Suns Notes: Goodwin, Williams, Trade Speculation
Although he has always been a tenacious defender and rebounder for a guard, Jordan Goodwin struggled offensively for most of his first three NBA seasons, connecting on just 45.8% of his two-point attempts and 30.2% of his three-pointers over that span.
However, as Gerald Bourguet details for Sports360AZ.com, Goodwin flashed improvement with his outside shot as a Laker last season and then had a career year with the Suns in 2025/26 ahead of unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old combo guard knocked down 37.1% of 4.3 three-point tries per contest this season en route to averaging 8.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 22.5 minutes per game across 70 appearances.
Goodwin, who embodies Phoenix’s new hustle-and-defense ethos, still struggles to convert non-threes, Bourguet writes, but the fact that he was able to be a threat from long distance is the main reason he should be in line for a raise this summer. The question is, how much of a pay increase will Goodwin command?
Bourguet considers that question, noting that Goodwin was an integral part of the Suns’ identity and they want to retain him, but he may be a secondary priority behind Collin Gillespie. Bourguets projects a floor for Goodwin starting at the bi-annual exception ($11.23MM over two years) and a ceiling in the range of $7-9MM over three or four years.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- There have been rumblings that starting center Mark Williams, who will be a restricted free agent if he’s given a qualifying offer, may not be a lock to return in 2026/27. The former first-round pick had an uneven first season with the Suns after they traded for him last June, and they’re going to be over the luxury tax line if they re-sign Gillespie and Goodwin to market-value deals. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Phoenix is considering three options with Williams: Re-signing him if it’s a team-friendly deal; pursuing a sign-and-trade if he wants too much money; or letting him walk in free agency.
- Gambadoro previously reported that Phoenix isn’t interested in trying to pursue a trade for Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon. Appearing on Bourguet’s Suns After Dark podcast, Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron says he likes the idea of Gordon’s fit with the Suns, but says a deal would likely be too costly for them given what it might take to acquire him (Twitter video link).
- Bourguet shot down any suggestion that the Suns might be involved in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo or Ja Morant, writing that a source called any speculation on that front “complete nonsense” (Twitter link).
Sixers Notes: Morey, McCain, Trade Deadline, Embiid, Front Office Candidates
Daryl Morey’s post-trade assessment that “we sold high” when he sent Jared McCain to Oklahoma City in February continues to be mocked in Philadelphia, writes Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice. While Jake Fischer has reported that trade wasn’t the “proverbial last straw” for Morey in Philadelphia, the deal – combined with the failure to get another player to replace McCain in the rotation – may have factored into the executive’s dismissal this week as the Sixers‘ president of basketball operations.
The only return in that deal with the Thunder was a first-round pick originally belonging to Houston that wound up at No. 22 in this year’s draft. McCain’s roster spot was given to Cameron Payne, who had been playing in Serbia, but he was waived after suffering a hamstring strain in the final week of the season. Two-way player Dalen Terry was promoted to take his place and saw minimal playing time in the postseason.
Morey approached the deadline looking for “cost-effective role players with multiple years of control,” a source tells Aaronson, and his top target was Thunder shooting guard Aaron Wiggins. Morey was hoping to land Wiggins as part of the McCain deal, but Philadelphia would have needed to include multiple other players to make the trade work. OKC held onto Wiggins, and Aaronson notes that McCain has played a role in pushing him out of the Thunder’s rotation.
Aaronson also hears that Morey offered multiple second-round picks to the Bulls for Jalen Smith, but Chicago opted to keep him. Two other prime targets were Rockets forward Tari Eason and Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey, who both remained with their teams through the deadline. Aaronson’s source said the Sixers made attempts to land the Mavericks‘ Naji Marshall, the Timberwolves‘ Donte DiVincenzo, the Warriors‘ Brandin Podziemski and the Suns‘ Ryan Dunn as well. None of those players wound up being traded.
Morey liked the potential fit of Ayo Dosunmu, who has been a valuable contributor in Minnesota’s playoff run, according to Aaronson’s source, but didn’t prioritize him because of his expiring contract. Aaronson reports that the team also had some interest in Vit Krejci, who was sent from Atlanta to Portland four days prior to the deadline in exchange for two second-round picks. Philadelphia had numerous second-rounders to offer, but Morey reportedly didn’t want to commit to a deal with so much time remaining before the deadline.
