Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: George, Harden, Bronny, Knecht, Carter, Dunn

June 27th, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Thursday night, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the Clippers “love” Paul George and “very much want to retain” him, but acknowledged that the team doesn’t have full control over the process, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George holds a $48.8MM player option for 2024/25. If he doesn’t get a contract offer he likes from the Clippers, he could turn down that option to become a free agent — or pick it up and request a trade.

“We hope Paul’s decision is to be here. He’s been awesome,” Frank said. “He’s been an All-Star. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s a terrific person. He’s got great family, so we hope he’s here but also respect the fact that if he chooses to opt out, that’s his choice. He’s earned it and we’ll see how things play out.”

In addition to George, the Clippers have another key player facing unrestricted free agency, with James Harden set to reach the open market on Sunday if he doesn’t agree to a new deal before then. Frank said talks with Harden’s camp so far have been productive.

“We think James has been terrific for us,” Frank said. “We hope he’s had a great experience while he has been here and we hope he decides to continue to be here. … We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he decides to do the same.”

Re-signing both George and Harden would likely make the Clippers a second-apron team for a second straight season, with more punitive roster-building restrictions taking effect this offseason for clubs above the second tax apron. Frank admitted that’s a factor the organization can’t ignore as it weighs potential roster moves.

“This is a business and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us,” he said, according to Youngmisuk. “When your better players are in their 30s and you’re trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it. Like if there was no CBA, with (Clippers owner) Steve Ballmer, it would be carte blanche. With the new CBA, it’s not even about the money as it is how are you going to build a sustainable roster, maintain your tools to have transactional flexibility? And with that comes really, really hard decisions.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Discussing the Lakers‘ decision to draft Bronny James with the No. 55 pick on Thursday, head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka praised the former USC guard’s character, work ethic, and three-and-D potential, and said it would be “magical” to see him and his father LeBron James play alongside one another next season, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. While it’s safe to assume LeBron is happy with the pick, McMenamin says star big man Anthony Davis supported it too. “He’s very good defensively,” Davis said of Bronny. “He can read the floor very well. I think he’s a really good play-maker. I saw him work out a couple times besides the (Klutch Sports) pro day and working with a big — his reads, reading the defense, making the right passes — that was really impressive to me. I think he’s going to be fine, man.”
The Lakers were thrilled to land Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht at No. 17 on the first day of the draft, McMenamin writes in a separate story for ESPN. “If we would have had the 10th pick in the draft, we would have taken him. So, to get that value at 17 is really extraordinary,” Pelinka said, adding that new head coach J.J. Redick immediately started drawing up plays for the sharpshooter in the Lakers’ draft room. Viewed as a potential top-10 pick, Knecht slipped due to concerns about his age (23) and defense, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
No. 13 overall pick Devin Carter is dealing with a shoulder injury and his status for Summer League is up in the air, Kings general manager Monte McNair told reporters on Wednesday. However, McNair suggested the injury isn’t a serious one, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I think we got to get him in here and get with our doctors and just see what it is,” the Kings’ GM said. “But when we get through the draft process, our docs are confident. We’ve been in touch with his team. We’re confident it’s not a long-term issue.”
Suns general manager James Jones acknowledged that first-round pick and defensive standout Ryan Dunn has room to improve as a shooter, but expressed confidence that will be possible in Phoenix, as Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports relays (Twitter video link). “I’m confident with our staff, with (Mike Budenholzer), our coaches, that he’ll be primed to improve as a shooter,” Jones said. “If he can do that and do it quickly, I think we found a gem.”

Samuel, Buie Signing Exhibit 10 Deals With Suns

June 27th, 2024 at 9:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Suns are signing all-time Northwestern leading scorer Boo Buie and Florida forward Tyrese Samuel to a pair of Exhibit 10 deals, sources inform Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (Twitter links).

Buie, a 6’2″ two-time All-Big Ten guard, scored a total of 2,187 points during his five-season Wildcats tenure. In 2023/24, he posted a career-high 19.0 points per game on .438/.434/.858 shooting. His 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals across 34 games this season all also represent career highs.

Samuel, a 6’10” All-SEC big man, spent his first four collegiate seasons at Seton Hall before transferring to the Gators in 2023/24. He scored 13.9 points per game on 56.4% field goal shooting and 56.2% foul shooting, plus 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest.

