Did Memphis Decline a Deal for Amare?

It's been such a wild year for the Phoenix Suns that the trade deadline rumors that swirled around Amare Stoudemire almost seem like they didn't even happen. But happen they did, and the fact is that the Suns were openly trying to deal their young All-Star to anyone who would listen -- including the Memphis Grizzlies.

There were plenty of unsubstantiated rumors about where Stoudemire could possibly end up, but Memphis was apparently a legitimate possibility, at least from the Suns' standpoint. The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the details of how it all could have gone down.

The deal reportedly needed [Hakim] Warrick, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and a first-round draft pick to get done.

"I went and looked (at salaries) to make sure they could even do that," Warrick said. "I thought it was a lot to give up."

Nice to know that players spend some time playing with the ol' trade machine, too.

The article goes on to say that the Grizzlies' owner Michael Heisley "turned down Suns owner Robert Sarver not once but twice." As Bright Side of the Sun points out, what does this say about Steve Kerr's job security when the owner is stepping in and trying (but failing miserably) to do his job for him?

Stay tuned, Suns' fans. I suspect you'll have little to worry about when it comes to a lack of excitement from your team missing the postseason. Because the offseason in Phoenix is likely to be a whole lot more interesting than any first-round playoff series.