PHOENIX, June 29 -- The Phoenix Suns have agreed to a deal with the Detroit Pistons that will send forward Clifford Robinson to the Central Division team in exchange for forwards Jud Buechler and John Wallace.
On Thursday, Phoenix announced it is trading all-NBA guard Jason Kidd to the New Jersey Nets for fellow floor general Stephon Marbury.
"Consistent with comments made following the Jason Kidd for Stephon Marbury trade announcement, this is a step in a different direction," Suns president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said. "We feel this makes us younger, improves our outside shooting, gives us considerable flexibility with regards to the salary cap in future years and more importantly, helps the Suns avoid the tax threshold for the upcoming season."
Both trades cannot be officially completed until July 18 due to salary and contract restrictions.
Phoenix went 51-31 last season, but failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years. The Suns were beaten by the Sacramento Kings in four games in April.
In the 33-year-old Buechler and 27-year-old Wallace, the Suns get two players who combined for under 10 points per game last season while losing Robinson, who averaged 16.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
But as Colangelo said, the trade helps when it comes to the salary cap and the Suns are once again ridding themselves of a player that was recently in trouble off the court.
On June 5, Robinson was arrested for marijuana possession. In January, Kidd was charged with domestic abuse after striking his wife.
The 6-10 Robinson will be heading into his 13th NBA season this winter. A second team all-NBA defensive selection following the 2000-01 season, he recorded 1.06 steals and 1.0 blocks per game last season.
Robinson, who has two years remaining on his contract, has totaled 15,180 points (16.2 ppg) and 4,681 rebounds (5.0 rpg) while shooting 44.9 percent from the field.
"We're excited to bring Cliff Robinson to the Pistons," said Detroit president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. "He's a talented veteran player that brings playoff experience and toughness to our roster. He will definitely give us added scoring in the post and on the perimeter."
Robinson, who has also been a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, was a 1994 Western Conference all-star and the 1993 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
The 6-6 Buechler averaged 3.9 points while shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range last season. An 11-year veteran, he was a member of the Chicago Bulls squad that captured three straight world championships from 1996-98.
Buechler attended the University of Arizona and was a member of the 1988 team that reached the Final Four.
An NBA disappointment since taking Syracuse to the 1996 national title game, Wallace is entering the final year of his contract. He has career averages of 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The 6-9 Wallace averaged 5.9 points in 13.2 minutes off the bench during the 2000-01 campaign.
