Mason Plumlee Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Richards, Poole, Green, Curry, Vincent, Clippers

January 18th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nick Richards looked like the big man the Suns have been missing during his debut with the team Saturday afternoon at Detroit, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Richards, who was acquired from Charlotte earlier this week, came off the bench to post 21 points and 11 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes.

Beyond that, Rankin notes that Richards brought energy and “edginess” to the game by competing for rebounds at both ends and driving hard to the basket, which created open three-point attempts for his teammates. He was a plus-22 in a game Phoenix won by four points.

“Everything was flowing,” Richards said. “I was out there being me, playing my style of basketball.”

Jusuf Nurkic, who was recently removed from the starting lineup, remains sidelined with the flu. However, coach Mike Budenholzer said Nurkic has “turned the corner” and his condition will be monitored to see if he’ll join the team before its road trip ends Wednesday in Brooklyn.

Rankin expects Richards to replace Mason Plumlee as the starter soon, and rookie Oso Ighodaro gives the team four capable big men, meaning one or two of them won’t see regular minutes if they’re all still on the roster after the trade deadline.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Wizards‘ visit to Golden State Saturday night prompted questions to coach Steve Kerr about Jordan Poole, according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Poole played an important role on the 2022 championship team and once appeared to be a future star for the Warriors, but he was traded to Washington in the summer of 2023 following an infamous incident with Draymond Green. “It’s just really fun to see all of his work pay off and just his growth as a professional, to see it in pretty dramatic fashion over those few years, it was wonderful to see,” Kerr said.
Green will undergo an MRI on Sunday after leaving Saturday’s game with a left calf injury, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Warriors guard Stephen Curry twisted his ankle, but he doesn’t believe it’s serious.
After missing most of last season due to injury, Gabe Vincent is enjoying the chance to finally be able to contribute to the Lakers, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. He had a season-high 14 points in Wednesday’s win over Miami, his former team, then followed that with 10 points Friday against Brooklyn. “My role … is just win games, help us win games,” Vincent said. “Some nights it might be purely defensive, some nights I might be on the ball some more, some nights I might be spotting up. But whatever the task is, I’m out there to help this ballclub win games.”
When the teams meet Sunday, the Clippers will finally be able to host the Lakers in their own arena after years of sharing a facility, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The Clippers moved into the new $2 billion high-tech Inuit Dome this season. “I heard that place is sick,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. “I heard it’s really cool.”

Suns Notes: Nurkic, Plumlee, Ighodaro, T. Jones, Dunn, Beal

January 11th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns center Jusuf Nurkic received his second straight DNP-CD in today’s win over Utah, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Nurkic started the first 23 games he appeared in, but he lost that job when coach Mike Budenholzer decided to shake up his starting lineup earlier this week. He played 14 and 19 minutes in the next two games, but now appears to be out of the rotation entirely in favor of Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro.

“He’s a pro,” Budenholzer said about Nurkic following the game. “He’s got to be ready. Everybody is earning their minutes. Everybody is earning their opportunities. We’re going to need everybody as we go through the season.”

The minutes at center were split almost evenly on Saturday, with Plumlee posting six points and 10 rebounds and Ighodaro producing nine points, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Rankin notes that Nurkic is the best rebounder of the group, and Utah collected 21 offensive rebounds without him in the game. However, Plumlee and Ighodaro provide increased mobility on both ends of the court and are more likely to keep the ball moving.

Devin Booker told reporters that Ighodaro is “bringing energy and that’s something we’ve been lacking the past couple of weeks.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

Booker has been running the offense more frequently, which means Tyus Jones is often being used in an off-ball role, Rankin states in the same piece. That’s an unexpected twist for the offseason addition, who appealed to Phoenix because of his elite assist-to-turnover ratio. Rankin notes that Jones’ minutes have declined since he returned from a recent one-game absence due to illness, and he’s no longer in the team’s closing lineup. The Suns have been successful with the new approach, so Rankin expects it to continue.
After falling to the 28th pick in last year’s draft, Ryan Dunn never expected to be a starter so soon, Rankin adds. Dunn’s defensive skills bring balance to a lineup loaded with scorers. “I didn’t, you now, as much with me being in a starting lineup in getting a lot of minutes, I didn’t expect that for myself,” Dunn said. “I didn’t come here with a lot of expectations. I was coming to work and doing whatever I had to do to play.”
Bradley Beal, who was also moved to the bench this week, is excelling in his new role as a sixth man, Rankin notes in a separate story. Beal can be more aggressive in providing instant offense as he no longer has to settle for being the third option. “When you look at the whole game, he’s playing a lot of minutes, still getting his shots up,” Kevin Durant said. “So now coming into the games, I feel like he’s just comfortable understanding where his shots are going to come from. Sometimes that’s a struggle not understanding exactly what the role is at that point.”

