Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Crowder A Stabilizing Two-Way Presence For Suns; CP3 Achieving New Milestones

June 12th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Suns forward Jae Crowder is hoping to make his second consecutive NBA Finals appearance during his first season with Phoenix, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Crowder signed a three-year, $29.2MM deal in the 2020 offseason with Phoenix after a productive 2019/20 run with the Heat, in which Miami eventually fell 4-2 to the Lakers in the 2020 Finals.

Veteran Suns All-Star point guard Chris Paul has achieved a first-time playoff series advantage this season in taking his first 3-0 start in any postseason matchup, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Buha notes that Paul, an 11-time All-Star, shows no signs of slowing down just yet, employing his veteran savvy to help propel Phoenix to the cusp of the Western Conference Finals. “He was using the clock well, coming off pick-and-roll getting into his spots, but it helps when you have guys like [Crowder] and [Devin Booker] and [Mikal Bridges] stretching the floor, and then [Deandre Ayton] puts pressure on the rim,” head coach Monty Williams said. “Defensively, he understands the moment. And offensively, just managing the game really well. But that’s what he’s done for a long time.” The 36-year-old Paul has been a steady presence to close out all three games in the final quarter. Buha notes that, in his 20 minutes logged across the series’ three fourth quarters thus far, Paul has tallied 30 points on 12-of-13 shooting from field, eight dimes, and zero turnovers. Paul has a $44.2MM player option for the 2021/22 season, though he may opt out in pursuit of a longer-term deal.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Western Conference

June 11th, 2021 at 7:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. With the playoffs in full swing, we take a look at players from the Western Conference:

Andre Drummond, Lakers, 27, C (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $794K deal in 2021

Drummond had a golden opportunity to show he could perform in the biggest moments. He was reportedly promised a starting spot by the Lakers after he reached a buyout agreement with Cleveland and cleared waivers. Drummond withered in the spotlight and was benched for Game 6 of the first-round series with Phoenix.

Coach Frank Vogel lavished praise on Drummond after the season, saying “We’re hopeful that he’s a Laker for a long time.” That seems like a long shot, considering how the postseason played out.

The two-time All-Star is still only 27 but his status has fallen dramatically over the past two seasons. He might be fortunate to receive the mid-level from a team seeking an elite rebounder.

Serge Ibaka, Clippers, 31, PF/C (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $19MM deal in 2020

Ibaka said last month he’s been dealing with back pain all season caused by a pinched nerve. It continued to hamper him to the point where he underwent back surgery on Thursday. He only appeared in 41 games during the regular season and had been limited to two postseason games.

Several contenders were interested in Ibaka during free agency last year due to his postseason track record. He was considered the Clippers’ most important addition during the offseason but now they’ll have to strive for a championship without one of their top frontcourt players. Ibaka holds a $9.72MM option on his contract for next season and it’s a safe bet he’ll take the guaranteed money.

Langston Galloway, Suns, 29, SG (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2020

Galloway signed a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum to join an improving team seeking a second-unit shooter. He was Detroit’s top reserve a season ago but the opportunities haven’t been there in Phoenix. He only saw action in 40 games during the regular season and has made two cameos in the playoffs. The Suns have gone with a three-man rotation in the backcourt – Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Cameron Payne – rendering Galloway as a spectator. Galloway will likely have to settle for a similar contract next season from a team that promises to give him more playing time.

Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks, 29, SG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $71MM deal in 2017

The Mavericks need to improve their supporting cast around Luka Doncic but they don’t want to lose Hardaway. Despite his Game 7 clunker (11 points, 1-for-9 on threes), Hardaway and Dorian Finney-Smith were the team’s most impactful players besides Doncic during the first-round series against the Clippers.

The Mavericks have made re-signing Hardaway a high priority. They’ll have some competition for his services and they to be cognizant of weighing down their future cap with enigmatic Kristaps Porzingis on the books for three more seasons (including a player option). But Hardaway is in a good spot to get another lucrative multiyear deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Estimates Vary On CP3's Next Deal

June 10th, 2021 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Executives that Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) has spoken to estimate that Suns guard Chris Paul could get a deal in the three-year, $60MM-ish range if he were to decline his $44MM player option this summer. A previous report, which stated that Paul would likely turn down that option, suggested that he’d likely be seeking a three-year contract worth about $100MM.

In actuality, Paul’s new deal could end up landing somewhere in between those two estimates. One possible route would be for him to pick up his $44MM option and negotiate a two-year extension with the Suns at a much lower rate. That would still allow the veteran point guard to secure a significant guarantee this offseason, while making him a little more affordable for Phoenix in a year or two when many of the team’s younger players are up for new deals.

