With all the rumors about Amare Stoudemire in the past week, I would be surprised if an aborigine in the Australian Outback didn’t know about the possible scenarios being thrown around. The Suns are trying to gauge interest on Shaquille O’Neal as well as Amare Stoudemire. The issue with Shaquille O’Neal is that no one wants to take on his monster contract in such a difficult economic environment.  Here is a list of potential trades and my take on them.

1. The Portland Trailblazers reportedly are offering forward LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Jerryd Bayless as part of a package for Amare Stoudemire. CBSSports.com, citing “a person with direct knowledge of the talks,” reported Tuesday that Portland also would deal big man Raef LaFrentz and his expiring $12.7 million contract.

My take: Probably the best deal out there for the Suns. LaMarcus Aldridge however is not that phenomenal from a defense and rebounding perspective. Jerryd Bayless has a great deal and athleticism and I think if learning from an all-time great in Steve Nash could make him a building piece for the future Suns. In addition, Bayless adds some energy and excitement that is greatly needed by the Suns right now. The Raef LaFrentz expiring contract is extremely coveted by many teams and the Suns are hoping to avoid the luxury tax in the 2010 season.

2. Chicago Bulls: With the Phoenix Suns looking for some cap relief, power forward Drew Gooden and his expiring contract would have to be included. Combine Gooden with either guard Kirk Hinrich ($10 million) or guard Ben Gordon ($6.4 million) and either power forward Tyrus Thomas ($3.7 million) or center Joakim Noah ($2.3 million).

My Take: Vinny Del Negro has a good working knowledge of how the Suns tend to do business. Tryus Thomas is beginning to show flashes of brilliance and would be the centerpiece that the Suns would want back. In addition, if they could get Hinrich they would have a legit backup for Steve Nash. What is not mentioned is that Drew Gooden can be a solid player (when healthy). This could make the Suns instantly better and give some cap relief in 2010.

There has been rumors of Detroit and Miami making offers to the Phoenix Suns, but in reality they aren’t very feasible. Detroit was rumored to possibly give up Rasheed Wallace, which would simply add another older component to  the team. Miami was said to have offered Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley. Again, I really doubt that the Suns would take Shawn Marion back after all the whining he did last year.

Robert Sarver

Another rumor that has been flying around the Internet this week is that Robert Sarver is talking directly to owners to get the deal done. There seems to be a feeling around the league that he may be getting desparate and does not want to wait on a deal up to the deadline.  Adrian Wojarnowski, reported earlier today that some anonymous sources around the league said these things about Rober Sarver: “It makes [the owner] look too motivated,” said one Western Conference GM who was aware of Sarver’s calls. “It makes them look desperate.” As an Eastern Conference GM wondered: “What in the world are two owners going to come up with that the GMs haven’t already discussed? “This is how bad deals happen.”

Funny how the Suns have depreciated rapidly since Robert Sarver came here! What is your take? Is he the one ultimately at fault?