Suns Notes: Nurkic, Rotation, Beal, Booker

January 10th, 2025 at 11:03am CST by Rory Maher

Suns center Jusuf Nurkic started each of his first 23 appearances this season. After returning from a three-game suspension, he was moved to the bench in favor of Mason Plumlee, later saying he would handle the demotion professionally.

In Thursday’s victory over Atlanta, Nurkic was pulled from the rotation altogether, receiving his first DNP-CD of the 2024/25 campaign. Head coach Mike Budenholzer opted to utilize Oso Ighodaro as the lone big man off the bench, with the rookie playing 25 minutes.

Nurkic, whose name has popped in trade rumors, said Budenholzer didn’t inform him in advance that he wouldn’t play, per Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com.

“No. We never communicated, but that’s fine,” Nurkic said.

When asked what he would do to embrace whatever role was asked of him, Nurkic declined to elaborate.

“No comment, man,” he said. “Just being (a) pro and get ready. That’s all.”

Budenholzer was asked about the decision to not play Nurkic after the game. He said it wasn’t specifically based on the matchup with Atlanta.

“Just went with Mason and Oso tonight,” Budenholzer said. “Just trying to figure out what’s best for the team, find the right combinations, the right group.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

Bradley Beal had a stellar showing in his third game since being moved to the second unit, recording 25 points (on 11-of-16 shooting), seven rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block in 33 minutes. Speaking to reporters after the win, he said “every moment” of trying to adjust to his new role has been strange, as PHNX Sports relays (Twitter video link). “But again, I’m not gonna be a distraction, I’m not gonna be an a–hole, I’m not gonna be unprofessional,” Beal said. “… I always take pride in my game. In who I am, in what I do. This is no different. I guess it’s just more magnified because it’s something that people are not used to seeing.”
Beal might be playing his best basketball of the season after being demoted, according to Doug Haller of The Athletic, who writes that the three-time All-Star seemed “amused” that outsiders thought he might respond to the move in any way other than being professional. “Everybody’s got their own opinion,” Beal said. “But nobody knows me. People paint their own images. Ain’t nothing I can do but keep being me.”
Devin Booker has said players have been frustrated with Phoenix’s recent play and that the team’s “vibes” have been “low” as the Suns have slid down the standings. However, he appreciated the positive energy the team showed on Thursday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I felt that a lot,” said Booker, who has recorded 10-plus assists in three straight games. “Obviously it’s more fun when you’re playing the right way and you’re winning, but just understand that it’s not going to be like that the whole game. Teams are going to go on runs. The quicker you can get out of that funk and get back to playing joyful and playing for each other, the better.”

Pacific Notes: Beal, Nurkic, Finney-Smith, Vanderbilt, Batum, Leonard

January 6th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Speaking to reporters prior to Phoenix’s game against Philadelphia on Monday, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer discussed his reasons for benching Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic, saying he needed to shake things up for his slumping team, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.

“Feel like we needed to make a change,” he said. “Throughout a 48-minute game, you got to figure out your best combinations, your best ways to try to have success. They’re two important players to us, two very good players.”

Beal said he was “100 percent” surprised by the move, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic tweets.

Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee moved into the lineup and Phoenix posted a 10-point win over the Joel Embiid-less Sixers. Beal wound up leading the team in scoring with 25 points in 30 minutes while Nurkic had five points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers‘ four-point loss to Houston on Sunday displayed the athleticism and physicality gap between the clubs, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. It could result in another lineup change. Recently acquired Dorian Finney-Smith could be moved into Rui Hachimura’s spot, Buha suggests, noting that Finney-Smith has outplayed Hachimura and provides better two-way balance.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is nearing his season debut after an extensive rehab from offseason foot surgery. He has participated in non-contact portions of practice. “He continues to progress and ramping up to on-court activities,” coach JJ Redick said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “And hopefully we have a firm update on the timetable soon. But his progress is real right now.”
Clippers forward Nicolas Batum said Kawhi Leonard‘s return to action, in which Leonard scored 12 points against Atlanta on Saturday, unfolded as expected. “Nothing crazy. He didn’t force anything. He’s too good for that,” Batum said to Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. “He’s going to let the game come to him. Then he’ll see the right opportunity to attack. He did that. It’s the first game. I wasn’t expecting him to get 30 [points]. But with the way he played and the way he took his shots and he attacked and he played defense, we’ll be fine.” Leonard was limited to eight points in 21 minutes in a loss to Minnesota on Monday.