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Morey’s relationship with star center Joel Embiid appeared to deteriorate throughout the season, Aaronson adds. Embiid expressed displeasure with management at the trade deadline and again when he was held out of a game in early April, and he refused to comment directly on Morey when asked about their relationship during the playoffs.
- Bob Myers, who will be leading the search to replace Morey, could probably have the job if he tells managing partner Josh Harris that he wants it, Aaronson suggests in a separate story. If Myers opts to remain in his current role as president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Aaronson identifies a few other candidates, including Elton Brand, who served as Morey’s top assistant, and Vince Rozman, who spent 16 years with the organization before joining OKC’s front office in 2022. Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey and Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, who were both finalists to run Chicago’s front office, are also on the list, along with Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep, Celtics assistant GM Dave Lewin and prominent agents Austin Brown and Alex Saratsis.
- In a mailbag column, Aaronson examines some options for the Sixers in free agency and explains why the team shouldn’t try to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
2026 NBA Draft Picks By Team
The Bulls, who pivoted to rebuilding mode after being eliminated in the play-in tournament in three straight years from 2023-25, and the Spurs, who went from 34 wins a year ago to 62 this season, appear headed in opposite directions. But the two organizations do have one thing in common — they’re the only two teams in the NBA who control more than three picks in this year’s draft.
Chicago, which moved up to No. 4 as a result of Sunday’s draft lottery, also controls the 15th, 38th, and 56th picks. San Antonio has just one first-rounder at No. 20, but its other three picks – Nos. 35, 42, and 44 – are in the top half of the second round.
Besides the Spurs and Bulls, nine other teams own more than the typical two picks, and several of those clubs have at least one top-10 selection. The Wizards, Grizzlies, Clippers, Nets, Kings, Hawks, and Mavericks each have three selections, including one in the top nine. The Thunder and Knicks are the other two clubs who control three 2026 picks.
Those 11 teams own a combined 35 picks in June’s draft, while eight others control two apiece and nine more have one each. That means there are just two teams without a pick this year: the Pacers and Trail Blazers. Both teams had protected first-rounders, but Portland sacrificed its lottery-protected pick when it earned a playoff spot, while Indiana had a worst possible outcome in the lottery, as its top-four protected pick fell to No. 5.
To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2026 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…
Teams with more than two picks:
- Chicago Bulls (4): 4, 15, 38, 56
- San Antonio Spurs (4): 20, 35, 42, 44
- Washington Wizards (3): 1, 51, 60
- Memphis Grizzlies (3): 3, 16, 32
- Los Angeles Clippers (3): 5, 36, 52
- Brooklyn Nets (3): 6, 33, 43
- Sacramento Kings (3): 7, 34, 45
- Atlanta Hawks (3): 8, 23, 57
- Dallas Mavericks (3): 9, 30, 48
- Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 12, 17, 37
- New York Knicks (3): 24, 31, 55
Teams with two picks:
- Golden State Warriors: 11, 54
- Miami Heat: 13, 41
- Charlotte Hornets: 14, 18
- Toronto Raptors: 19, 50
- Denver Nuggets: 26, 49
- Boston Celtics: 27, 40
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 28, 59
- Houston Rockets: 39, 53
Teams with one pick:
- Utah Jazz: 2
- Milwaukee Bucks: 10
- Detroit Pistons: 21
- Philadelphia 76ers: 22
- Los Angeles Lakers: 25
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 29
- Orlando Magic: 46
- Phoenix Suns: 47
- New Orleans Pelicans: 58
Teams with no picks:
- Indiana Pacers
- Portland Trail Blazers
Former NBA Forward P.J. Tucker Announces Retirement
Longtime NBA forward P.J. Tucker has retired as a player, he announced on social media (Instagram link).
After three college seasons at Texas, Tucker was selected 35th overall in the 2006 NBA draft. He spent his rookie season in Toronto, the team that drafted him, but only played 83 total minutes over 17 games with the Raptors before he was cut in March of 2007.
