Amar’e to Wizards Deal Nixed Because of Caron Butler
Who is the most sought-after player in trade talks this offseason? Teams don’t bother to ask for Kobe, LeBron, Dwight Howard, and Dwyane Wade. (The Chris Paul-to-Dallas rumors were completely ludicrous – it sounded like a trade that a 12-year old Mavs fan would create in Live ‘09.)
It’s got to be someone who is somewhat attainable, young, doesn’t cost all that much, and isn’t the only piece on a team. Or, in other words, Caron Butler.
But as more teams keep asking, Butler’s price seems to be increasing. Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld isn’t letting Caron complete another team’s puzzle.
He turned the Suns away, even though they were dangling Amar’e Stoudemire.
Multiple sources have confirmed that the Wizards engaged in conversations with the Phoenix Suns about acquiring all-star forward Amare Stoudemire last month, but the talks stalled when the Suns demanded Butler. Another league source added that Golden State and Portland have also attempted to land Butler, but Grunfeld hasn’t budged.
Grunfeld has publicly said that his preference is to hold on to Butler, Gilbert and Jamison. But can the Wizards build a championship team in the immediate future with those three guys? If they keep this nucleus intact, they’ve still got to make do with a bum at center. JaVale McGee has the potential to be more than a bum, but he’s got to actually get on the court.
Source: Washington Post
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 am
Sanpitch says:
Wizards should have made that trade
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Khalvin says:
Meh Butler is a BEAST when ready.. hold him tight!
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
LakeShow84 says:
I agree..
Arenas, Jamison and Stoudemire?? that would be in the eastern-semifinals no doubt.. and it would be McGee a chance to develop OUT OF the spotlight..
But if Arenas, Jamison and Butler can get any kind of post production that team could go far..
If Arenas is still trying to pass..
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Khalvin says:
Amar’e Stoudemire.. are you serious?… Eastern semi’s? gimme a break….
Arenas isn’t passing him jack so he would be complaining.. leading to ZERO locker room chemistry… At least Butler knows his role and plays it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
nowwhatyo says:
wow, butler to portland would be filthy!
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Dennis Castro says:
If they trade Butler, who’s going to guard guys like Lebron, Wade, Pierce? Butler gives them a guy that can pretty much go one on one with those guys and also provides a good offensive game.
And Khalvin, good point, Amare’s complaining about being the man with a more than willing Steve Nash feeding him the rock. Arenas’ and Stoudemire’s ego’s can’t co-exist on the same team.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
wiz says:
I cant seem them getting rid of butler jamison for amare i think could happen though. The wizards dont need any trades really maybe just thomas and james to clear some cap space.When healthy they are set at every position. Everyone one says they need to upgrade at the shooting guard position, but deshawn and young are a perfect fit you have deshawn who can play d and hit open shots which compliments arenas best. Then you have nick young coming of the bench with his young kobe skills.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
R U Serious the Wiz are weak as fuck as is. They need to do something fast. At best they’ve been a first round exit team. They should be willing to trade any and everybody on that squad including Arenas to get better.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Arrogant says:
they honestly need to get a passing pg cause point guards that jack shots just dont do well..
trade gilbert for a pg and a sg or center if your gonna keep the other two even though im not a Jamison fan..
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
srb says:
I wouldn’t take it either. I think you have to see what arenas, jamison and butler could actually do together. last time they had the chance, butler wasn’t anywhere near the player he is now, so let them see how it works out.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:57 pm
nerditry says:
Much smarter to trade Jamison than Butler, since the Wiz gave Gil that stupid big contract extension. Caron is the glue on that team and of their Big 3, the only one who plays credible defense.
Amare, Antawn and Gil with McGee and their draft pick? 120 PPG and no defense played, at all.
Shoulda traded Amare to the Bulls when they had the chance to get something back in return.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
SK says:
Well Amare is a free agent after the year, so they could lose him for nothing, which would make the trade look horrible. Plus his eye could be an issue, the man has been off the court/practice for months. Better to be a deadline deal.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball says:
pgs who jack shots can do well, look at jameer and devin harris…teams who cant stop anyone…don’t do so well.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Arrogant says:
the nets arent good… i mean devin gets the go ahead with him and a aging VC….. devin is a great passer who has no team to pass to…
and as for jameer , he was just one of the three point jackers… they added alston who can shoot and pass and they did fine without him
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
sans says:
They’d trade Twan if anyone wanted him.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
K Dizzle says:
I’m hearin Richard Jefferson to the Spurs for Bowen, Thomas and Oberto.