Suns Making Major Changes To Starting Lineup

January 6th, 2025 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will remove Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic from their starting lineup, beginning with tonight’s game at Philadelphia, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link). Rookie Ryan Dunn and backup big man Mason Plumlee will take their spots.

The move comes amid a four-game losing streak that has seen Phoenix drop into the 12th spot in the Western Conference at 15-18. The veteran roster has been vastly underperforming since starting the season at 9-2.

The downturn has led to dissension behind the scenes, according to Haynes.

“There is also tension in that locker room,” he said. “I’m told certain players are unsure of their roles and frustrated with how they’re being used. The coaching staff, they’re still trying to figure things out.”

Beal, 31, is averaging 17.8 points per game in his second season in Phoenix, but his shooting numbers have declined from .513/.430/.813 last year to .480/.392/.760 through 23 games. He has missed time with various physical ailments and hasn’t turned into the dependable scorer the Suns were hoping when they acquired him in a trade with Washington during the summer of 2023.

It’s possible the demotion might make Beal more likely to waive his no-trade clause for a fresh start somewhere else. His $50.2MM salary could theoretically be useful in bringing Jimmy Butler to Phoenix if he’s willing to change teams again, but the Heat reportedly aren’t interested in taking on Beal’s contract, which will pay him $53.6MM next season with a $57.1MM player option for 2026/27.

Nurkic, 30, has started all 23 games he has played this season, but he’s averaging just 8.8 points per night — his lowest mark in eight years — along with 9.5 rebounds. He’s making $18.1MM and has one more year left on his contract at $19.4MM.

The Suns may prefer to part with both players before the February 6 trade deadline in hopes of creating a younger roster, but their options are limited because of second-apron restrictions. They can’t take back more salary than they send out or aggregate contracts in a potential deal.

Pacific Notes: Allen, Ighodaro, Warriors, Bamba

November 16th, 2024 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The short-handed Suns are hoping Grayson Allen can return for Sunday’s game at Minnesota, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Allen is listed as probable after missing the last two contests with soreness in his right hamstring, and coach Mike Budenholzer said he’ll be a “game-time decision.”

“We’ve been day-to-day with it,” Allen said. “I don’t have any serious hamstring strains. We’ve been able to do a lot of stuff, test it out, make sure I’m ready. Been able to do a lot of stuff on the court. It’s just how much I can get through without pain or without making it worse.”

Phoenix won’t have Bradley Beal, who will sit out his third straight game with a strained left calf. He left in the fourth quarter on Tuesday after feeling pain in the area and hasn’t played since. He’s made some progress, according to Rankin, but isn’t ready to return.

The Suns are also missing leading scorer Kevin Durant, who is dealing with a left calf strain as well and won’t be reevaluated until later this month. With much of its rotation sidelined, Phoenix has lost its last two games to Sacramento and Oklahoma City by 39 combined points.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Rookie Oso Ighodaro was used ahead of Mason Plumlee as the Suns‘ backup center Friday night, Rankin adds. Ighodaro put up six points and seven rebounds in a career-high 27 minutes as Budenholzer explained that the decision was based on the opponent. “The athleticism, the way Oklahoma City plays, felt like Oso could help us and I was happy with how Oso impacted the game,” he said. “Some games, some nights, it’s just different matchups and you’ve got to use your roster the best you can. I thought it was a good night for Oso.”
Among the reasons the Warriors want to win the NBA Cup is so their younger players can collect the bonus money, per Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Players on the winning team receive $515K each, while the runners-up get $206K. Teams that lose in the semifinals earn more than $50K per player. “It’s a lot of money,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It may not be to Draymond (Green) and (Stephen Curry), but it’s a lot for the guys on the back end.”
Mohamed Bamba will be available to make his debut with the Clippers on Sunday, a source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bamba, who is recovering from a left knee injury, was able to play for the team’s G League affiliate in San Diego on Thursday.

