Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns To Decline Dragan Bender’s 4th-Year Option

October 30th, 2018 at 6:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Suns will decline Dragan Bender‘s fourth-year option, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports. The move will free Phoenix of Bender’s $5.8MM salary that he would have received during the 2019/20 season.

“Of course I wish they picked up the option, but I am not going to let this stop me from reaching my goals,” Bender said. “I am 20, and I will keep working to be the best NBA player I can be and make it in this league whether it’s with Phoenix or another team.”

Bender was one of the top prospects in the 2016 Draft and one of the most heavily-scouted European prospects in recent memory. He was expected to form a young, up-and-coming frontcourt combo in Phoenix with fellow first-rounder Marquese Chriss. Chriss has since been traded to Houston and Bender has failed to live up to expectations.

Phoenix has the ability to re-sign Bender after the season, though the team would be limited to offering him a starting salary of $5.8MM. Woj notes that Bender playing with the Suns beyond this season is a “doubtful outcome.”

Okobo Makes Progress At Point

October 29th, 2018 at 11:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie Elie Okobo may have emerged as the Suns’ answer at point guard in a loss to the Thunder over the weekend, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Okobo posted a team-high 18 points and eight assists after he replaced Isaiah Canaan, who suffered a left ankle injury early in the contest. “He played with confidence, he played with a presence. He played like, ‘I belong here,’” Suns coach Igor Kokoskov said.

Suns Remain Far From Success Despite Having Promising Young Core

October 28th, 2018 at 2:26pm CST by JD Shaw

The Suns have a promising young core featuring Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and Deandre Ayton, but the organization still has a ways to go before reaching true success, writes Gina Mizell of The Athletic. “Teams don’t just overnight become championship organizations or great playoff teams,” Suns forward Ryan Anderson said. “It takes time to build. You have to allow some time for that, but you can’t really make an excuse for not playing hard.”

Bulls Surrendered Potential Trade Chip By Waiving Asik

October 24th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Omer Asik, acquired in last season’s Nikola Mirotic with the Pelicans as a salary-matching piece, was unlikely to play at all this season for the Bulls. Still, Chicago’s decision to release him over the weekend in order to sign Shaquille Harrison was “stunning” to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), who referred to Asik’s contract one of the best trade pieces in the league.

Of course, Asik didn’t have trade value in the way that star players have trade value, but his contract was an intriguing potential trade chip for a couple reasons: It was signed under the league’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, and he was owed a partial guarantee of just $3MM on his $11.98MM salary for 2019/20.

Under the league’s new CBA, a team trading a player with an $11.98MM salary with a $3MM partial guarantee would only get to count that contract for $3MM for salary-matching purposes, limiting its appeal in a potential deal. However, if that same contract was signed under the old CBA – like Asik’s – it counts for its full $11.98MM for salary-matching purposes. That would have made it appealing to teams looking to cut costs during the summer of 2019.

For instance, let’s say that the Knicks wanted to make a run at Kevin Durant in the summer of 2019 and needed to move as much salary as possible to clear a maximum-salary slot. Cap rules would have allowed Chicago and New York to swap Courtney Lee (who has a $12.76MM salary for 2019/20) straight up for Asik. The Knicks then could’ve waived Asik, stretching his $3MM partial guarantee across three years and leaving just $1MM on their cap.

The Bulls might not have wanted Lee, and more parts may have been required to make such a deal acceptable for both sides, but that’s just one example of how Asik’s modest partial guarantee – and his old contract – provided some value. That $11.98MM cap hit could be useful for salary matching in all variations of trades and wasn’t a negative asset since it wasn’t guaranteed.

By comparison, a player like Avery Bradley has a contract structure similar to Asik’s for next season ($2MM partial guarantee on a $12.96MM salary), but signed his deal under the league’s current CBA. If the Clippers wanted to trade Bradley after the season, he’d only count for $2MM for salary-matching purposes rather than $12.96MM, making a deal tricky.

