suntimes:If a trade sending the Bulls' top pick (No. 2 overall) in Wednesday's draft, along with Tyson Chandler, to Phoenix for Shawn Marion sounds too good to be true, that's because it is.
The Racine (Wis.) Journal-Times reported Thursday that the Bulls and Suns were giving "serious thought'' to such a deal.
Bulls general manager John Paxson shot down the report Friday. ''There's no truth to [it],'' he said.
Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni also told the East Valley/Scottsdale (Ariz.) Tribune this week that the 6-7, 228-pound Marion -- who averaged 20.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.85 steals, 1.6 assists and 1.15 blocks in the Suns' 20-game playoff run to the Western Conference finals -- is not on the market.
"You can ignore it [the rumors],'' D'Antoni said. "I'll tell you what's going to happen: Someone will call me and I'll listen, because you always have to listen. And then we'll go, 'No.' And then it will be in the paper the next day that we're interested.
''You have to roll with the punches, but Shawn knows we're close, and we're not doing anything like that.''
The Suns reportedly are trying to package the team's two first-round picks (Nos. 21 and 27) in an attempt to move up in the draft. But the Bulls have no interest in giving up their other first-round pick (No. 16) for the pair of Phoenix picks.
"This might be a chance for us to take a shot at something that maybe we wouldn't ordinarily do,'' Paxson said of the No. 16 pick. "We've got good, young talent and were a playoff team last season. I like the position we're in right now.''
Kinda shocked if the suns do this. I guess they feel Amare will be in top form and having Bell and Barbosa combo will better than Marion. Dude was putting up MVP talk numbers during the season. If the Bulls get Marion.....watch out