Tucker played five years overseas prior to rejoining the NBA with the Suns in 2012/13. The 6’5″ combo forward spent four-plus seasons with Phoenix before to being sent back to Toronto ahead of the 2017 trade deadline. He signed with the Rockets that year in free agency, and proceeded to spend parts of four seasons with Houston, which sent him to Milwaukee ahead of the 2021 deadline.
Tucker helped the Bucks win their first championship in 50 years in 2020/21. He spent the following three seasons with the Heat, Sixers and Clippers, and was under contract but away from Los Angeles for most of 2024/25 until he was traded to Utah and then Toronto last February.
After being waived by the Raptors at the end of February 2025, Tucker signed with the Knicks. The North Carolina native barely played for New York, which advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. The Knicks declined their team option on Tucker last summer, and he has been a free agent ever since.
Tucker, who turned 41 years old two days ago, holds career averages of 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.2 minutes per game across 886 regular season appearances, 667 of which were starts. His career shooting slash line was .425/.366/.750.
The 14-year veteran was mostly known for being a solid defender who could guard multiple positions. Tucker was strong, tough and made lots of winning effort plays that don’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet.
Pacific Notes: Reaves, Gillespie, Suns, Gordon, Green
Lakers guard Austin Reaves converted just 3-of-16 shots from the floor for eight points in Game 1 vs. Oklahoma City on Tuesday, dropping his postseason shooting percentage to 30.4%. While Reaves may still be shaking off some rust after missing about four weeks due to an oblique strain, he isn’t about to use that as an excuse for his struggles, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“I mean, nobody cares about that,” Reaves said. “I got to go out there and play better.”
LeBron James was more willing to point to Reaves’ lengthy layoff as a reason why the fifth-year guard isn’t exactly in rhythm, telling reporters, “His presence alone helps us no matter what.” Still, as Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, with Luka Doncic out, the Lakers will need more from Reaves if they hope to seriously compete with the defending champions in this series.
The timing of the slump also isn’t great from an individual perspective for Reaves, who is expected to decline a $14.9MM player option next month to become a free agent. If he’s not able to bounce back with some big games, it may raise some questions about whether he’s worthy of a massive long-term investment, Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times contends. However, the Lakers still love Reaves and all that he brings to the table, says Amick, adding that “all signs” point to the team making re-signing him a top priority this offseason.
Here are a few more items from around the Pacific:
- Gerald Bourguet of Sports360AZ.com considers what kind of contract it would take for the Suns to re-sign breakout guard Collin Gillespie, suggesting that something similar to T.J. McConnell‘s current deal (which is worth $45MM over four years) might make sense for both sides. Using Gillespie’s Early Bird rights, Phoenix could go as high as roughly $67MM over four seasons, but Bourguet is skeptical that the 26-year-old will get that full amount.
- While it’s possible that the Nuggets will explore the possibility of trading forward Aaron Gordon this summer, don’t expect the Suns to be interested, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who suggests (via Twitter) that it should be safe to rule out Phoenix as a landing spot for Gordon due to the forward’s concerning injury history.
- Warriors forward Draymond Green briefly addressed his future during an appearance on Inside The NBA on Wednesday, indicating that he can’t picture himself wearing another uniform as long as Golden State wants to keep him, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). According to Spears, Green conveyed a similar message to him recently,
Suns Notes: Offseason, Free Agents, Rookies, Ishbia
Within his Suns offseason preview at the Third Apron (Substack link), Yossi Gozlan writes that Phoenix should “seriously consider” reconstructing its roster by trading its top players — including Devin Booker — to acquire draft picks.
As Gozlan explains, the Suns far exceeded external expectations by winning 45 games in 2025/26, ultimately advancing to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. However, he thinks the current roster is “likely at its ceiling,” which is why he advocates for a tear-down.
Despite being something of a feel-good story this season, the Suns still have a relatively bleak long-term outlook, according to Gozlan, because they have so few valuable assets and an unenviable cap situation. In no small part because of the dead money owed to Bradley Beal, Phoenix will have to dump salary to avoid the luxury tax just to try and re-sign some of its own free agents, a group that includes Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams.
