Suns Notes: Booker, Goodwin, Green, Williams, Brooks
Suns star Devin Booker was able to do 5-on-5 work in Sunday’s practice, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The 29-year-old shooting guard has missed Phoenix’s last four games due to a right hip strain.
“He knows his body better than anyone,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “He’s been through these processes. Incredible recovery. So, he knows how he’s supposed to feel. How he’s supposed to feel when he plays.”
Ott also provided an injury update on Jordan Goodwin, Rankin adds. The backup guard is dealing with a left calf strain and is expected to be reevaluated within the next week.
“He’s just now ramping up,” Ott said. “He is on the court. He was on the court today. Book is further along than Goodie, but he is starting to progress onto the court.”
Here’s more from Phoenix:
- Jalen Green has been in a major shooting slump over his last four games, Rankin writes, averaging 12.8 points while shooting just 21-of-75 (28.0%) from the field over that span. Ott cited Green’s conditioning as one factor in his struggles — he missed most of the season after repeatedly straining his right hamstring. “He knows he’s a little out of rhythm, but it’s good just to get him out there,” Ott said. “It’s like the consistent number of games I think is good. I think the four-day break for him too, just his body. Now he’s played in those games, five games after the All-Star break. He’s a little sore from it and that’s normal. Just going through all the normal basketball things that you take for granted when you start the season. Now he’s doing it 50 games in.”
- Starting center Mark Williams, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, has also been in a rut of late, Rankin notes. Williams is averaging 6.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 39.5% from the floor over his past six contests (18.8 minutes per game), well below his season-long rates (11.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 63.5% from the field). The Suns think Booker will help both Green and Williams when he returns. “Book helps make all of our lives better,” Ott said. “Not just those two.”
- Jason Quick of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at how Booker and Dillon Brooks became friends over the offseason after the latter was traded from Houston to Phoenix in the Kevin Durant deal. “It doesn’t catch me off-guard anymore, where you know, you see somebody on the court and they act as a totally different person … so him being a naggy person, the annoying person to play against, then you meet him, and he’s soft-spoken and humble,” Booker said. “And to me, those are the types of guys who want to go to war with, the guys who can turn it on.”
Suns Re-Sign CJ Huntley On Two-Way Contract
The Suns have brought back forward CJ Huntley on a two-way contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link) first reported the two-way agreement between the two sides.
Phoenix opened a two-way spot earlier in the day by promoting Jamaree Bouyea to the 15-man roster.
Huntley went undrafted last year out of Appalachian State. He signed a two-way contract with Phoenix shortly after the draft but was waived in mid-November to make room for Bouyea. Huntley did not appear in any NBA games before he was waived.
He hooked onto the Suns’ NBA G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, and has received steady playing time. In 38 games, Huntley has averaged 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per contest.
Huntley played all five collegiate seasons at Appalachian State. In 2024/25, he averaged 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and shot 49.3% from the field and 35.6% from three.
Huntley will be eligible to be active for up to 12 regular season games for the Suns during the final weeks of 2025/26.
Suns Promote Jamaree Bouyea To Two-Year Standard Deal
1:10 pm: Bouyea’s promotion to Phoenix’s standard roster is official, according to the team (Twitter link).
9:19 am: Two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea will sign a two-year contract with the Suns, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Bouyea, 26, has emerged as a valuable rotation piece after joining Phoenix on a two-way deal in November. He has appeared in 33 games and is averaging 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 15.5 minutes per night with .480/.317/.710 shooting numbers.
Bouyea will fit into the roster opening the Suns created on Friday by waiving Cole Anthony. Phoenix acquired Anthony from Milwaukee in a three-team deal at the deadline, but he never reported to the Suns.
As Charania notes, the new contract is a huge milestone for Bouyea, who has spent time with six teams over the past three-plus years on a variety of two-way and 10-day deals.
Bouyea was in training camp with Miami in 2022 after going undrafted out of San Francisco and was waived before the start of the season. The guard signed 10-day deals with the Heat and Wizards later in ’22/23, but didn’t get a second contract from either team. He returned to Miami during the summer of 2023, but was waived again before landing two-way contracts with Portland and San Antonio during the 2023/24 season. He got into five games with Milwaukee last season and briefly returned to the Spurs before becoming a free agent again.
The Suns now have a roster opening that can be filled on or before Wednesday, which is the cutoff date to sign players to two-way deals. Koby Brea and Isaiah Livers occupy the other two-way slots for Phoenix.
