A Megatrade That Won't Happen

Last night both the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated from the playoffs, both after making trades that were supposed to put them over the top. The results? Jason Kidd was torched by Chris Paul as the Mavs fell to New Orleans, and Shaquille O'Neal couldn't stop Tim Duncan (or even stop Duncan from slowing Amare Stoudemire) as the Spurs dropped the Suns. The Suns and Mavs only managed to win one playoff game apiece and both teams are now significantly worse off in the long run than they were before the trades.

So what happens now? Well, Avery Johnson was already shown the door in Dallas, despite doing nothing but win in the regular season, and rumor has it that Mike D'Antoni is next. Firing the coach might appease some fans, but will it get to the root of the problem? Probably not. The issue is personnel, not coaching.

With that in mind I began to peruse the ESPN Trade Machine, trying to figure out how to fix the Suns. It's quite clear that Shaq is no longer able to be a force, but he can still contribute (when healthy) for the right team. Meanwhile, as good as Steve Nash was this year, he's 34 and can't be expected to play at this level for much longer. If the Suns stand pat, they can only get worse, even if Stoudemire improves because of the evident decline of Shaq and the inevitable decline of Nash. So why not make a deal now? No one wants Shaq on his own, but perhaps he could be packaged with Nash. Deal the two of them and the Suns would still have Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw, Grant Hill, and Raja Bell. That's not a bad core, and of course they'd also have whatever they got back in the deal.

Ah, but who to trade with? Who would want a pair of aging players with huge contracts? The Knicks were the logical choice, but sadly the Isiah Thomas era is no more. Even so, I initially tried to work out a deal with the Knicks where Stephon Marbury makes his not-so-triumphant return to Phoenix.

Here's the rundown: New York gets Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix gets Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Nate Robinson, and David Lee.

Nash and O'Neal infuse new life into New York, even if it doesn't last long. But they come off the books in the same year, which happens to be one year before a certain LeBron James becomes a free agent. The Suns add Marbury's expiring deal (and perhaps a restraining order against him), Curry, so that Stoudemire can stay at power forward, and a pair of valuable young backups in Robinson and Lee.

Not a terrible deal for either team, but the problem (as usual) is Marbury. His contract may be terminated at the end of this year, so barring a sign-and-trade, this deal can't happen. Sorry Knicks fans. At least you might get D'Antoni.

Marbury aside, there's another problem with this deal. Adding Shaq does nothing for the Knicks if they have to play him alongside Zach Randolph. They'd have to find a taker for Randolph to make the deal work. The logical team to send him to is the Chicago Bulls, who haven't had a low-post scorer since Curry left. However, the Bulls don't quite have the contracts to make anything work on their own. So in come the Mavs.

Here's the four team trade that I worked out:
Phoenix gets Stephon Marbury, Erick Dampier, and Tyrus Thomas, Dallas gets Steve Nash, Eddy Curry, and Drew Gooden, New York gets Shaquille O'Neal and Jason Kidd, and Chicago gets Zach Randolph.

This would be fun. Nowitzki and Nash are reunited, plus Curry joins the fray, the Knicks get older but far more exciting with Kidd and Shaq, and the Bulls finally get the big man they've been looking for. Only one problem, the trade A) doesn't work because of Marbury and B) wouldn't work because the Suns don't get nearly enough.

This was the point where I nearly gave up. I was so close and yet so far. But then it hit me, screw the Knicks and Bulls. The Suns and Mavs have what it takes. Just send Shaq and Nash to Dallas and Kidd and Dampier to the Suns, except the numbers don't quite work. Then I found it, my savior, the Orlando Magic. Here's the final trade I worked out that won't, but should take place:


For those of you who can't read horribly blurry pictures, here's the trade:

Then Suns get Jason Kidd, Erick Dampier, and Jameer Nelson, the Mavs get Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tony Battie, and the Magic get Jason Terry.

Phoenix gets a still capable point guard, but one whose contract expires a year sooner, a decent center, and a point guard of the future in Nelson. Dallas gets Nash and Dirk back together, Shaq to man the middle, and Battie's soon-to-be-expiring deal. And Orlando gets a great shooting point guard in Terry.

Is it perfect? No. Will it happen? Probably not. But it would be fun. Well that was my Trade Machine adventure for the day. Let us know if you have a better idea.