Steven Hunter turned down a $720,000 contract from Atlanta only to take the same contract with the Suns.

?I'm very excited because this team has the potential to go deep in the playoffs."  Hunter said.

Hunter started 23 games with the Magic last season and averaged 4.44 blocks per 48 minutes.

Why did Steven Hunter sign with Phoenix instead of Atlanta, which was offering him the same money?  

Hunter was attracted by the Suns' bright future.

"There are going to be people at our games and we'll be winning," said Hunter.  "Losing in the NBA isn't fun.

"I'm very excited because this team has the potential to go deep in the playoffs."

Also, he wanted to play with Quentin Richardson.  "That was pretty much the icing on the cake," Hunter said. "Quentin is definitely a winner and a warrior who I'd love to play with."

Hunter can run the floor and block shots and the center position is there for the taking if he performs.

"I've made a lot of strides," Hunter said. "My first three years in the league supplied me with a lot of knowledge. The Phoenix Suns got a better player than was with the Orlando Magic."

The Suns signed free agent Steven Hunter today.

?Steven Hunter?s athleticism, shot blocking and rebounding ability give us an added dimension to address the need in the middle,? said Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo.

Hunter averaged 3.2 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game last season for the Magic.

'Hunter, 22, was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 23, 2004 from the Magic along with Drew Gooden and the draft rights to Anderson Varejao for Tony Battie and two future second-round picks. Cleveland later waived him on August 10.'

'Originally selected in the first round (15th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft by Orlando, Hunter played two seasons at DePaul University, including the 1999-00 campaign with fellow Suns guard Quentin Richardson. The early entry candidate finished third in school history in blocked shots (128) and field goal percentage (.586).'

Being an olympian with a terrific chance of bringing home gold, you'd think this would be one of the happiest times in an athletes' life.

But despite being all the way in Greece Suns forward Shawn Marion cannot escape the trade speculation.  Phoenix offered the forward in a potential deal involving Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic earlier this summer, and according to reports he has remained on the block ever since.

"I've been hearing that all summer," Marion said Friday after the U.S. basketball team was 40 minutes late for a news conference. "It's a possibility. That's the NBA. The majority of the time you hear about players who just got a big contract. They're the ones who get traded.

"It comes with the territory."

With McGrady ending up in Houston rather than Phoenix there is now talk that the Suns will try to trade Marion for a big man after the Olympics.

Marion declined to place any odds on whether he would be back with the Suns next season.

"I don't know," he said. "You know as much as I do."

This article takes the reader through newsworthy NBA stories and analyzes each.  

The first is Bruce Ratner's decision to let Kenyon Martin go to Denver for Draft picks.  Ratner's rise to power is not so wonderful after all.  Now Kidd may want to abandon ship.  

The Phoenix Suns signed a new backcourt, inking Quentin Richardson and Steve Nash to big deals.  Contrary to the Nets' situation, the new ownership group in Phoenix wants to start out fast.  

Next is the Clippers' acquisition of Kittles after failing on Kobe Bryant and letting Richardson go.  

The Utah Jazz signed Mehmet Okur to a six-year, $50 million deal, then went out and got Carlos Boozer to a six-year $68 million contract.  It seems only big money gets guys to Utah.  

The rest:  Suspensions in Athens, the Erick Dampier chase, all's quiet in New York, Trenton Hassell to Portland, the Kings' roster (and possibly the team's location) in flux, and the Kobe Bryant criminal plot thickens.

The Denver Nuggets, who have been very active this offseason, remain active, as GM Kiki Vandeweghe is seeking a swingman.  Options being discussed include resigning Jon Barry, as well as sending forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili to the Phoenix Suns for either Joe Johnson or Casey Jacobson, who are now expendable shooting guards with the signing of Quentin Richardson.