It’s possible that Chicago wouldn’t have found any use for Asik on the trade market next summer, especially since the team may be far enough below the cap to take on contracts in trades without matching salaries. Harrison will also certainly help the club more in the short term, and the Bulls may eventually be able to remove Asik’s contract from their cap altogether if he’s deemed medically ineligible to continue his career. Still, it’s somewhat surprising that the team didn’t wait a little longer before deciding to cut bait on him.

With Asik no longer under contract, there are just two notable players who signed contracts under the old CBA and have partial guarantees for next season — one is Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith ($3.87MM guarantee on $15.86MM salary) and the other is Suns forward Ryan Anderson ($15.64MM guarantee on $21.26MM salary). If either of those players is dealt during the summer of 2019, he’d count for his full salary for trade purposes, rather than just his guarantee amount.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2019/20 Rookie Option Decisions Due In One Week

October 24th, 2018 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Unlike player and team options on veteran contracts, which generally have to be exercised or declined by the end of June, rookie scale contracts include third- and fourth-year options that teams must decide on a year early. The deadline for those decisions is October 31, which means that clubs have one more week to pick up or turn down those rookie scale options for the 2019/20 season.

While several teams have already announced their rookie scale option decisions for 2019/20, there are 14 clubs that will need to decide one way or the other on those options within the next week.

Below, we’ve listed the outstanding rookie scale option decisions for 2019/20, sorting them by their likelihood of being exercised. The first list features options that are certain to be exercised, such as Ben Simmons‘ or Jayson Tatum‘s. The second list features the rest of the options, which may still be picked up, but aren’t necessarily locks.

Let’s dive in…

Locks to be exercised:

Markelle Fultz, 76ers (third year, $9,745,200)
Ben Simmons, 76ers (fourth year, $8,113,930)
Dario Saric, 76ers (fourth year, $3,481,986)
Kris Dunn, Bulls (fourth year, $5,348,007)
Lauri Markkanen, Bulls (third year, $5,300,400)
Denzel Valentine, Bulls (fourth year, $3,377,569)
Ante Zizic, Cavaliers (third year, $2,281,800)
Jayson Tatum, Celtics (third year, $7,830,000)
Jaylen Brown, Celtics (fourth year, $6,534,829)
Malik Monk, Hornets (third year, $4,028,400)
De’Aaron Fox, Kings (third year, $6,392,760)
Buddy Hield, Kings (fourth year, $4,861,208)
Justin Jackson, Kings (third year, $3,280,920)
Harry Giles, Kings (third year, $2,578,800)
Jamal Murray, Nuggets (fourth year, $4,444,746)
Juan Hernangomez, Nuggets (fourth year, $3,321,030)
Luke Kennard, Pistons (third year, $3,827,160)
Pascal Siakam, Raptors (fourth year, $2,351,839)
OG Anunoby, Raptors (third year, $2,281,800)

Not necessarily locks to be exercised:

Furkan Korkmaz, 76ers (third year, $2,033,160)
Thon Maker, Bucks (fourth year, $3,569,643)
D.J. Wilson, Bucks (third year, $2,961,120)
Guerschon Yabusele, Celtics (third year, $3,117,240)
Skal Labissiere, Kings (fourth year, $2,338,847)
Malik Beasley, Nuggets (fourth year, $2,731,714)
Tyler Lydon, Nuggets (third year, $2,190,720)
Henry Ellenson, Pistons (fourth year, $2,856,804)
Malachi Richardson, Raptors (fourth year, $2,581,597)
Marquese Chriss, Rockets (fourth year, $4,078,236)
Dragan Bender, Suns (fourth year, $5,896,519)
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Thunder (fourth year, $2,529,684)
Terrance Ferguson, Thunder (third year, $2,475,840)
Justin Patton, Timberwolves (third year, $3,117,240)
Damian Jones, Warriors (fourth year, $2,305,057)

Because rookie scale salaries are typically so affordable, many of the options that we don’t view as locks to be picked up will still be exercised. For instance, even if Labissiere barely has a role in the Kings’ crowded frontcourt at the moment, Sacramento doesn’t have much guaranteed money on its books for 2019/20 and may view a $2,338,847 cap hit for the big man as a worthwhile investment.