Injury Notes: Hawks, THJ, Simons, Bamba, Suns

November 13th, 2024 at 7:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks announced a series of injury updates on Tuesday, issuing a press release to provide the latest on where things stand with Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Kobe Bufkin (shoulder), Vit Krejci (adductor), and Seth Lundy (ankle).

According to the team, Bogdanovic, Bufkin, and Krejci are all progressing through their rehabilitation and will be reevaluated in about one week, so they’ll all miss at least a few more games. As for Lundy, his recovery from a sprained left ankle will take more time. According to the Hawks, he’ll be reevaluated in approximately four weeks.

Bufkin and Lundy have yet to appear in a game for the Hawks this season, while Bogdanovic and Krejci have played in just one and four contests, respectively. Despite being shorthanded, Atlanta pulled off a major upset on Tuesday in its first NBA Cup game, beating the defending champion Celtics 117-116.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Pistons wing Tim Hardaway Jr. took a pair of hits to the head during a defensive possession in Tuesday’s game and left the court on a wheelchair (Twitter video link). According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Hardaway underwent a CAT scan, which was negative. He received some stitches, but it doesn’t sound like he sustained a serious injury, which is good news. Given the nature of the injury, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hardaway has to enter the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons left Tuesday’s game in the first quarter and didn’t return due to what the team referred to as a chest injury. Head coach Chauncey Billups explained after the game that Simons was experiencing shortness of breath, but that everything came back normal after he underwent a series of tests (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report). The Blazers will conduct more testing on Wednesday, but Billups thinks Simons will be okay.
Clippers center Mohamed Bamba, who is making his way back from a left knee injury, continues to move closer to his season debut. While Bamba will miss Wednesday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, he’s listed as out due to a G League assignment rather than the knee ailment.
The Suns were down another starter on Tuesday, as Jusuf Nurkic joined Kevin Durant on the sidelines due to left ankle soreness (story via ESPN). It’s unclear if Nurkic’s ankle issue will force him to miss more games — the team is back in action in Sacramento on Wednesday night. Mason Plumlee started at center with Nurkic unavailable.
Another Suns starter, Bradley Beal, exited Tuesday’s game due to left calf tightness, but he downplayed the injury during his post-game media session, referring to the decision to pull him as “a little precautionary” (Twitter video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

Suns Notes: Allen, Jones, Nurkic, Dunn, Plumlee

October 5th, 2024 at 6:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Grayson Allen worked behind the scenes to bring Tyus Jones to Phoenix, even though Jones is likely to take his spot in the starting lineup, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Many were surprised that the Suns were able to land a starting-level point guard when they were limited to a minimum-salary offer, but Allen has a strong connection with his former teammate at Duke.

“He played a huge role in recruiting me here,” Jones said. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about me starting. I know we need you to come here and be the starting point guard. That’s what we’re missing.'”

Allen is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 13.5 PPG in his first year with the Suns and leading the league in three-point shooting at 46.1%. Phoenix tried to get by without a traditional lead guard last season, and Allen gradually realized that the approach wasn’t working.

“Looking at Tyus being a starter, I just feel like our team got a lot better,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited to have him on our team and I’m OK with what comes with that.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

Starting center Jusuf Nurkic will be reevaluated in a week after injuring his left middle finger in a scrimmage, Rankin tweets. Nurkic will miss Sunday’s preseason opener against the Lakers, along with Tuesday’s game against the Pistons and Friday’s rematch with Detroit.
First-round pick Ryan Dunn is a perfect addition for a team that needed big wings who can play defense, notes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. The 6’8″ Dunn used his 7’1″ wingspan to become a defensive terror for Virginia over the last two seasons. He wants to become the Suns’ primary lockdown defender and has welcomed the challenge of facing Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in practice. “Going up against them day by day, I’ll probably get torched a little bit there and there, but it’s just how it is,” Dunn said. “I’m ready for that, my ups and downs, but it’ll help me get ready, especially with those guys, learning from them and having to take that into going against different players in the league.”
Veteran center Mason Plumlee is thrilled about teaming up with Durant after signing a one-year deal with the Suns in free agency (video link from Bourguet). “Sometimes when you play against a guy, you just wonder, like, ‘Is he just hitting those shots tonight?'” Plumlee said. “And from preseason pickup as much as training camp, it’s like, he hits ’em all the time.”