Tom Thibodeau Named Coach Of The Year

June 7th, 2021 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tom Thibodeau has been named Coach of the Year, according to a league press release.

Thibodeau guided the Knicks to their first postseason appearance since the 2012/13 season. The Knicks finished the regular season with a 41-31 record, ending a string of seven consecutive losing seasons. They were 21-45 last season and 17-65 in 2018/19.

It’s the second Coach of the Year award for Thibodeau, who also earned the honor in the 2010/11 season with the Bulls in his first season as a head coach. No one had previously won the award in his first season with two different franchises.

Suns coach Monty Williams actually received more first-place votes (45) than Thibodeau (43). However, Thibodeau earned 351 total points while Williams had 340 points. The 11-point difference between the first- and second-place finishers was the smallest margin since the voting format was introduced in the 2002/03 season.

The Jazz‘s Quin Snyder finished third with 161 points (10 first-place votes). Four other coaches received votes — Doc Rivers (Sixers), Nate McMillan (Hawks), Steve Nash (Nets), and Michael Malone (Nuggets).

Thibodeau is the first Knicks coach since Pat Riley (1992/93) to win the award.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Denver Nuggets Vs. Phoenix Suns

June 7th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Eli Cohen

After fighting through various levels of adversity in the first round, the Suns and Nuggets are set to face off tonight in Game One of their second-round series.

The Nuggets were considered strong challengers to come out of the Western Conference throughout the season, and especially following the trade for versatile defensive forward Aaron Gordon, but those hopes were dealt a crushing blow when Jamal Murray tore his ACL in April. Murray led the team in scoring, assists, and three-pointers made during Denver’s run to the Western Finals in last year’s Bubble playoffs, and without him, the Nuggets’ odds to win the NBA championship have dropped to the lowest of any team left in the playoffs.

The Suns arrival to the Western Conference Semifinals, meanwhile, has been more unexpected. While their 8-0 run at Walt Disney World last summer hinted that they were ready to start competing at a higher level, this is still the team’s first playoff appearance in 11 years. The last time Phoenix hosted a second round playoff game, their team was geared around the high-octane attack of Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Now, the game plan involves surrounding star shooting guard Devin Booker with smart, physical defenders who can space the floor around him, such as Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, and former Nugget Torrey Craig, as well as the two-man game of pick-and-roll maestro Chris Paul and up-and-coming third-year center Deandre Ayton.

How Ayton holds up defensively against MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic will be crucial to defining how Phoenix fares in this series. Ayton defended Jokic remarkably well for such a young player during the regular season, but Jokic is almost impossible to stop when he gets rolling, and the Suns have no true backup center to throw at him should Ayton get in foul trouble.

On the other end, injuries forced the Nuggets to start Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers during the first round, which presents issues against a player of Booker’s caliber. If the Nuggets keep the same starting lineup, that could mean major minutes with Gordon as the primary defender on Booker, as he was against Damian Lillard in round one.

However, if Will Barton is able to return for Game One, as head coach Michael Malone hinted he might, that would give Denver a tall, athletic wing to throw at Booker.

One other key factor for the Nuggets will be the play of Michael Porter Jr. Porter was the team’s second highest scorer in the first round, and if the Nuggets want to get back to the Western Conference Finals, they’re going to need him to take on an even bigger scoring role against the Suns, who have more defenders to try on the prolific-scoring second year forward than the Trail Blazers did.

We want to know what you think. Are you picking the Suns or the Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference Finals? How many games do you think the series will go?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Chris Paul Expected To Decline Player Option

June 3rd, 2021 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

Suns point guard Chris Paul intends to turn down his player option for the 2021/22 season in order to seek a new contract, multiple sources tell Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Opting out will make Paul an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The value of that ’21/22 option is $44.2MM, which is more than Paul has ever earned in a single season and would be one of the highest salaries in the NBA. A year or two ago, the 36-year-old was considered a virtual lock to pick up that option. But back-to-back All-Star seasons in Oklahoma City and Phoenix have buoyed his stock, putting him in position to secure one last multiyear deal.

Pincus suggests that Paul might be seeking a contract in the range of $100MM over three years. Essentially, he’d be taking the same route that Gordon Hayward did a year ago, or that Al Horford did in 2019 — turning down an option and accepting a slightly lesser short-term salary, but adding more years to his contract and substantially increasing the overall guarantee.

It’s possible that Paul’s plans could change between now and his decision deadline on August 1. Pincus notes that it’s unclear whether CP3’s recent shoulder injury might alter his thinking, for example.