Still, many of the players in that second list don’t currently have sizable rotation roles, so teams will have to decide whether it’s worth it to continue trying to develop those players in 2019/20, or if it makes more sense to simply replace them with minimum-salary veterans. That could be an especially tricky question for teams that project to be over the luxury tax line next season — in those cases, every saved dollar matters.

For a full list of the rookie scale options for 2019/20, including the ones that have already been picked up, check out our tracker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jamal Crawford Eases Into Rotation

October 22nd, 2018 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers forward Brandon Ingram felt he got off easy after receiving a four-game suspension for instigating a fight between his team and the Rockets on Saturday night, he told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Dave McMenamin and other media members. Ingram received the longest suspension doled out by the league but he thought it could be worse. Teammate Rajon Rondo and Houston’s Chris Paul also received suspensions. “Well, it was better than we expected,” Ingram said. “I’m happy it’s only four but I know I got to control my emotions a little better.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Veteran guard Jamal Crawford took only two shots in his Suns debut Saturday and that was by design, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Crawford joined Phoenix on a one-year contract just before the season opener. “Missing training camp, missing preseason, you don’t want to come in and be ultra-aggressive,” he said. “You have a new team, you have a new coach and learning a new system so you don’t want to come and try to step on anybody’s toes. I’m sure the scoring part will come, but for me, I’m just trying to make the right play.”
Iman Shumpert feels a sense of satisfaction being back in uniform this season, according to Noel Harris of the Sacramento Bee. He was dealt to Sacramento by the Cavaliers at February’s trade deadline but didn’t suit up due to plantar fasciitis. He was bothered by a calf injury in training camp but was able to return for a preseason game. He then scored a team-best 26 points in the Kings’ first regular-season win over the Thunder. “Being able to play that preseason game, that was a different type of happiness for me after sitting out a year,” Shumpert said. “I joke around about it a lot, but I’m serious as a heart attack when I say it: I don’t wish that on anybody, not being able to play.” Shumpert needs to continue to produce, as he’ll enter the free agent market after making $11MM this season.
Doc Rivers doesn’t think he’d still be coaching the Clippers if the former star trio of Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had remained with the team, as he told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “I needed the change. I wouldn’t have done this with the same group. I wouldn’t be here probably,” Rivers said. “We just needed change. We needed it and we just had to do it. We had to come to the conclusion we weren’t going to win.”

Booker Happy To Have Crawford As Teammate

October 22nd, 2018 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Devin Booker is thrilled that the Suns were able to add Jamal Crawford, according to Cody Cunningham of NBA.com. Phoenix signed the former Sixth Man of the Year last week to help stabilize its backcourt. “Somebody that I idolized growing up,” Booker said of Crawford. “People just all see his handles, but he’s a player… He’s a good veteran, good guy. He loves basketball. So I think we’ll relate very well.”

Josh Jackson Capitalizing On Improved Jumper

October 21st, 2018 at 4:03pm CST by JD Shaw

Suns forward Josh Jackson has improved his three-point shooting, altering his overall offensive attack as a result, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic notes. “It feels really good to see the shot go in,” Jackson said. “A lot of times, the defense, they don’t really know if you’ve improved until you prove yourself.”

2018 Offseason In Review: Phoenix Suns

October 19th, 2018 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Phoenix Suns.

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Trevor Ariza: One year, $15MM. Signed using cap space.
- Jamal Crawford: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Two-way contracts:
- None
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Isaiah Canaan: One year, minimum salary.

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Mikal Bridges (No. 10 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for the draft rights to Zhaire Smith (No. 16 pick) and the Heat’s 2021 first-round pick (unprotected).
Acquired Darrell Arthur from the Nets in exchange for Jared Dudley and the Suns’ 2021 second-round pick (top-35 protected).
- Note: Arthur was later waived.
Acquired Richaun Holmes from the Sixers in exchange for cash ($1MM).
Acquired Ryan Anderson and the draft rights to De’Anthony Melton (No. 46 pick) from the Rockets in exchange for Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss.

Draft picks:

1-1: Deandre Ayton — Signed to rookie contract.
1-10: Mikal Bridges — Signed to rookie contract.
2-31: Elie Okobo — Signed to four-year, $6.12MM contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
2-46: De’Anthony Melton — Signed to two-year, $2.37MM contract. Fully guaranteed. Signed using room exception.
2-59: George King — Signed to two-way contract.