Exhibit 10 agreements are non-guaranteed, but can be converted into two-way contracts before the start of the regular season. If a player on an Exhibit 10 contract is waived and then links up with a team’s NBAGL affiliate club for at least 60 days, he’s eligible to earn a bonus, expected to be worth in the range of $78K this season.

Suns Acquire No. 40 Pick Oso Ighodaro From Knicks

June 27th, 2024 at 7:59pm CST by Luke Adams

7:59pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Suns. Rather than trading the No. 51 pick back and forth, the Knicks are simply receiving No. 56 pick Kevin McCullar and the Celtics’ top-45 protected 2028 second-round pick in exchange for Ighodaro.

4:32pm: Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports has clarified (via Twitter) that the Suns sent Boston’s 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected) to the Knicks for No. 51, then traded No. 51 back to New York along with No. 56 in exchange for No. 40.

Essentially, then, the Knicks are receiving No. 56 and Boston’s protected 2028 second-rounder for No. 40 (Ighodaro), while still holding No. 51.

4:21pm: Marquette forward Oso Ighodaro was selected with the 40th overall pick in Thursday’s draft. We can say that with certainty. Tracking which team controls that pick is a little trickier.

While the Trail Blazers entered the day with control of No. 40, they agreed to trade it in a deal with the Thunder involving the No. 52 pick, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Oklahoma City then agreed to send it – along with cash – to the Knicks in a deal for the No. 38 pick, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the Knicks subsequently reached a deal to send No. 40 to the Suns, who will ultimately control Ighodaro’s draft rights. Phoenix is sending No. 56 to New York as part of that trade, tweets Charania.

We’re still waiting for details on what else Portland is getting to move down from No. 40 to No. 52 and what else the Knicks are getting to move down from No. 40 to No. 56. Wojnarowski reported (via Twitter) that New York is receiving the No. 51 pick in addition to 56, but the Knicks already acquired that pick from Washington in an earlier deal.

We’ll update this story when we have more clarity on those trade details.

Suns’ Eric Gordon To Opt For Free Agency

June 27th, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns veteran wing Eric Gordon will turn down his $3.36MM player option for the 2024/25 season and become an unrestricted free agent, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While a recent report from The Athletic had indicated that Gordon was “50-50” on his player option decision, plugged-in local reporter John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 subsequently stated that he didn’t expect the 35-year-old to be back in Phoenix next season. According to Charania, multiple contenders are expected to pursue Gordon.

Gordon is no longer the 20+ PPG scorer that he was earlier in his career, but the 16-year veteran has remained a reliable rotation piece for contending teams in recent years. After accepting a minimum-salary contract to join the Suns last summer, he averaged 11.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .443/.378/.797.

During his foray into free agency in 2023, Gordon prioritized the ability to play a significant role for a contending team over seeking out the most lucrative offer, since he almost certainly could’ve earned more than the veteran’s minimum from another club. We’ll see if his priorities remain the same this summer.

Gordon is one of four Suns who had a player option decision to make by June 29 and will join Drew Eubanks among those who are opting out. Josh Okogie‘s and Damion Lee‘s decisions have yet to be reported.

Trade/Draft Rumors: Kuzma, Kings, Kispert, Durant, Raptors, More

June 27th, 2024 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

Exploring a potential deal for Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma on Wednesday, the Kings discussed a framework that would have sent their No. 13 overall pick to Washington as part of the package and moved Sacramento down to No. 26, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. If that deal had happened, the Wizards would’ve had a third lottery pick to go along with No. 2 and No. 14, but no agreement was reached and Washington ultimately traded up from No. 26 to No. 24 instead.

Still, after agreeing to trade Deni Avdija to Portland on Wednesday, it seems safe to assume the Wizards will continue to listen to inquiries on their veteran players, including Kuzma, Fischer writes. Fischer has also heard that fourth-year Washington sharpshooter Corey Kispert is generating trade interest from rival teams (Twitter link).