Suns Waive Cole Anthony
As expected, the Suns have waived guard Cole Anthony, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Reporting shortly after the trade deadline indicated that Phoenix was expected to cut Anthony after acquiring him in a salary-dump deal.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), the Suns didn’t make the move right away because they were waiting to see if a buyout was possible. Gerald Bourguet of Suns After Dark (Twitter link) adds that Phoenix was also in no rush to waive Anthony until two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea got closer to his games-played limit.
Meanwhile, head coach Jordan Ott suggested this week Anthony was still on the roster in part to provide emergency depth due to Phoenix’s backcourt injuries, though the former first-round pick had yet to actually report to the Suns and never seemed likely to suit up for the team.
The 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Anthony spent his first five NBA seasons with Orlando, averaging 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 24.8 minutes per contest on .419/.345/.847 shooting in 320 total games. However, his minutes have declined over the past few years and he was traded to Memphis in the 2025 offseason as part of the Desmond Bane blockbuster.
Anthony reached a buyout agreement with the Grizzlies and signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Bucks. He averaged 6.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 3.5 APG on .424/.306/.615 shooting in a career-low 15.1 minutes per game in 35 appearances with Milwaukee this season. The Bucks traded him and Amir Coffey to Phoenix in a three-team deadline deal that allowed the Suns to duck below the luxury tax line.
As both Gambadoro and Bourguet note, the expectation is that the Suns will use the newly opened roster spot to promote Bouyea to the standard roster, making him their new 15th man. That would open up a two-way slot, which Phoenix would have until next Wednesday to fill.
As for Anthony, he’ll clear waivers on Sunday if his minimum-salary contract goes unclaimed. Because he was waived by March 1, he’ll retain his playoff eligibility if he catches on with a new NBA team between now and the end of the regular season.
Buyout Market Rumors: Anthony, Middleton, Ball, D-Lo, Boucher
Veteran guard Cole Anthony has remained in limbo since being acquired by the Suns at this month’s trade deadline, having continued to hold a spot on Phoenix’s 15-man roster despite being away from the team. Reporting prior to the All-Star break indicated Anthony would likely be waived, but that still hasn’t happened. According to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, head coach Jordan Ott suggested on Thursday that the delay may be related to depth concerns in the Suns’ backcourt.
“It’s still the same,” Ott said of Anthony’s situation. “There hasn’t been much change, but we have had injuries and that’s kind of where it’s at. That’s why there hasn’t been much change, but that’s why it’s not completely out. We’ll continue to just stay in touch with his people and move this thing forward.”
Friday is the first of four days off for the Suns, and Devin Booker (hip strain) appears likely to return after that break, either on Tuesday in Sacramento or Thursday vs. Chicago, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. If Phoenix is confident in where Booker’s at in his recovery, it’s possible we could see Anthony let go on or before Sunday, which is the final day a player can be waived and retain his playoff eligibility for a new team.
[UPDATE: Anthony has been waived.]
If Anthony is cut, it would open up a spot for the Suns to promote two-way player Jamaree Bouyea to the standard roster. The club could then back-fill Bouyea’s two-way slot before next Wednesday’s deadline for two-way signings.
Here are a few more rumors related to the NBA’s buyout market:
- In addition to Denver, the Spurs are among the teams with interest in Mavericks forward Khris Middleton, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Dallas has reportedly given Middleton the option of negotiating a buyout or sticking with the Mavs for the rest of the season — he figures to make that decision within the next 48 hours or so.
- Although the Warriors, Nuggets, and other teams has some interest in Lonzo Ball after he was waived earlier this month, concerns about the guard’s knee dissuaded those potential suitors from moving forward on a deal with the veteran point guard, Siegel reports, adding that nothing is imminent on that front.
- Although D’Angelo Russell wasn’t required to report to the Wizards after being included in the Anthony Davis trade and has been viewed as a potential buyout candidate, there has been little interest around the league in the point guard, per Siegel. Russell’s contract includes a $5.97MM player option for 2026/27 that Washington would probably want to eliminate – or at least significantly reduce – as part of any buyout agreement, whereas D-Lo presumably wouldn’t want to give up that guaranteed money without a favorable deal lined up elsewhere. According to Siegel, Russell could end up simply finishing the season with the Wizards.
- Many league personnel believe Chris Boucher would like to reunite with the Raptors after being waived by Utah earlier this month, but it’s unclear whether Toronto reciprocates that interest, says Siegel.