Gozlan acknowledges the team appears unlikely to trade Booker and other veterans like Dillon Brooks, but says there’s a good chance that both of those players’ values could be at high points right now, and moving off Booker’s salary in particular would create far more financial flexibility going forward.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- In a story breaking down each player’s role and contract situation ahead of 2026/27, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscription required) reports that the Suns and Gillespie are already discussing a new contract, and hears the 26-year-old point guard could sign a deal worth $40MM over four years. As for starting center Williams, who will be a restricted free agent if he’s given a $9.6MM qualifying offer, Rankin suggests he’s not a lock to return next season. For what it’s worth, Gozlan viewed Williams as a sign-and-trade candidate, pointing to the Bulls as a team that could make sense as a suitor.
- It will be an important offseason for Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea, who just finished their rookie campaigns, Rankin states in another article (subscriber link). Maluach could become Phoenix’s starting center next season if the team decides not to retain Williams, while Fleming has a chance to become the starting power forward if he can improve some of his weaknesses, Rankin writes. As for Brea, who spent this season on a two-way deal, he’ll have to take significant strides forward if he wants to crack the rotation in ’26/27.
- In an exclusive interview with Rankin (subscription required), owner Mat Ishbia acknowledges other teams will have interest in the aforementioned free agent trio, but says the team would like to retain them and the feeling is mutual. He also stands behind the decision to trade Kevin Durant to Houston last year. “We knew we had to do it, to make the trade. We knew we were going to make the trade. What we had to do is make sure we got the right things that were aligned with our identity,” Ishbia told Rankin. “We look at it, we got four guys. We got Dillon, Jalen (Green), Khaman and Rasheer because we used those picks to get the 31st pick (in the second round). Those players, could they all start next year, could they start the year after? Those are all four great players. So we feel great about what we did. … I think we did a very good job with it. You look at it now, it turned out to be a great trade for us. Not everyone said that the day we did it, but it turned out to be a fantastic trade for us and a huge part of our resetting our identity with those guys and building for the future as well.”
Suns’ Ishbia, Gregory Discuss 2025/26, Offseason, More
The Suns have made major changes each of the past three offseasons under owner Mat Ishbia. However, unlike last year, when Ishbia’s buzzword was “alignment,” he was preaching “continuity” at Thursday’s end-of-season media availability, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic.
Phoenix exceeded external expectations in 2025/26, winning 45 games and making the playoffs one year after finishing 36-46 with the most expensive roster in the league. The Suns were only projected to win 31.5 games entering the season, and they were swept in the first round by Oklahoma City, Ishbia viewed ’25/26 as a building block for the future.
“Can we win more games?” he said. “Can we win a playoff series? That’s what we’re going to focus on. … I like the culture that we’ve built. We’re not going to do anything silly to mess that up.”
Player development was another talking point for both Ishbia and general manager Brian Gregory, who replaced James Jones last year, Haller notes.
“We have a young, ascending team,” Ishbia said. “Where in years past we had players that were maybe on the decline, we have players that are getting better, and they’re going to continue to get better.”
“This is an ongoing process for sure,” Gregory said (subscriber-only story via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “Mat talked about it. Our continuity, our development, our internal development is so critical for us right now and that’s just the players and we’re going to demand the best out of them.”
Here’s more from Ishbia and Gregory:
- According to Haller, Gregory is confident Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green will look better together in ’26/27 after injuries limited their opportunities to share the court this season. “One hundred percent,” the GM said. “You’re talking about three guys who are driven to become better, to do what is asked of them and help the team be successful to win. When you have that baseline, it puts you in a pretty effective spot to move forward.”
- Gregory spoke in general terms about the team’s approach to the offseason, according to Rankin. “Where are the gaps we need to fill?” Gregory said. “You can’t fill them all to the top, but what are the critical ones that we have control over? Does that mean tighten up systems, schemes, or whatever the case might be? Was there one thing that led to the other that if you eliminate the first, now you can get better at the second? All those things are done at this time and if it has to be a personnel issue, then we’ll have to address it at that time, but a lot of times, you see dramatic improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 simply because of the understanding and the ability to execute automatically where it comes who we are every single day.”
- Gregory mentioned the Suns plan to have their players back in the gym in a couple weeks rather than taking extended time off, Rankin writes. Gregory also praised the roster for buying into the team’s identity of “grit, toughness and unselfishness” while stressing that maintaining that culture is an ongoing process.