Here are a few more trade and draft rumors as we prepare for day two of the 2024 draft:

Just in case more confirmation was required after various reports – and team owner Mat Ishbia – stated that the Suns have no plans to trade Kevin Durant, general manager James Jones reiterated that message on Wednesday night, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s the stuff that gets clicks and that everyone wants to talk about, but I think I said it specifically back on May 19th when I was asked are we trading Kevin Durant,” Jones said. “I said no then, I’ll say no now. I’ll continue to get asked.”
According to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Raptors are expected to receive significant interest in the No. 31 pick ahead of the resumption of the draft on Thursday, with presumed first-round picks like Johnny Furphy, Kyle Filipowski, and Tyler Kolek still on the board (those are also the top three remaining prospects on ESPN’s best-available list). Vecenie has Furphy penciled in at No. 31 in his mock draft of the second round, writing that most league sources expected the Kansas wing to be drafted in the top 23.
Former G League Ignite big man Tyler Smith is viewed as another prospect who could entice a team to trade for an early second-round pick, Fischer reports.
Elsewhere in his second-round mock, Vecenie says Spanish point guard Juan Nunez has been connected to the Timberwolves by league sources throughout the pre-draft process, while San Francisco forward/center Jonathan Mogbo has been frequently linked to the Knicks. Minnesota and New York currently control the 37th and 38th picks, respectively, with New York also picking at No. 51.

Nuggets Acquire No. 22 Pick DaRon Holmes

June 26th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

11:05pm: The trade is official, the Suns announced in a press release, confirming the terms outlined below. Phoenix used the No. 28 pick to select Virginia’s Ryan Dunn.

Speaking on Wednesday night to reporters, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said the team views Holmes as a four (rather than a five) going forward, adding that the team didn’t necessarily make a promise to draft him but certainly targeted him (Twitter links via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette and Bennett Durando of The Denver Post).

“Once we got into the 20s and there was a chance to get him, we wanted to go get our guy, essentially,” Booth said.

The Knicks (initially at 24 and 25) and the Timberwolves (at 27) were considered teams that might be eyeing Holmes, compelling Denver to move up, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports and Durando (Twitter links).

9:28pm: The Nuggets and Suns have agreed to a trade that will allow Denver to move up from No. 28 to No. 22 to select Dayton forward DaRon Holmes, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

According to Charania, in addition to the 28th pick, Phoenix is receiving the No. 56 pick in this draft and two future second-round picks from Denver. Those future second-rounders are the Nuggets’ own picks in 2026 and 2031, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The 6’10” forward was a three-time All-A10 honoree and a consensus All-American selection during his tenure with Dayton. During his final collegiate season in 2023/24, he averaged 20.4 points on .544/.386/.713 shooting splits, plus 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per night.

Last week, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony indicated that teams had been operating as if Denver had promised to select Holmes in the draft. Some recent reports denied that any promise had been made, but it certainly appears now that the 2023 champions had their eye on Holmes.

With the deal, the Suns are able to replenish their war chest of second-round picks after having traded so many away in deals over the last few seasons. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Phoenix has increased its tally of future second-round selections from just two to five, including the No. 56 pick this year.

The Nuggets, weighed down by a pricey starting five, are clearly looking to add win-now young role player talent to their bench. Last season, they lost sixth man extraordinaire Bruce Brown in free agency. This year, the team is at risk of losing starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a $15.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season and could likely fetch a raise in free agency.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Mat Ishbia Says Suns Are Keeping Kevin Durant

June 26th, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns owner Mat Ishbia sent out a Twitter message this afternoon to try to quash rumors about a Kevin Durant trade. Speculation regarding a potential deal has increased since the Rockets reached an agreement with Brooklyn to acquire three future Phoenix first-round picks.

“NBA Draft night is the best,” Ishbia wrote. “Everyone talking about the drama and storylines, some are right and some are just wrong. My turn. Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it. Gotta love draft night! Go Suns.”

Ishbia provided confirmation to a report this morning that there’s “zero chance” Durant will be traded. While Ishbia didn’t mention Devin Booker, another possible Rockets target, it’s believed that Phoenix isn’t looking to move any of its current core players.

Durant has two years left on his contract at $51.2MM and $54.7MM, so there’s no urgency for the Suns to trade him and no indication that he’s unhappy with his current situation. Phoenix was the destination Durant chose when he submitted his second trade request to Brooklyn two years ago. He was also Ishbia’s first major acquisition after purchasing the team, so it’s understandable that the owner would be reluctant to part with him already.