Scooped ya
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
wanabballer says:
I like Amare back when he didn’t say much and all he did was posterize people…
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Sanpitch says:
@17
when was that?
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ sanpitch
his rookie year lol
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
WizFan301 says:
people forget couple of years ago when we had the BIG 3 by all star break we we’re leading the east
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
karizmatic says:
I don’t think the Wizards are going to be a contender with the trifecta they have, If they could have done something like Butler and Jamison for Stoudamire and Nash I would have done it…I don’t know how the numbers look, but it’s definitely a trade I would have looked at seriously if I was the Wizards.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
This is the Eastern Conference. HECK YES the Wizards can get through the east and into the finals. Look what the Magic just did. I think when 100% healthy, the Wizards will give ANY eastern team PROBLEMS. Yes, even the Celtics with KG.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
QQ says:
all yall chumps don’t know SHIT bout hoops. Dime, please ban these fools!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
Seriously, what makes a contender in the East? All you really gotta do is be slightly better than the magic or cavs and that’s pretty much it. Anyone here think a healthy Wizards team can’t at least get to the Eastern Conference finals? Wouldn’t that make them a legit contender?
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Leland says:
Amare is done, Butler is a beast. The Wiz need an upgrade at SG and big man depth. The #5 and expiring contracts can get that. All you LeTravel’s nut swingers will see the truth when the Wizards are leading the East next year.
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:11 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
HaHa GTFOH The Wiz leading the East. Even if Arenas gets healthy which he never is. His idol is Penny Hardaway and for good reason they had similar careers make the allstar team then get paid to sit on IR for the rest of your life. But even if that were to happen they couldn’t get passed the Magic because Dwight would eat Brendan Haywood and that rookie they have for lunch. They don’t have Eddie Jordan anymore so no more princeton offense. Lebron spanked them single handedly the last time they played. They can’t don’t even belong in the same sentence as Boston since I believe with a healthy KG they can still beat the Lakers. They can’t beat the Hawks. They can’t beat the 6′ers. They can’t beat the Heat. In fact I can’t think of one playoff tem the Wiz are better than as constructed.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
A.R. says:
@ BiG ShoT BoB
I’m pretty sure they can beat Heat. They’re strictly a one man team. And I’m more than sure they could of beat the Pistons of last year. I mean…did you see them in the playoffs? I know they were playing against a superior team but gosh…where was the passion? It was terrible. Like watching a guy be burned alive and theres nothing you can do to stop it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Exactly so if I’m saying the Wiz are worse than that?
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
dagwaller says:
IF the Wizards are healthy, they’re a threat. I say keep the nucleus together.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:08 pm
the truth says:
damn caron is pimpin in this pic
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
pigpen says:
TOUGH JUICE!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
"Tha Boddy" Doin It For Love says:
The Wizards healthy are better than all the east teams except for the Cavs (King James Factor) period.If they could get over the LBJ hump they’d be a deadly team.If they start their scoring lineup they pose a matchup threat to every team in the east except for the Center position.I heard Arenas dropped 20pounds and is back to his college playing weight and workin hard to come back.Arenas was better than Penny at his peak so all those comparisons are failures!!!
June 24th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Luigi says:
wtf are half of u guys talking about?.. hate it when people talk about a player n calling him an ego n a zero chemistry player when we havent seen him play. all we hear about him is bad bad bad bad.. we tend to forget that Gilbert
has a work ethic similar to Kobe
a 2nd rd draft pick when they said he didnt have a chance
the “Zero” story
the buzzer beaters
the great blogs
the fun times the wizards had
led us to the playoffs 3-4 straight yrs i think? but still better than last 25 yrs.
etc.
but us people always talk about the bad things. like for ex. derek fisher. we forget he went to LA for his daughters cancer issue. but we remember the elbow he put on scola in the 2nd rd.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
hazestar says:
Trade for Amare would have been a great plus for The Wizards. Having Amare play at the Centre position, Jamison at PF and Arenas at the point. That front court could easily match the front court of the magics, Lakers. Experience and intensity would overcome other teams. Yes caron Butler was a great contributer and at times carried the team on his back. But having a great front court paves the way for a great back court. Arenas will shine (more) with Amare on the team.