And-Ones: Ishbia, J. Porter, J. Johnson, 65-Game Rule
Appearing on Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Suns owner Mat Ishbia said he’d be willing to put up $1MM in prize money for the winners of the slam dunk contest and three-point contest on All-Star Saturday, with another $1MM going to charity for each event, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The goal, as Ishbia explained, would be to bring back more star power to those competitions.
“Let’s get the best guys in,” Ishbia said. “Let’s make it awesome.”
Unfortunately, as Windhorst notes, it wouldn’t be as simple as Ishbia simply putting up that prize money himself. The bonuses for winning those events are negotiated as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and require the approval of NBA owners and the players’ union. The current CBA calls for dunk contest winners to receive $105K and three-point contest champions to get $60K.
While Ishbia didn’t consult with the league office before sharing his proposal on The Pat McAfee Show, he’s motivated to find a way to get more stars into those All-Star Saturday competitions, Windhorst writes, so he could reach out to the NBA to explore the idea further.
We have more odds and ends from across the basketball world:
- Banned from the NBA for his participation in an illegal betting scheme, former Raptors forward/center Jontay Porter plans to join the Seattle Superhawks of the United States Basketball League, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Porter, who is still awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2024, previously attempted to join Promitheas B.C. in Greece for the 2024/25 season but had that request turned down by a federal judge. The USBL season tips off on March 6.
- Veteran NBA forward James Johnson will join the BIG3 for its upcoming season and play for DMV Trilogy, the team coached by Stephen Jackson, the 3-on-3 league announced on Wednesday (via Twitter). A 16-year NBA veteran, Johnson appeared in 12 games for the Pacers in 2024/25 but hasn’t been in the league at all this season.
- With Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both increasingly in danger of falling shy of the 65-game minimum to qualify for end-of-season awards, Eric Koreen of The Athletic argues that the rule is backfiring and could result in the wrong player being named Most Valuable Player this spring. In his latest MVP check-in, Zach Harper of The Athletic ranks Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama as his top three candidates, but they’ve missed 16, 11, and 14 games respectively. They’d be ineligible for award consideration if that number reaches 18.
Pacific Notes: Santos, Green, Ayton, Kings
Power forward Gui Santos has seen his role expand with the Warriors in recent weeks and it’s given a major confidence boost to the 2022 second-round pick, he said on 95.7 The Game’s Willard and Dibs show.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m feeling really good right now about the shooting, you know the confidence,” Santos said (story via Kevin Borba of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think especially when you know that you’re going to play every night when you know that like your team trusts you, the staff trust you, that gives you way more confidence to go out there. You take shots with confidence, you take shots that you think like, ‘yes this shot is one shot that I got shoot it and I’m going to make it.’ And I feel good right now I’m in this position.”
In the month of February, Santos is averaging 29.7 minutes, 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency after the season.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- As with his past teams, Deandre Ayton is frustrating the Lakers with his inconsistent play. Ayton has a minimal offensive role but the team is trying to unlock his potential as a rebounder and defender. Coach JJ Redick also sees plays where the ball should go inside to Ayton. “There’s positive trends,” Redick said after practice Monday, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “We did watch some film today. There was some real positive trends defensively. I think his spirit and engagement and stuff has been really good. I think for all the guys, if he has a smaller player on him, that’s an advantage for us. Let’s just get him the ball. I think it’s just thematically across the team, we have to pass it to each other more and trust each other more. … In terms of him running and putting pressure on the rim and offensive rebounding, particularly against switches and smaller players, he could be better there.” Ayton is averaging career lows in points (13.0), rebounds (8.4) and minutes (28.1) per game.
- Jalen Green has missed a good portion of his first season with the Suns due to hamstring injuries. He’s now in a position to make a major impact with both Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks out due to injuries. “I think I bring a little bit of everything,” Green told Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. “Play faster, get some steals and get into the open lane. I think that’s where my biggest impact is, getting to the rim, the three and scoring.” Green is averaging 16.8 points over his last four games.
- The Kings‘ franchise-record losing streak of 16 games was finally snapped on Monday, as Russell Westbrook scored 25 points in a 123-114 road victory over Memphis. Precious Achiuwa matched his season-high with 20 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds. “We needed this,” Achiuwa told NBC Sports California, as Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. “It’s been a bit of a rough path for us the past couple games. We’ve played really well a lot of those games. We were just unfortunate not to come out with a win, but tonight we’re glad. It feels good to win.”
Injury Notes: Brown, Hayes, Siakam, Thompson, Jovic, Goodwin
Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown won’t play on Tuesday against the Suns due to a right knee contusion. He was originally listed as questionable but was downgraded about seven hours before tipoff, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports.