At 36, Durant might be an awkward fit with Houston’s roster, which is still mostly young. Booker, 28, fits the timeline better, but he’s under contract through the 2027/28 season.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Kerr, Durant, Dunn, Vezenkov, Clippers, Lakers, Casey, Vaughn

June 26th, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn’t want to go into next season without Klay Thompson.

Kerr told Tristi Rodriguez on the Jim Rome Show (hat tip to Zach Bachar of Bleacher Report) he doesn’t want to see the Splash Brothers broken up. Thompson is headed to unrestricted free agency unless he signs an extension in the coming days. The Athletic reported this week that negotiations between the two parties are “essentially frozen.”

“I want him back desperately,” Kerr said. “And we will have our conversations and he’s got to make whatever decision he makes, but we really want him back. He’s Klay Thompson.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Rockets swapped future draft picks with the Nets, acquiring numerous Phoenix first-rounders with an eye toward pushing the Suns to trade Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. However, the Suns are intent on “riding” with Booker, Bradley Beal and Durant, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
The Suns might target veteran guard Kris Dunn in free agency, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (subscription required). Phoenix, in the market for point guard depth, is limited to offering veteran’s minimum deals to free agents and rival teams expect them to take a long look at Dunn, who started 32 games for Utah last season.
Sasha Vezenkov would prefer to remain in the NBA, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. There have been conflicting reports on whether the former Euroleague star wants to stay in the NBA, though the Kings wing has a fully guaranteed contract for next season. “Panathinaikos called me sometimes and expressed interest,” Nick Lotsos, Vezenkov’s rep, told the Greek newspaper Fos. “I told them that both Vezenkov and myself want to see if he will continue in the NBA first. If he leaves the NBA, we will give priority to his last European team, Olympiacos, in discussions. If negotiations do not succeed, then we will probably open talks with other teams.”
The Clippers don’t have a first-round pick but they do own the No. 46 overall pick. Law Murray of The Athletic explores which players the Clippers might target in the second round.
Former Raptors and Pistons coach Dwane Casey and former Nets coach Jacque Vaughn are candidates to join J.J. Redick’s staff with the Lakers, according to Marc Stein. The Lakers want to surround Redick with experienced voices.

Nets, Rockets Officially Complete Swap Of Draft Assets

June 26th, 2024 at 3:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets and Rockets have officially announced their trade involving a series of future draft assets, with each team issuing a press release to confirm the move. We previously covered the deal within our story on the Mikal Bridges trade between the Nets and Knicks, but here are the full terms of the Brookyn/Houston swap:

Nets acquire:

Control of their own 2025 first-round pick (negating the Rockets’ right to swap either its own 2025 first-rounder or the Thunder’s 2025 first-rounder for Brooklyn’s pick).
Their own 2026 first-round pick.

Rockets acquire:

The right to swap either their own 2025 first-round pick or the Thunder’s 2025 first-round pick for the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick.
The Suns’ 2027 first-round pick.
Either the Mavericks’ or the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
The right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick with either the Mavericks’ or the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Note: Houston now essentially controls the two most favorable of the Mavericks’, Suns’, and Rockets’ 2029 first-rounders, with the Nets retaining control of the least favorable of the three.

The Nets’ motivation for the deal seems clear — their decision to trade Bridges signals that they’re prepared to take a step back in the short term rather than pushing toward contention. Having control of their own first-round picks for 2025 and 2026 will aid their rebuilding process, reducing the need to accelerate that process.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter), Brooklyn will be in position to create more than $60MM in cap room in 2025, so the team will have no shortage of cap flexibility going forward in addition to being flush with future draft assets.

As for the Rockets, a report back in early May suggested they had interest in talking to the Nets about returning some of Brooklyn’s draft assets in exchange for some of those future Suns picks. Houston is pushing its collection of draft assets down the road a little and making a bet against Phoenix’s sustainability as a contender for the next several years.

As Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links) has reported, the Rockets believe acquiring those future Suns assets puts them in a good position to pursue a star like Kevin Durant or Devin Booker in the event that they submit trade requests, or in the event that Phoenix eventually decides to break up its roster.

As the Nets showed with this deal, if a team pivots to a rebuild, it’s crucial for that team to control its own first-round draft picks — the Rockets now essentially own the Suns’ picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029 and could offer those assets back to Phoenix in any major trade between the two teams.