Extensions:

Devin Booker — Signed five-year, maximum salary rookie scale extension. Starts at 25% of the cap. Projected value of $158.05MM. Starts in 2019/20.
- Note: Starting salary will be worth 27.5% of the cap if Booker makes All-NBA Third Team, 28.5% for Second Team, and 30% for Third Team.

Departing players:

Marquese Chriss
Jared Dudley
Shaquille Harrison (waived)
Danuel House (two-way)
Brandon Knight
Alex Len
Elfrid Payton
Alec Peters (two-way)
Davon Reed (waived)
Tyler Ulis (waived)
Alan Williams (waived)

Other offseason news:

Hired Igor Kokoskov as head coach to replace Jay Triano.
Fired GM Ryan McDonough and other front office executives; James Jones and Trevor Bukstein serving as interim co-GMs.
Exercised 2019/20 team option on Josh Jackson.
Ryan Anderson agreed to reduce 2019/20 guarantee.
Reached jersey sponsorship deal with PayPal.

Salary cap situation:

Used cap space; now over the cap.
Carrying approximately $105.5MM in salary.
$3.5MM of room exception still available ($949K used on De’Anthony Melton).

Check out the Phoenix Suns’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Devin Booker is still around. In fact, Booker signed a rookie scale max five-year extension this summer, which will make him a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

Beyond Booker and his sweet shooting stroke, the Suns look a whole lot different than they did last season. In fact, Phoenix had the biggest roster turnover of any team this offseason.

The Suns made some history in May by hiring Igor Koskokov, the first European-born head coach in NBA history. Koskokov spent 18 years in the league, most recently with the Jazz, before finally getting his big chance.

Draft night was guaranteed to be a pivotal moment in franchise history since the Suns had the top pick. They opted for center Deandre Ayton, who got his NBA career rolling with an 18-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist performance in his regular-season debut. Ayton could quickly develop into the one of the league’s premier big men, which would give the Suns a formidable inside-outside duo.

They swung a deal for another lottery pick, No. 10 selection Mikal Bridges, whom they project as their long-term solution at small forward. In the interim, Phoenix made a splash by signing Trevor Ariza to a one-year, $15MM contract.

Ariza’s contributions as a leader and winner will have a greater long-term impact than anything he does on the court this season. A sage, respected voice was needed in the locker room and they met Ariza’s price to provide it.

Ariza gave up a chance to play for a contender but he can re-enter the market next summer after cashing some big checks. He’ll put up some big numbers along the way and provide his usual solid defense, something the coaching staff can point out in the film room to the younger players.

Perhaps the most surprising personnel moves were made by owner Robert Sarver. During the latter stages of training camp, Sarver abruptly fired GM Ryan McDonough and several other executives. Typically, these types of decisions come right after a disappointing season rather than October in order to let the new regime shape the franchise as it sees fit. McDonough wasn’t going to win any popularity contests but the decisions he made this summer before clearing out his office will be felt for many years.

Key offseason losses:

Marquese Chriss was supposed to be the Suns’ starting power forward by now. Instead, the Suns gave up on him at the tender age of 21 by shipping him to the Rockets. With ample playing time available last season, Chriss actually regressed in his sophomore campaign, as his scoring average dropped from 9.2 PPG to 7.7 in comparable minutes. He graded out 76th among qualified power forwards in ESPN’s player efficiency rating.

Brandon Knight missed all of last season with a knee injury but he was expected to start at the point until McDonough shipped him with Chriss in the trade with Houston.

Journeyman forward Jared Dudley saw action in 48 games last season but didn’t have a future in Phoenix. He was shipped to the Nets in order to acquire a future second-rounder.

Point guard Elfrid Payton started 19 games last season after he was acquired from Orlando. Payton averaged 11.8 PPG and 6.2 APG but the Suns’ brass wasn’t convinced he was the answer at that spot and opted to let him walk in free agency.

