Marion wants out of 'bad marriage' with Suns

Tired of constant trade rumors and knowing that the Suns have no intention of offering him a contract extension beyond the 2008-09 season, forward Shawn Marion is ready to leave the only NBA organization he has known.

Marion surfaced from his summer-long media blackout Tuesday, telling SportingNews.com that he wants out of Phoenix. He said he would welcome a rumored trade to the Los Angeles Lakers that would send forwards Lamar Odom and Brian Cook to Phoenix so that he could join forces with Kobe Bryant and leave the team that eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs the last two seasons.

“I wanted to retire a Phoenix Sun,” Marion told SportingNews.com. “That would be nice … But sometimes it comes to the point where you just have to take that step and move on.

“It’s like a bad marriage. It doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong, both people should just move on.”

NBA sources confirmed to the Tribune that Marion has made it clear to the Suns over the summer that he either wanted a three-year contract extension — with an asking price in the neighborhood of $60 million — or he wanted to be traded.

And when Phoenix management let him know that the extension wasn’t coming, the demands changed to simply wanting out.

SportingNews.com quoted a source who said the likelihood of the deal was “50-50” and that Lakers owner Jerry Buss has not signed off on the deal. But NBA sources told the Tribune Tuesday night that any such deal is still in the talking stages — even if Marion is already championing the idea.

When asked if he was excited about the prospect of going to the Lakers, Marion told the Web site, “Why wouldn’t I be? You have a great organization, a great ownership there with the Lakers.”

Marion said he is tired of the constant trade rumors and upset that the Suns reportedly tried to ship him to Boston in a proposed three-way trade that would have sent Kevin Garnett to Phoenix. Marion and his agent reportedly quashed the deal.

“I didn’t like that,” Marion said. “It was like they were trying to force my hand by taking the Boston deal. I have been with this team my whole career. I was like, ‘Wow.’

Marion intimated that reported friction between him and Suns teammates is a fabrication of the media.

“Most people don’t know what goes on behind closed doors,” he said. “The way I look at it is: I love Phoenix. I love the fans. I love my teammates. Don’t let anybody tell you that I don’t. Some of the stuff that has happened is messed up. But pointing fingers and all that, I’m bigger than that.”

Although the trade would be with a division rival, a deal with the Lakers might be more attractive to the Suns than the idea of a Marion-Andrei Kirilenko deal with Utah that was rumored last week.

Like Marion, the 27-year-old Odom has only two years left on his contract ($13.2 million this season and a guaranteed $14.1 million for 2008-09). Known for being a multitalented but enigmatic player, Odom was limited to just 56 games due to injury last season. He averaged 15.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 39.3 minutes per game. At 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, he would give the Suns a legitimate power forward to join Amaré Stoudemire and Grant Hill in the starting lineup.

The Lakers also have good reason to make a deal with Kobe Bryant’s on-again, off-again trade demands during the summer — he remains unhappy that the team has made no major moves to improve the roster. Marion told SportingNews.com that he has spoken with Bryant as recently as last weekend by phone, but “I’ve been friends with Kobe for a while, so we talk here and there anyway.”

With Boris Diaw due to arrive from France Tuesday night, Marion is the only Phoenix player not in town to take part in voluntary workouts. And with Suns media day set for Monday, there is every chance Marion will still be a Sun and still under contract at that point.

If that’s the case, Marion said he will be at US Airways Center — still unhappy, but on time.

“I am a professional,” he said. “I will be where I’m supposed to be.”