Still, for the time being at least, the Suns have no interest in considering a trade involving Durant or Booker, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who responded to Wojnarowski’s report about Houston’s interest in acquiring Durant by tweeting that there’s “zero chance” that happens. Woj followed up on his initial report by clarifying (via Twitter) that the Rockets won’t necessary wait for a Suns star to become available and will also shop those picks to other teams in an effort to upgrade their roster.

Knicks To Acquire Mikal Bridges From Nets For Bogdanovic, Multiple First-Rounders

June 25th, 2024 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have agreed in principle to trade forward Mikal Bridges to the Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via the Bucks, an unprotected pick swap, and a second-rounder, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

It’s a stunning development for both New York clubs, who haven’t made a trade with one another since 1983, as Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.

The Knicks’ draft capital heading to Brooklyn will be their 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031 first-rounders. The pick that the Bucks owed the Knicks was their 2025 first-rounder (top-four protected). The unprotected pick swap will come in 2028, while the second-rounder will be in 2025 (Brooklyn’s own). The Knicks will receive a 2026 second-round pick along with Bridges, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

It’s a huge haul for the Nets, who acquired Bridges from the Suns in the 2023 Kevin Durant blockbuster. Bridges appeared in all 82 games this past season, averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.

Bridges made a trade request to be dealt to the Knicks, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. The forward is entering the third season of a four-year, $90MM contract and wanted to rejoin former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. He was prepared to tell any other teams looking to trade for him that he’d eventually sign with the Knicks as a free agent, Begley adds (via Twitter).

The Grizzlies and Jazz were among the other suitors who were prepared to offer “significant draft packages” for Bridges, sources tell Wojnarowski. The Rockets also had interest in Bridges, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who disputes Begley’s claim that the 27-year-old requested a trade but confirms he was interested in joining the Knicks.

Bridges will take some of the scoring load off of Brunson and Julius Randle while providing New York head coach Tom Thibodeau with another versatile piece on defense. The former Sun and Net will be eligible to sign a two-year extension as of October 1, or a longer deal next offseason.

Bridges is due to make $23.3MM next season. Bodganovic, who has a $19MM expiring contract for next season, looks more like a salary-matching piece than a player Brooklyn is specifically targeting, so he may not be a Net for long.

While only $2MM of Bogdanovic’s salary for 2024/25 is currently guaranteed, that partial guarantee will have to be increased to at least $14.2MM to make this trade work. That means he could end up be dealt again, as his larger partial guarantee makes him less likely to be waived, cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (Twitter link). Bogdanovic is projected to return in October from the foot and wrist surgeries he required this spring, sources tell Fischer.

The Knicks will apparently still look to re-sign OG Anunoby, who has decided to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, Wojnarowski tweets. However, New York is preparing to lose Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, according to Begley (Twitter link). Hartenstein is expected to be a top target for several teams in free agency, and the Knicks — who only hold his Early Bird rights — can offer a max of four years and approximately $72.5MM.

Assuming the trade is completed as reported, without additional players added, the Knicks will be hard-capped at the first tax apron (projected to come in around $178.7MM) for the 2024/25 league year, since they’ll be taking back more salary than they send out. That will put a limit on New York’s spending power to fill out the roster, though the team should still have enough wiggle room to make a strong offer to Anunoby.

The Nets, meanwhile, are in position to create a new traded player exception worth $21.7MM if they take Bogdanovic into their previously created $20MM+ exception, Gozlan observes (via Twitter). If they go that route, they’d be hard-capped at the first apron in ’24/25 as well, since they’d be using a trade exception created prior to this offseason.

The Nets have also worked out a separate deal with the Rockets involving draft picks, according to Wojnarowski.

In that agreed-to trade with Houston, Nets are trading a 2025 Suns pick swap, a 2027 Suns first-rounder, and a first-rounder and swap in 2029 in exchange for their own 2025 pick swap and 2026 first-rounder from the James Harden trade, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets.

The Rockets’ motivation is to use the draft capital to help acquire an impact player. While the Rockets are intrigued about pursuing a Kevin Durant deal, Phoenix is inclined to run it back with its core group. Thus, the Rockets are now determined to use the Suns picks to be aggressive on deals elsewhere, Wojnarowski tweets.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.