Alex Len appeared in 69 games, including 13 starts, last season and posted averages of 8.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Len doesn’t fit the mold of an athletic, floor-stretching big man. Even if the Suns hadn’t drafted Ayton, they weren’t particularly interested in keeping Len around when he became a free agent.

Key offseason additions:

Beyond Ayton, Bridges and Ariza, the Suns made a few other significant changes to the roster.

Interim GM James Jones courted veteran guard Jamal Crawford on the eve of the regular season and convinced him to take a minimum-salary deal. It was a curious move by Crawford, who declined a $4.5MM player option with the Timberwolves to enter the market. He drew interest from some contenders but instead he’ll serve as a mentor and key reserve for Phoenix. Crawford averaged 10.3 PPG in 80 games with Minnesota.

Power forward Ryan Anderson saw his playing time steadily decline with the Rockets during the second year of a four-year, $80MM contract. Anderson was willing to reduce some of his guaranteed pay in order to get a fresh start with Phoenix. He’ll provide outside shooting to complement Ayton’s inside prowess.

Isaiah Canaan re-signed with the Suns. He joined in mid-December last season and appeared in 19 games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He was subsequently waived but did his rehab with the team’s training staff. He emerged, at least in the short term, as the team’s starting point guard during training camp.

Outlook for 2018/19:

The Suns certainly won’t be an overnight sensation. They have a gaping hole at the point and their power forward spot remains in flux after some bad draft decisions by the previous regime. Phoenix will take its lumps but at least it appears to have moved out of tank mode.

The presence of quality veterans Ariza and Crawford will make them more competitive but if they don’t finish last in the Pacific Division, it will only be a product of the Kings being even worse. The long-term picture is considerably brighter. Ayton and Booker give them All-Star level pieces to build around.

Ayton could easily justify his status as the top pick by winning the Rookie of the Year award. He’ll make the team a lot more fun to watch, even if the win-loss record won’t change a great deal.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

G League Notes: Moreland, Select Contracts, Harrison, Draft

October 19th, 2018 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Several NBA teams secured returning rights for players who were in camp with them but failed to make the 15-man roster. Raptors 905 acquired center Eric Moreland from the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s affiliate, for forward Kyle Wiltjer, according to a G League release. The Raptors waived Moreland a week ago. Raptors 905 pulled off a similar deal with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ affiliate, to acquire guard Kyle Collinsworth, who was waived at the same time as Moreland. Texas acquired the returning player rights to forwards C.J. Leslie and Kennedy Meeks, according to a G League release. The Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers’ affiliate, gained the returning player rights of forward Cory Jefferson in a three-team swap with the Agua Caliente Clippers and the Legends, according to another G League post. The Sixers waived Jefferson on October 13th.

We have more from the G League:

The league is putting together a “working group” that will determine which players are eligible for select contracts, G League president Malcolm Turner said in a Q&A session posting on the league’s website. “That group will be charged with identifying appropriate, eligible, elite talent, not only in terms of on-court performance and potential, but also in terms overall readiness for the G League. In addition to identification, that working group will really help us monitor the rollout and execution of this professional path … that working group will be charged with developing its own framework and lens for eligible players.” Beginning next year, the G League will offer “select contracts” worth $125K to top prospects who are at least 18 years old but aren’t yet eligible for the NBA draft.
Numerous NBA and G league executives, coaches, agents and players feel the select contract concept is intriguing, but there is widespread skepticism how much appeal the program will have to top-level prospects and how it will be implemented. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic takes a deep dive into the topic in a lengthy analysis piece.
The Arizona Suns traded away the returning player rights of Shaquille Harrison to the Memphis Hustle in a deal involving four players and a draft pick, according to another G League release. Harrison was the odd man out in the Suns’ point guard competition, as he was waived early this week. It was still somewhat surprising they traded away his rights. The Grizzlies gave themselves a little extra depth at the G League level as protection against another Mike Conley injury.
NBA veterans such as Willie Reed, Hakim Warrick, DeJuan Blair, and Arnett Moultrie could be among the higher selections in the annual G League draft, which takes place on Saturday, Adam Johnson of 2Ways10Days.com reports. The Salt Lake City Stars own the top pick.