Pax is on his way out?), differing opinions within the Suns organization also complicate negotiations. With rumors of Sun coach Terry Porter's firing coming as soon as Monday, some within the organization believe that's enough to set the under-perforning Suns straight. Others believe a larger rebuilding is needed to retool the team. Which faction wins out? And if they decide on rebuilding, can a deal be worked out in time? The deadline for deals is 3pm EST on Thursday.