Seattle Please Trade Gary Payton!!!

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Do you think Gary Payton should be traded before the deadline?

Yes, he definitely needs to leave the sinking Sonics
7
54%
No, he should end his career in Seattle
4
31%
Not yet, but over the summer
2
15%
 
Total votes : 13

Seattle Please Trade Gary Payton!!!

Postby GloveGuy on Sun Feb 16, 2003 4:28 am

In my opinion, Gary Payton is the most underrated player in the NBA. He never gets his credit. He's been putting up unbelievable stats for the last 10 years. He's top 2(if not top 1) point guard in the L. If he can still put up these stats for the next 2 or 3 years, then he's definitely up there with John Stockton in best PG's of all time. But he's stuck with the Sonics, who are going nowhere. GP needs a championship. The Sonics need to start rebuilding. Why don't they just trade him. Rumors of him going to the T-Wolves would be awesome. Imagine him and KG on the same team. Rumors of him going to the Pacers, the best team in the East, would be great too. Imagine him and Artest, two of the best defenders in the league. Even if he went to the Warriors, who have a better chance of going to the playoffs then the Sonics. I just would love to see GP win a championship. So please, Howard Shultz, trade him!!
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Postby Heiks on Sun Feb 16, 2003 4:48 am

the wolves would be nice, i always dreamed that kobe would go there,
but they really need a top pg so it would be fantastic!

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Postby Matthew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 11:53 am

Payton doesnt want to be traded does he? I rather him finish in Seattle if thats what he wants.. I don't want to see another Patrick Ewing situation here... Just my opinion though :roll:
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Postby scubilete on Sun Feb 16, 2003 11:59 am

The way it should be, the only reason Payton should leave seattle is if they don't want to pay. Seattle let Kemp go for who? Vin Baker? who later they would give him away. Seattle shouldn't even touch Payton, maybe the guy is just a stockton, made for not rings. After all, there's not enough rings for everyone.
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Postby Matthew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 12:14 pm

Exactly. Great point :)

But I would like to see Stokcton and Malone get one ring, god they deserve it.. It wont happen but they deserve it.
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Postby Andrew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:38 pm

To me, there's no easy answer to this kind of question.

It's nice to see players finish their careers with the same team they started their career playing for (Magic, Bird), because it's rare in pro sports. Even back in the days of Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain, it was not uncommon for players to finish their careers for a different team than the one they originally played for.

But...

Gary Payton is, as we are all aware, still a great player, capable of putting up impressive numbers on any given night. It wouldn't be good to see him relegated to a secondary role in Seattle (due to a "new direction" but at the expense of wins), and since rebuilding is generally a youth movement, GP would be pushed aside, despite the fact he's still a valuable asset to the team. If this is the scenario, it would be better to trade him.

There would be some bad press, some talk about loyalty and foolishness for sending Payton packing, but it would satisfy both parties. Payton would be able to continue playing his game, perhaps on a team that has a better chance at winning the championship. He would no doubt be able to solidify some teams as championship contenders if traded there. Seattle meanwhile would be able to get younger and rebuild as they please.

But...

Seattle might benefit by keeping Payton around as part of a transition period in the rebuilding a process - the idea of keeping the old guard (no pun intended) around until the replacement is trained and ready to take over. Payton too could wind up like Ewing and Olajuwon - traded to a team where he must play second fiddle, or where his talents might be wasted due to a deep roster and/or different playing style (though Payton is in much better condition than Ewing and Olajuwon were towards the conclusion of their careers).

It is therefore a tough question to answer, and one I think that is best answered by GP himself. I believe he has earned the right (and may even have a clause in his contract, I'm not sure) to have the final say on any trades and potential destinations. Whichever option he feels most comfortable with - playing out his career in Seattle at the expense of a title shot, taking a lesser role on another team, or being the man elsewhere - he should be allowed to choose.

If it were up to me, I'd wait until the end of the season, when his contract expires. It might be easier to work out his future then, though it would probably be more advantageous to Seattle to look at making a decision before the deadline. But like I said, Payton has earned the right to decide his future, and Seattle should respect that.
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Postby Matthew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:45 pm

Lots of scenarios...

It has to come down to what Payton wants. He turned down New York after the sonics made the finals in 1996. He definately made a committment and it would be a slap in the face for the sonics to simply trade him for youth movement. Look at Utah and Indiana. They have kept their loyal superstars (Reggie, Karl Malone and John Stockton) and had (successfull) youth movement.

However, If payton wants out, they (the sonics) have to accomidate that wish and persue every possible avenue to get him to a contender and not a team like Memphis or Golden State.
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Postby Andrew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 7:48 pm

I guess it comes down to whether Payton does indeed have that clause in his contract. If he does, then he'll be able to dictate his immediate future and nix any trades that he does not like. It would also make more sense for Seattle to wait until the offseason so they do not have to work around that clause (though you'd think they'd have enough respect and loyalty to honour it), though they'd risk losing him to free agency.
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Postby Matthew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 7:55 pm

yeh i dont know if he has the clause or not... But Seattle should some class towards GP. If not, trade him to San Antonio or somthing.
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Postby Andrew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 8:01 pm

They definitely should show him that respect.

A trade to San Antonio would be interesting, though the Sonics would probably want Parker, whom the Spurs would likely want to keep. If they did acquire Payton though, he would probably be able to play his game (though he'd sacrifice a few ppg) and it would certainly provide some help for Duncan. I think the Spurs would prefer to develop Parker though, as they'd be able to keep him around longer than GP.
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Postby Matthew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 8:22 pm

Some help? Lol thats un understatment. I think he could be a better fit to the spurs than Kidd becuase kidd is good with setting up shooters, and San Antonio only have an aging Steve Smith. Payton can score more than Kidd, and with better efficentcy and can set up his teamates pretty good as well. He is marginally slower, and is a better on the ball defender imo. So team him up with an "unstopable" post player like Duncan who creates his own points from banging in the paint and facing up, I think he is a better fit than Kidd...
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Postby Andrew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 8:30 pm

Kidd is probably staying in New Jersey anyway, so GP would indeed be a good addition to the Spurs' roster. But as I said, it hinges on whether the Spurs want to win now (and lock Duncan up for longer than a 3 year deal again) or keep developing Parker.
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Postby Matthew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 8:37 pm

San Antonio would be the favourites with Payton, so if they have a chance to get Payton I wouldnt muck around and consider keeping an OK point gaurd who could possibly be a good (but not great, like GP) point. They do have to keep their future in mind, but if they can make the deal, they'd be fools not to get such a quality player.
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Postby Andrew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 8:44 pm

If they could have both Payton and Parker, they could possibly start both and give each significant minutes, as Phoenix did with Kidd and KJ back in 1997.
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Postby Matthew on Sun Feb 16, 2003 8:48 pm

I doubt they would be able to keep parker.. I'm sure they would love to but Seattle would want him. Payton could gaurd the shooting gaurd on defense without any real problems if they were two go with the pg's.
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Postby scubilete on Sun Feb 16, 2003 10:28 pm

GP wouldn't go to the Spurs for just one player deal.
You need to have in mind if Payton would get used to be a second choice when it comes to trades also. We all know Payton is a big mouth so sometimes he says too much. I don't think Payton is going to be traded, but Like fan_23 said, they might built a good team around him. Seattle has a good team, even is not a championship team, they are good, maybe they need a manager or someone else to step up as a star there.
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Postby Andrew on Mon Feb 17, 2003 11:54 am

I lean towards saying keep him in Seattle, but if the Sonics are going to mistreat him/relegate him to a lesser role when he can still be the team leader, he should look to finish his career elsewhere.
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