- Ishbia, who lauded head coach Jordan Ott‘s work ethic, stressed the team isn’t satisfied despite the positive steps that were taken this season. “I’m really proud of where we are and hopefully you realize that although I’m proud of where we are, we have a long way to go to where we’re going,” Ishbia said, per Rankin. “I’ve got the right people and the right vision and the right organization here with me and we’re going to do it together.”
- In case you missed it, we passed along several more items of interest from Phoenix in the past few days. You can find those stories here and here.
Suns Rumors: Brooks, Gillespie, Goodwin, Williams, Booker, Izzo
The Suns are interesting in signing forward Dillon Brooks to a contract extension this offseason, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Brooks, who will be entering the final year of his current deal, would be eligible to sign for up to four years and a little over $125MM.
However, the Suns are unlikely to go all the way up to that maximum for Brooks, according to Fischer, who explains that the team is cognizant of the fact that a new deal would begin in the Canadian’s age-32 season. And while Brooks averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game in 2025/26, his efficiency was “spotty” and his scoring average was buoyed by the fact that Jalen Green missed significant time due to injury, Fischer notes.
For his part, Brooks sounds enthusiastic about sticking with the Suns, expressing at the end of the season that he wants to “run it back” with his teammates and is optimistic about the club taking another step forward next year, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
“I’m just happy that (Suns general manager Brian Gregory) and the Suns traded for me and believed in me and understood how I work,” Brooks said. “And what I can do for the team and just let me go and be myself and I’m happy for that.”
Phoenix will also be facing a handful of free agent decisions this summer, and John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links) expects the team’s top two priorities on that front to be re-signing guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Addressing readers’ inquiries about how Mark Williams fits into the Suns’ offseason plans, Gambadoro followed up to clarify that he believes the front office wants to retain the restricted free agent center as well, but that it may be behind new deals for Gillespie and Goodwin on the club’s to-do list.
We have more on the Suns:
- Speaking to the media on Thursday, Suns owner Mat Ishbia sought to shut down any potential offseason Devin Booker trade rumors before they begin, as Rankin relays (Twitter video link). “Devin Booker’s our franchise player,” Ishbia said. “I love Devin Booker. Devin Booker loves to be here. Our coach loves Devin Booker. Our GM loves Devin Booker. Devin Booker’s going to be here. Devin Booker’s going to lead us to a championship here in Phoenix, that’s what he’s going to do. … The national media just says stuff to say stuff sometimes. Sometimes I like to respond and sometimes I don’t, because it’s just ridiculous, but Devin Booker’s not getting traded.”
- Ishbia also said during today’s presser that the comments Tom Izzo made about the Suns’ coaching job several weeks ago were “misunderstood” (Twitter video link via Rankin). Izzo suggested during a TV interview that he was offered Phoenix’s head coaching position in 2025 before the team hired Jordan Ott, but Ishbia disputed that claim while noting that he talks to the longtime Michigan State coach “about everything, all the time.”
- Within a breakdown of Phoenix’s upcoming offseason for The Arizona Republic, Rankin writes that upgrading at power forward should be one of the front office’s primary goals in the coming months after the team ranked 27th in defensive rebounding rate in 2025/26. Rankin also wonders if the Suns will remain comfortable moving forward without a true point guard after only getting a look at the Booker/Green duo for 27 games together.
Fischer’s Latest: Snyder, McCollum, Kennard, Bulls, Morant
After leading the Hawks on a 19-5 run to close out the season after the team traded away star point guard Trae Young, head coach Quin Snyder is believed to have “strong” front office support for a new contract, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who notes that Snyder has one more year left on his current deal. Extension talks between Snyder and the Hawks are expected to happen soon after the team’s season ends, Fischer adds.
CJ McCollum, who will be an unrestricted free agent, was identified as a possible extension candidate shortly after he was acquired by Atlanta in January. Nothing that has happened since then has changed that, with Fischer suggesting there’s mutual interest between the veteran guard and the Hawks in working out a new deal this summer.