However, even after re-injuring that right shoulder in Game 5, Paul seemed relatively “OK,” as head coach Monty Williams confirmed after Tuesday’s game (Twitter link via Gina Mizell). He’s listed as probable for Game 6 on Thursday night, and there’s no expectation he won’t play, so I imagine it would take a more serious injury for him to seriously consider changing course and picking up his option.

Given the success they’ve had with Paul this season, the Suns will almost certainly push to re-sign the veteran guard if and when he opts out. Phoenix has the cap flexibility to accommodate a new deal for CP3, though the club will face a number of major contract decisions this offseason and may be wary of tacking on too many years, with Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges up for extensions.

Multiple sources told Pincus they believe Ayton is worth the max, while Bridges could be in line for a salary in the range of $20MM per year.

Anthony Davis Won’t Play In Game 5

June 1st, 2021 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers star Anthony Davis has been officially ruled out for Game 5 of the team’s first-round series against the Suns, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. Markieff Morris will start in his place.

Davis suffered a left groin strain in Game 4 on Sunday and was considered doubtful. He did come out onto the court on two occasions to test the injury but the club’s medical staff ultimately decided he wasn’t ready to go.

The Lakers and Suns are tied at 2-2 in their first-round series, and Davis averaged 34.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the team’s two wins in Game 2 and 3.

Morris has only played 12 minutes in the series and hasn’t made a field goal. He averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 21 postseason games, including two starts, for the Lakers during their championship run last season.

Chris Paul Probable For Game 5

June 1st, 2021 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Chris Paul (right shoulder contusion) “didn’t do a ton” at Monday’s practice, according to head coach Monty Williams, but it was a light day of work in general for the team (Twitter link via Gina Mizell). Paul is listed as probable for Game 5 on Tuesday and seems very likely to suit up.

CP3 A Game-Time Decision For Game 4

May 30th, 2021 at 1:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Lakers power forward Markieff Morris and his twin brother, Clippers power forward Marcus Morris, are hoping to meet in the playoffs in a Western Conference Finals for the ages, writes J. Brady McCollough of the Los Angeles Times. Marcus’ club is currently down 2-1 to the ascendant, lower-seeded Mavericks. Markieff’s Los Angeles team, the 2020 champion, is up 2-1 against the higher-seeded Suns.

Lakers starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been ruled out for this afternoon’s Game 4 matchup against the Suns due to a left knee contusion, tweets Mark Medina of USA Today. Veteran Wesley Matthews would make the most positional sense as a replacement starter, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Lakers All-Star power forward/center Anthony Davis, however, will be suiting up today as he plays through a knee injury, tweets Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Suns All-Star point guard Chris Paul remains a game-time decision for today’s pivotal Game 4 against the Lakers, tweets Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Paul has been battling a shoulder injury since Game 1. The Suns are currently down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Paul’s output has taken a turn with reduced minutes since the injury. He is averaging 6.7 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.0 RPG for the series.

Suns Notes: Ayton, Payne, Booker, Paul

May 29th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns center Deandre Ayton is enjoying his first playoff experience, even though his team has lost two straight games to the Lakers, writes Rachel Gossen of Arizona Sports 98.7. Ayton led Phoenix with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3 and is averaging 21.7 PPG and 12.3 RPG throughout the series.

The first pick in the 2018 draft suffered through a lot of losing before getting a shot at the postseason. The Suns began to turn things around with an 8-0 record during last summer’s restart and carried that momentum into a No.2 seed this season.

“It’s a big opportunity that we’re in the playoffs,” Ayton said. “We showed that the work that we’ve all put in, the stuff that we’ve went through, the adversity that we’ve went over, it brought us here. Now it’s just time to maintain and just play the best basketball we can play at the highest level.”

There’s more on the Suns:

Cameron Payne has been a surprise in the series, scoring eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. But even with Payne’s outburst, the Phoenix bench has been disappointing, providing just 26.7 PPG in the playoffs after averaging 37.0 during the season. “The bench has won us games this year and I’m looking for that right now,” coach Monty Williams said. “Every good playoff team has a game or two where the bench comes in and sustains or increases the momentum.”
Devin Booker won’t be suspended for his Flagrant 2 foul on Dennis Schröder late in Game 3, Rankin tweets. Booker was ejected for shoving Schröder to the ground on a drive to the basket. “That wasn’t a basketball play,” Schröder said, “and regular season, it’s probably a suspension as well.”
Chris Paul is listed as questionable on the Suns’ injury report for Game 4, according to NBA writer Gina Mizell (Twitter link). Paul sat out practice today with soreness in his left shoulder and has been limited since a collision in Game 1.