Rumors of a Dwight/STAT swap, should the Suns get involved to start the rebuild?

http://dimemag.com/2012/01/nba-rumors-knicks-bulls-and-warriors-potential-destinations-for-dwight-howard/

The above article suggests that the Knicks might be interested in trading for Dwight Howard (who isn't?) with a package centered around Amar'e Stoudemire. Here are a few thoughts on that potential trade:

1) If the Knicks had Anthony and Howard, they'd need some floor spacing, the article suggests Chandler can play power-forward but all three of those guys operate best on the block, a certain way to stagnate an offense.

2) The trade as proposed probably wouldn't net the magic enough back to let them contend, but wouldn't allow them to rebuild either, leaving the magic in a lower-seed no-mans land (sound familiar?)

3) Howard on the Knicks would basically ensure Deron Williams became a free agent. I can't see any situation where Howard declines to take more money to play in New York with Carmelo Anthony (a guy he once said would be the guy in the league he'd most like to play with). Leaving Deron Williams as the only Marquee free-agent and no big-markets with cap space, meaning that he'd then have to choose between smaller markets with the deciding factor most likely being the quality of their supporting casts.

These thoughts led me to come up with the following piece of rosterbation

Knicks Get:

Dwight Howard

Channing Frye

Hedo Turkoglu

Incoming Salary: $33,349, 243

Outgoing Salary: $32, 780, 825

Why the knicks do it?

They get to add Dwight Howard, who wouldn't do it? Frye can space the floor for Anthony and Howard to work on the block and doesn't have to worry about defense with Howard behind him. Turkoglu's salary is the price to pay to take on Dwight but the Knicks as the NBA's richest team should be able to stomach the blow, and he would probably be the best passer on the team.

Magic Get:

Steve Nash

Amar'e Stoudemire

Tyson Chandler

Grant Hill

Incoming Salary: $49, 406, 767

Outgoing Salary: $43, 799, 399

Why would the Magic do it?

Reports on what the Magic want for Dwight say that they want to remain competitive if possible, and don't want to rebuild. The haul for Dwight would basically give them the starting lineup of the Suns 2010 WCF team just with a better center (imagine how far the Suns could have gone with Chandler instead of a hobbled Robin Lopez two seasons ago). Definitely a good haul for a player who is almost guaranteed to leave at the end of the season.

Suns get:

Iman Shumpert

Ryan Anderson

JJ Redick (2012-13 Team Option)

Jameer Nelson (2012-13 Player Option)

Tony Douglas

The next available first round pick from the magic and Knicks, likely selections in the 20s

Incoming Salary: $18, 758, 999

Outgoing Salary: $23, 789, 062

Why the Suns do it:

Rebuilding is inevitable for the Suns. It probably won't happen until after this season but it will happen. This trade does three things:

1) It lands Nash in a favourable situation, definitely a concern of the front office if they eventually decide to trade him. Nash has often said that he wouldn't want to be traded because of having to gel with new teammates, but Nash has played with these guys before and would almost certainly be able to make some noise in the playoffs.

2) It lands the Suns young talent on cheap contracts. Sure, we don't get a player of Derrick Williams' caliber like the rumor over the summer which would have seen Nash sent to Minnesota for the #2 pick, but it doesn't send Nash to a basketball wasteland either. Shumpert (14.5ppg, 4.5rpg) is an athletic guard who the Suns were very interested in before the draft, Douglas (13.7ppg, 4.7apg) is by no means an heir apparent to Nash but is definitely a talented player, and Ryan Anderson (19.7ppg, 7.4rpg) is a floor-stretching big man. All three of these guys are on cheap rookie deals.

3) It lands the Suns cap space to sign a big name ( Deron Williams is the biggest) in the summer. JJ Redick has a team option, and while he's a good player, we'd be stacked at the wings and should decline it. Jameer Nelson has a player option which he'd hopefully decline, or we could move him for a draft pick or in a trade to upgrade at another position. If both of these options was declined, Phoenix could afford two near max free agents this summer.

The Hunt for Deron Williams

Imagine you are Deron Williams in the Summer of 2012. The best free agent on the market after Dwight Howard re-signs with the Knicks and Chris Paul accepts his option to play in LA. You have spent the last two years playing on a terrible team in a basketball wasteland and you want to win. The option of forming a superteam isn't open to you, all the other superstars are either paired up or on teams with no cap space for you to join. You are therefore looking for a team that can afford to sign you, hasn't gutted its roster to do so, and maintains assets and flexibility to add to the team either through Free Agency or Trade. This is where the Suns come in...

A high lottery pick, Gortat, Lopez, Anderson, Morris, Dudley, Douglas, Shumpert, and whatever remains of Warrick, Childress, Nelson and Redick and you have a team full of high-level role players but no real star to build around. Imagine adding Deron Williams and Kevin Love to that roster, or signing Williams and trading for Danny Granger, Josh Smith or Andre Iguodala. Isn't that a roster that could contend?

If this trade went down, Phoenix would be absolutely terrible for the rest of the season, but would be perfectly primed to quickly improve this offseason. It would achieve the dual goals of landing Nash in a favorable situation for the rest of his career and setting the Suns up for a brighter future.

Potential 2012-13 Suns Roster

PG- Deron Williams/ Toney Douglas

SG- Free Agent, Trade or Lottery Pick/ Dudley/ Shumpert

SF- Free Agent, trade or Lottery Pick/ Dudley/ Childress/ Warrick

PF- Anderson/ Morris/ Warrick

C- Gortat/ Lopez