Luis Scola heading to Indiana

[ChrisperJ10]

3 first rounders in the loaded 2014 draft... muahaha.

Might get more if we trade Gortat. Good, good.

 

[johnson]

Trading Scola makes sense based on the logic that we all knew the Suns would suck this year, so why keep him around? Why not trade him and get some picks? My problem is we've had that logic for trades for the past few years now and eventually it becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy...the Suns will always suck...and these trades will always "make sense". Can't wait for the dunk contest.

 

[GMATCa]

i see a Gortat move in the near or relatively near future , hate to see him go but i def see it coming

I think that Len's ankle issues will delay a Gortat trade for a few months, at least.

As for the Indiana trade, I definitely endorse it. The Suns badly needed to become more athletic and Green helps in that endeavor. Plus, he has displayed three-point potential in the past, actually shooting .391 on threes in 3.5 attempts per contest in 31 games with the Nets in 2012, and .385 on threes in '07-'08 (and .368 on threes in '06-'07 in 3.2 attempts per contest). So he could be a more athletic version of Wesley Johnson, or a taller version of Shannon Brown. He's not necessarily a core piece, but the Suns last season constituted a conundrum: they amounted to a young, rebuilding team, yet one of the least athletic clubs that I can remember over the last twenty-five years. At least now, with the additions of Green and Bledsoe, Phoenix will be faster, more athletic, more explosive, and more exciting to watch.

As for Scola, he's a solid player and a respectable competitor, but much like Dudley (and Jermaine O'Neal, for that matter), he will be far more palatable as a reserve or a complementary player on a championship contender than as a leading player a rebuilding squad.

 

[GMATCa]

Seems like Indiana gave up a lot for Scola.

I think that the trade makes sense for the Pacers, too. Scola gives Indiana great depth and injury insurance up front, and another player who could make Miami pay for the Heat's small lineup. After losing to the Heat in six games in 2012 and in seven in 2013, 2014 is shaping up as a huge year for Indiana, the season when the Pacers should finally advance past Miami. Thus to add a veteran who could help in that endeavor is especially attractive to the Pacers, and from their perspective, they're probably just giving up scraps. Their first round pick next year figures to be low and not very valuable, at least not to them (obviously, it is more valuable to Phoenix). Green was worthless to the Pacers, given his .465 True Shooting Percentage last season and the presence of Paul George and Danny Granger at small forward, and they probably did not think much of Plumlee, either.

So from the Pacers' perspective, they surrendered mere scraps for a player, in Scola, who could help push them over the top. But from Phoenix's perspective, those scraps could amount to mildly valuable assets or prospects while the Suns also shed a salary commitment that did not fit with their current standing or long-range plans. Therefore, the trade represents a proverbial win-win for both franchises.