And-Ones: Beverley, Second Apron, 2025 Mock, Egan, Plumlee

July 14th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Could Patrick Beverley play overseas next season? The longtime NBA point guard has garnered the interest of Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, according to a Walla report (hat tip to Sportando).

Beverley, 36, is an unrestricted free agent. He played for the Bucks last season and made highlights for the wrong reasons in the playoffs. He fired a basketball multiple times at Indiana spectators and received a four-game suspension that he’ll serve at the start of the 2024/25 season if he’s in the NBA. Beverley had stated a preference to re-sign with Milwaukee.

The veteran guard played in the Ukraine, Greece and Russia before setting roots in the NBA in 2013.

We have more from around the basketball world:

While many NBA observers have noted the second apron restrictions during this offseason, The Ringer’s Howard Beck makes a case that the negative impact of those aprons has been somewhat overblown. It should benefit the smaller market teams who don’t have the ability to go deep into the luxury tax, as the Warriors and Clippers have in recent years, Beck writes, noting that could help the league overall in its aim of competitive balance.
Yes, highly-touted Cooper Flagg ranks No. 1 in The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s 2025 mock draft, but there are plenty of other standout prospects, in Vecenie’s estimation. Rutgers guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey, France’s Nolan Traore and Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe are the other prospects who make Vecenie’s early top five.
Longtime NBA assistant Hank Egan is the recipient of this year’s Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced (Twitter link). Egan, 86, most recently coached in the league with Cleveland from 2005-10.
Suns center Mason Plumlee has been elected as a Secretary-Treasurer for the Players’ Association, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Plumlee will begin a three-year tenure as part of the union’s leadership.

Suns Notes: Durant, Okogie, Lowry, Morris, Kessler, Plumlee

July 9th, 2024 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite both Suns owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones shooting down the notion that the team is entertaining the idea of trading Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith advised viewers on draft day to “pay no attention” to what the Suns were saying publicly, suggesting that the franchise wanted to move the star forward.

Speaking to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Durant didn’t name Smith specifically, but appeared to reference that comment in dismissing the trade rumors that keep popping up around him.

“You could just press the ‘KD wants to leave’ button anytime you want some attention,” Durant said. “Yes, it’s a button. What else is gonna get people going around this time? Besides, ‘Oh, the journeyman is leaving again.’ That story is always gonna hit.

“… For somebody to say, ‘Phoenix wants to get out of the KD (business),’ I’m sitting here like, where is this coming from?” he continued. “It bothers me that people lie like that and that the audience eats up the headline. I get sad when people buy into lies and just make up s–t. It’s bigger than ball at that point for me. I can’t control that. I feel for people. It’s a bad practice to have when you just believe anything, for one. Just believe what you see on TV. And then it’s another bad habit when you’re just lying.”

Durant will turn 36 this September and could be entering the final stage of his Hall of Fame career, but he told Goodwill that he’s not thinking about retirement yet and suggested he’d be comfortable transitioning into a lesser role during his twilight years as a player.

“I just love to play the game. If it’s a good situation, if I’m still enjoying the game of basketball, my goal is to play this (game) till the wheels fall off, for whatever role that is, so we’ll see,” Durant said.

Here’s more on the Suns:

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday that Durant, who missed his fourth consecutive with a calf strain, won’t play in Wednesday’s exhibition vs. Team Canada (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
The Suns continue to work on re-signing free agent wing Josh Okogie and remain engaged in talks with veteran guard Kyle Lowry, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter links). If Lowry ends up signing elsewhere – Bourguet suggests a return to the Sixers is in play – then Phoenix would be “more than comfortable” with Monte Morris in the backup point guard role, since he was one of the team’s top three offseason targets, says Bourguet.
Responding to an inquiry about whether the Suns could trade for Walker Kessler, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 rejects the idea, tweeting that the Jazz have already declined offers from two separate teams that featured two first-round picks apiece for the young center.
In a story for GoPHNX.com, Bourguet takes a closer look at what veteran big man Mason Plumlee will bring to the Suns, outlining why he’s a clear upgrade over Drew Eubanks at the five.