NBA Trade Rumors: Amar'e Stoudemire to the Cleveland Cavaliers?

The Internet is buzzing today with news that the Cleveland Cavaliers are among the teams reportedly interested in trading for Amar'e Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns.

The news broke late Sunday when Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic posted a story saying that Cleveland, Golden State, and Minnesota had shown interest in acquiring the All-Star center.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer gave credence to Coro's report and discussed the possibilities on the paper's Web site today.

Cavs GM Danny Ferry and Suns GM Steve Kerr talked about a possible Stoudemire deal a year ago, but instead pulled the trigger on the trade that sent Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland.

The dynamic of a Stoudemire-to-Cleveland scenario has changed in light of the O'Neal trade, but the prospect of pairing the Suns' leading scorer and rebounder with LeBron James is tantalizing.

Why might the trade happen?

According to Windhorst, the Suns want a long-term commitment from Stoudemire, who can leave via free agency next summer. If they don't get it, they'll try to move him by the Feb. 18 trading deadline.

Stoudemire has expressed his desire to go to a winner. Golden State and Minnesota don't qualify, even though both could put together stronger packages of young players to offer than Cleveland can.

The Cavs would likely send J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to the Suns, but that's not much considering Ilgauskas' part in the deal would probably be to work out a buyout and, it is hoped, return to the Cavs.

Still, the Suns have a history of interest in Hickson, and he's considered to be a work in progress. Hickson has gained valuable experience as the Cavs' starting power forward, although Anderson Varejao typically plays more minutes off the bench.

The thought of James and Stoudemire working the pick-and-roll to perfection would excite any coach.

What might prevent the deal from happening?

Stoudemire wanting to test the free agent market would be a dealbreaker. There's no point in the Cavs, currently sporting the league's best record, trading away a raw talent like Hickson if they feel Stoudemire will just shop for the highest bidder a few months from now.

Further, Stoudemire isn’t a strong defender, which could make him a square peg in Mike Brown's system. Would Amar'e's tendency to go through the motions on the defensive end disrupt what the Cavs do best?

Then there's the issue of playing time.

If Ilgauskas were to receive a buyout in Phoenix and return to the Cavs, what would Brown do with the quartet of Z, Shaq, Varejao, and Stoudemire? Talk about trying to keep people happy. There might not be enough minutes to go around for that group.

Finally, the Stoudemire-O'Neal pairing didn't really work before. Stoudemire is active and likes to move around the basket. O'Neal is stationary and tended to get in his way when they were together in Phoenix. Why would a change of venue make any difference?

John Krolik provided an excellent breakdown of the trade scenario today on his blog. Take a look for an even more in-depth analysis.

The Cavs are typically mentioned in trade rumors because it's assumed that this is a make-or-break year for them—a championship or bust. James is a free agent this summer and conventional wisdom says the only way Cleveland can be certain he'll stay is if the team wins a title in June.

Other recent trade rumors involving the Cavs, including a possible deal for David West of the Hornets, have fizzled of late. New Orleans' situation has changed in recent weeks and it no longer appears to be interested in dumping salaries, much less its top players.

But the Suns may be forced to shop Stoudemire. If the Cavaliers choose to be in the mix, they might just emerge as the frontrunner in trade talks.