This will be the sixth game Brown has missed this season. The veteran wing is averaging 29.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game and scored a team-high 32 points in 36 minutes on Sunday against the Lakers.
Here’s more injury news from around the league:
- Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes will miss tonight’s game against Orlando due to a right ankle sprain, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Hayes played just five minutes against Boston on Sunday before exiting due to that injury.
- Rockets guard Amen Thompson will sit out Wednesday’s home game against Sacramento due to left quad tendinitis, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Thompson played 29 minutes against Utah on Monday, contributing 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in Houston’s 20-point victory.
- Pacers forward Pascal Siakam won’t play against Philadelphia tonight due to a left wrist sprain, Tony East of Forbess tweets. It will be the seventh game he’s missed this season.
- Heat forward Nikola Jovic has returned to Miami during the team’s current road trip for back treatment, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Miami plays Milwaukee tonight and wraps up its trip in Philadelphia on Thursday. The Heat’s next home game is Saturday against Houston. It’s been a rough season for Jovic, who has been in and out of the rotation after signing a four-year, $62.4MM extension in October.
- Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, who is dealing with a left calf strain, will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Goodwin had a 17-point outing against Orlando on Saturday, then missed the next contest against Portland. The Suns also confirmed Dillon Brooks‘ four-to-six week timeline before a reevaluation of his broken left hand.
Dillon Brooks Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Broken Left Hand
FEBRUARY 23: Brooks is projected to miss four-to-six weeks with the injury, sources tell Charania (Twitter link). The 30-year-old wing requires surgery, adds John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 21: Suns forward Dillon Brooks left Saturday’s game with a broken left hand, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Team doctors will meet soon to determine how long Brooks is expected to be sidelined, Charania adds.
The injury occurred midway through the first quarter when Brooks took a jump shot that was contested by Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr., according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Carter appeared to make contact with Brooks’ non-shooting hand, and Brooks grabbed it after the play.
He left the game with 4:46 remaining in the quarter and didn’t return. Ryan Dunn replaced him in the starting lineup for the second half.
Acquired from Houston over the summer as part of the Kevin Durant trade, Brooks has been a vital part of the turnaround in Phoenix with his play on the court and his effect on the team’s culture.
Coming into today, Brooks was averaging a career-high 21.2 points, along with 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists through 49 games with .441/.343/.856 shooting numbers. He has also brought toughness to a team that lacked it last year, along with a feisty attitude that recently resulted in a one-game suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul of the season.
It’s a rough blow for a 33-24 Phoenix team that’s solidly in the race for a top-six finish in the West, which would mean a guaranteed playoff spot. The Suns announced earlier today that star guard Devin Booker will miss at least a week with a right hip strain, and Jordan Goodwin also left Saturday’s game with a calf injury, Rankin tweets.
Injury Notes: Goodwin, Giannis, Embiid, Flagg, D. Green
Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, who suffered a left calf injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over Orlando, underwent an MRI on Sunday and has been diagnosed with a left calf strain, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter links).
It’s the latest in a string of discouraging health updates for the Suns, who recently lost their two leading scorers — Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) — to injuries.
While it’s unclear how long Goodwin will be sidelined, a strained calf typical results in a player missing weeks, not days. We’ll have to wait for more information from Phoenix to learn the severity of Goodwin’s injury.
The 27-year-old has been a key rotation player for the Suns in 2025/26, averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 54 games (22.4 minutes per contest). Goodwin will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went through a pregame workout ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Toronto, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter video link). The Greek forward, who has been out since January 23 due to a right calf strain, did some scrimmaging in Saturday’s practice, head coach Doc Rivers said, but he has not yet played 5-on-5 (Twitter link via Nehm). “We were in the gym and did some 3-on-3 stuff. 4-on-4 and 3-on-3, I think, live. That was good,” Rivers said.
- Sixers center Joel Embiid will miss his fifth straight game on Sunday due to right knee and shin soreness, writes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Philadelphia has been in a major rut lately without the former MVP, having lost four straight contests.
- Rookie standout Cooper Flagg was out for the third consecutive time on Sunday at Indiana, but the Mavericks forward is making progress from a left mid-foot sprain, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News relays (via Twitter). “He’s feeling better. Had a good workout today,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. We’ll practice (in Indiana) tomorrow because of the weather (in New York). We’ll see how he feels after that practice.”
- Veteran forward/center Draymond Green was a late scratch for Sunday’s game against Denver because of a lower back injury, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). Green had not previously been on the team’s injury report.