Here are a few more rumors from around the NBA, via Fischer:
- Although the Lakers could have a significant amount of cap room this summer, that will depend in large part on what happens with their own free agents. It remains to be seen whether LeBron James will be back, but Austin Reaves will almost certainly require a lucrative new deal, and according to Fischer, sharpshooter Luke Kennard is increasingly viewed as a player Los Angeles would like to re-sign. Kennard will only have Non-Bird rights, which would allow the Lakers to offer a starting salary worth up to $13.2MM (120% of his current $11MM salary), though they could theoretically go higher than that using cap room or – if they operate as an over-the-cap team – the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Restricted free agent centers like Jalen Duren of the Pistons, Walker Kessler of the Jazz, and Mark Williams of the Suns are expected to try to generate interest from Chicago, Fischer reports. As he explains, the Bulls project to have the most cap room of any NBA team, so they have the means to make a big-money offer to an RFA center — the threat of an offer sheet could be the best way for a player like Duren, Kessler, or Williams to gain leverage and maximize his earnings, either with his current team or an outside suitor like Chicago.
- The Jazz aren’t viewed as a plausible landing spot for Ja Morant this offseason, so don’t expect him to reunite with his former Grizzlies teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., Fischer writes. However, Fischer has heard “predictive murmurs” that the trade market for Morant should be more active in the summer than it was in February, when league-wide interest in the star guard was “extremely minimal.”
Suns Notes: Ott, Booker, Gillespie, Offseason, Lawsuit
The Suns became the first of this year’s 16 playoff teams to be eliminated from the postseason, falling at home on Monday as the defending champion Thunder completed a four-game sweep. It was the third straight conference quarterfinal sweep for Oklahoma City, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who notes that the team is 12-0 in first-round games under head coach Mark Daigneault.
How should the Suns feel about their season? As Doug Haller of The Athletic writes, the team lost momentum in the second half, posting a record of 16-23 after February 1 (including play-in and playoff games). However, injuries played a part in that slide, and Phoenix’s performance in the first three months of the season far exceeded outside expectations for the club entering the fall. The Suns’ over/under was set at 31.5 wins and they finished 45-37.
“We were counted out,” forward Dillon Brooks said on Monday. “We were supposed to be a laughing-stock, losing team. And we proved a lot of people wrong.”
The general consensus among Suns players and coaches is that their 2025/26 performance represents a positive first step, with head coach Jordan Ott suggesting his team “should be proud” of what it accomplished, per Haller. Still, after Phoenix needed two games to advance through the play-in tournament and then didn’t register a win in the playoffs, star guard Devin Booker was disappointed the club couldn’t do a little more this spring.
“We exceeded everybody else’s expectation, but not ours,” he said.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Ott earned praise from Suns players after Monday’s loss for the work he did and the foundation he set in Phoenix during his first year on the job, per Shane Young of Suns.com (Twitter link). “This is a building block to some stability and chemistry,” Booker said. “Something that’s been needed around here.”
- Booker didn’t score more than 24 points in any of the four playoff games vs. Oklahoma City and made just 5-of-20 (25.0%) of his three-pointers. While scoring against the Thunder’s league-best defense is no easy task, Haller of The Athletic notes that Booker no longer seems as capable of flipping the “alpha switch” as he once was, while Gerald Bourget of Suns After Dark evaluates the upside of Phoenix’s roster as long as the veteran guard is their leading man.
- After signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract to remain in Phoenix last offseason, guard Collin Gillespie enjoyed a breakout year, with career highs in points (12.7), assists (4.6), and rebounds (4.1) per game across 80 appearances (58 starts). Gillespie’s confidence is soaring as he prepares to reenter free agency, he told Logan Stanley of The Arizona Republic. “I learned a lot. I learned that I can play at a high level and that I belong,” Gillespie said. “I learned a lot, especially here in the playoffs, about championship-level stuff, playing a really good basketball team — the details in that.” Gillespie added that he hopes to remain with the Suns and said he and the team have had “good conversations” about that possibility.
- Besides negotiating a new deal with Gillespie, the Suns will also have to see if they can re-sign guard Jordan Goodwin and center Mark Williams, ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes within a preview of the team’s upcoming offseason. Brooks will also be entering the final year of his current contract and will be eligible to sign an extension that could be worth up to a maximum of $125.4MM over four seasons.
- A discrimination lawsuit filed against the Suns by former security employee Gene Traylor has been dismissed with prejudice. Baxter Holmes of ESPN has the story.