So long, Hedo. We hardly knew ya!
But with what we did know, maybe it’s better that you’re moving on.
The Phoenix Suns today completed a 6-player trade with the Orlando Magic, sending Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and splinter-grabber Earl Clark to the Magic in exchange for 8-time All-Star Vince Carter, swingman Mickael Pietrus, and backup center Marcin Gortat.
So, in essence, it took the Suns 25 games to figure out that Turkoglu just didn’t fit in their system. He lasted only 16 games in the starting lineup before being relegated to the bench for the next 9. Now, he goes back to Orlando, where he was a main cog in their Eastern Conference Championship team from two seasons ago.
Considering that Lon Babby (Turkoglu’s former agent and now the Suns President of Basketball Operations) gave up on him so quickly it becomes really clear just much “a fish out of water” Hedo was in Phoenix.
I questioned when the Magic let Turkoglu walk via free agency after the 2008-09 season, instead trading for Vince Carter. But I have to question them picking him back up in this trade as well. After a nightmarish 2009-10 season in Toronto, and 25 less-than-stellar games in the desert, it’s beginning to look like Turkoglu just can’t do what he did during his first stint in Orlando.
There’s no doubt he was a great fit for the Magic during that run, but look at their roster today as opposed to what it looked like during the 2009 Finals. Only Dwight Howard, J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson remain. Who’s to say that Turkoglu fits right back in with the Magic when 75% of their roster is different?
The Magic also do get Jason Richardson, who was the Suns’ leading scorer this season, picking up where he left off last season, when he was Phoenix’s most consistent player during their playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. Richardson is a free agent at the end of the season. And Earl Clark gets thrown in as well. The jury is still out on Clark, but the Suns made it clear he wasn’t part of their future when earlier this season they declined to pick up the third-year option on his rookie contract. Clark only got on the floor for a total of 72 minutes in 9 contests this season. Considering he’s 6-10 and was playing on a team severely lacking size and inside presence, and still couldn’t crack the rotation, he’s not a big loss.
The Suns pick up Vince Carter, who is the biggest name in the deal, but is clearly on the downside of his career. Carter averaged just 16.3 points per game in 97 outings in an Orlando uniform, down from his career average of 22.7 points. He’s long been on the list of NBA players who consistently provides highlights but doesn’t necessarily help his team win. At this point of their careers, Richardson is a better player than Vince Carter–it’s that simple .
Also coming over to Phoenix is Marcin Gortat, a Polish big man whom the Suns selected in the 2nd round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He was also played a part in Orlando’s Eastern Conference championship run, spelling Dwight Howard for stretches. After the 2009 season, Gortat, a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet with Dallas, but Orlando matched the offer, committing $34 million over 5 years for Gortat to back up Howard. Needless to say, Gortat wasn’t happy, and could be rejuvenated with a change of scenery in which he’ll get more minutes.
And the final piece of the puzzle is Pietrus, a Frenchman who is in his 8th year in the league. He’s an energy guy, and a defensive dynamo, but at 6-6, falls into that category of wing player at which, even after this trade, the Suns have a surplus of (Carter, Hill, Dudley, Childress, Pietrus).
I don’t think this trade helps the Phoenix Suns this season. Yes, it allows them to move Channing Frye into the starting lineup alongside Robin Lopez to give the Suns more size on the floor, and like I said, Gortat will get a bump in playing time. But Frye, even at 6-11, is not a true power forward.
Where this obviously helps the Suns is in the future. They found the one team that wasn’t scared off by Turkoglu’s decreased production and hefty contract–so it’s off their books. Carter is a free agent, Pietrus has a player option for 2011-12 at $5.3 millon, and Gortat is under contract until after the 2013-14 season. And, they get a first round draft pick in the deal as well. With it coming from Orlando, it’ll be at the end of the first round, but it’s a pick nonetheless.
This was nothing more than a team admitting they made a huge mistake, which is refreshing, because the alternative was being hamstrung by Hedo for the next three or four years.
Here’s some other viewpoints of the trade that went down between the Suns and Magic:
- Initial thoughts on the Suns trade [AZCentral]
- Suns Trade Hedo, JRich And Clark For Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, And Mickael Pietrus [SB Nation Arizona]
- Phoenix Suns’ present, future brighter after blockbuster [Valley of the Suns]
- Magic acquire Arenas, Turkoglu and two others, deal Carter, Lewis and Gortat [Orlando Sentinel]
- Reports: Orlando Magic Trade Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, and Mickael Pietrus to Phoenix Suns for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark [Orlando Pinstriped Post]
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