Is Amare Stoudemire To the Cleveland Cavaliers a Good Fit?

The trading deadline is only four days away (Feb. 18), so teams are scrambling to make last minute moves in order to improve their rosters.

One of the hot commodities on the market is power forward Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns (31-28). Trade rumors have circulated around the league about the All-Star for many months now, and it seems like a legitimate offer is on the table.

It has been claimed that the Cleveland Cavaliers have offered Zydrunas Ilgauskas, J.J. Hickson, and a first round pick for Stoudemire.

Stoudemire has expressed his desire to either get a new contract or be traded for a while now. He will become a free agent this upcoming summer along with fellow superstars Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James.

The Suns offered Stoudemire a multi-year contract recently. However, Stoudemire’s agent, Happy Walter, retaliated with a counteroffer that seems to be asking for too much. With that said, the best situation for the Suns moving forward is to trade him in the next couple of days.

In my opinion, if this trade were to be executed, it would work out great for both teams.

Big Z and his expiring $12 million contract would bring financial relief to the franchise as they could either buy him out and have him resign with the Cavs, or have him play for the remainder of the season and hit the market in July. That extra cap space would allow them to make a move for a key free agent in the offseason.

Hickson, 21, is what, in my mind, makes this a wise deal for the Suns to take. He is a versatile power forward who’s got the rare combination of size, speed, and skill that could make him an up-and-coming star in this league. He reminds me a lot of a younger Stoudemire, and I think he has the potential to be as good as, if not better than him.

On the other side, the Cavaliers (43-11) are the number one team in the NBA as well as its hottest team, as they are riding a 13-game winning streak. Bringing in Stoudemire would solidify them as the early favorites to win the NBA Finals.

Stoudemire would open up things for the Cavs and would allow them to expand the offense. He would demand a double-team down low in the post, and would give Shaq some much-needed rest. 

The Cavs have been looking for a power forward, like Stoudemire, who could help defend big men like Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett and can also drop 20 points on any given night.

On a bigger and more long-term note, adding Stoudemire to the squad would give LeBron even more incentive to re-sign with Cleveland. So the other 29 teams better watch out because LeBron and Amare could form a formidable tandem, which would make the Cavs a force to reckon with in the East for years to come.