- A pair of historic performances earned Suns guard Shaquille Harrison a pair of 10-day contracts that turned into a multi-year pact. NBA.com’s Cody Cunningham looks at Harrison’s journey from undrafted prospect to being tasked with defending Damian Lillard in his second NBA game. “His confidence in me brings out my confidence,” Harrison said of coach Jay Triano giving him the assignment. “It’s an honor to be out there with him trusting me. It makes me play even harder because I know I’ve got the trust and he believes in my abilities. It’s easy to go out there and have fun and do what I do.”
- Teams purposely tanking to secure better draft lottery positioning has become a major talking point in the NBA. The Suns‘ poor play and resting veterans could be seen as a possible tanking attempt, but if it were the case, Devin Booker would not be playing nearly 40 MPG since the break, Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports notes.
- Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said the team will conduct a “wide-ranging” search for a head coach this offseason, Bordow writes in a separate story. Interim head coach Jay Triano will be among those considered, along with current and former NBA head coaches and possibly college coaches.
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Spurs assigned guard Derrick White to the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. White, the team’s first-round pick last June, has played 19 games with Austin, averaging 18.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 3.1 APG in 27.0 MPG.
- The Suns assigned forward/center Alan Williams to their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, according to a team press release. Williams underwent surgery on his right meniscus in late September and has yet to play in a game this season. He led the Suns with 15 double-doubles last season.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
9:00 pm:
- The Pacers have recalled Alex Poythress from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s website. The Kentucky product has played in seven G League games this season where he averaged 20.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
4:56 pm:
- For the second consecutive day, the Jazz sent Dante Exum to the G League and then recalled him later in the day, the team announced in a press release. The former fifth overall pick is preparing for his return from a shoulder injury by practicing with the Salt Lake City Stars.
- The Lakers have assigned rookie big man Thomas Bryant to the G League, according to the club (Twitter link). Bryant, who has averaged 19.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 32 G League games this season, is expected to suit up for the South Bay Lakers on Thursday night when they host the Agua Caliente Clippers.
- Chris McCullough, who had been playing for the Northern Arizona Suns, was recalled today by the Wizards and then re-assigned to the Erie BayHawks, according to the team. Washington doesn’t have a G League affiliate of its own this season, so McCullough is eligible to play for other G League squads via the flexible assignment rule.
- Although it initially looked like he might play for the Suns tonight, Alan Williams is now targeting Thursday or Saturday for his 2017/18 debut, tweets Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Williams has been sidelined all season with a right knee injury.
MARCH 13: The Suns have officially announced their new deal with Harrison, confirming the signing in a press release.
MARCH 12: The Suns have decided to retain Shaquille Harrison and are working on a multi-year contract that will be guaranteed through the rest of this season, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Harrison’s second 10-day deal expires today and Phoenix has been impressed enough to give the Tulsa product a standard contract. The 6’4” guard has appeared in nine games and is averaging 4.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.3 SPG in 13.4 MPG. He had his biggest output against the Hornets on Saturday, contributing 14 points and four assists in 21 minutes as a starter with Devin Booker sidelined by a triceps strain.
Harrison, 24, went undrafted in 2016 and participated in the Suns’ training camp that year. The last two seasons, Harrison has played with the organization’s G League affiliate Northern Arizona. In 36 games with Northern Arizona, he averaged 11.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.9 SPG.
Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard will meet with coach Gregg Popovich on Tuesday to discuss his progress rehabbing from a quad injury, Michael C. Wright of ESPN reports. Leonard could return as early as Thursday if both parties feel he’s ready to play again. The team’s franchise player has been sidelined since January 13th with the lingering quad issue that has cost him all but nine games this season.
In other injury updates from around the league:
- Pelicans forward Solomon Hill could make his season debut as early as this weekend, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Hill has been sidelined by a torn hamstring suffered in late August. “We’re so close to the finish line that we’re definitely not going to rush the situation now,” coach Alvin Gentry told Guillory. “I can see a situation where he might be able to play a few minutes here or there.” Hill is in the second year of a four-year, $48MM contract.
- Suns reserve center Alan Williams could make his season debut on Tuesday, according to Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Williams underwent surgery in September to repair the meniscus in his right knee with a six-month timetable to return. He went through a full practice on Monday. Williams, whose three-year, $17MM contract is only guaranteed through this season, averaged 11.4 PPG and 9.1 RPG after the All-Star break last season.
- Magic swingman Terrence Ross is questionable to return this season, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Ross has been sidelined since November 29th with a knee injury. A bone bruise has stalled Ross’ return, Robbins adds. “Some days it feels good, and then some days it kind of flares up,” Ross told Robbins. Ross has one season left on a contract that pays him $10.9MM annually.
- Wizards point guard John Wall went through some non-contract drills Monday as he works his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports relays. If medically cleared, Wall could practice in full for the first time on Friday, Hughes adds.
- Despite the season the Suns are battling through, veteran guard Troy Daniels believes that it’s still important to put in the work and stay professional, writes Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Daniels also hopes to rub off on some of the younger guys on the team, saying, “It’s hard to stay motivated for games sometimes going through a season like this. (But) I think it’s something these young guys will learn. To survive in this league, even if you’re a lottery pick, you always have to be working on your game, tuning it up.”
At this point in the NBA league year, most of the discussion about cap room focuses on how much teams will have in July. While 2018/19 cap space will be extremely valuable for teams looking to make a splash in free agency or on the trade market, there aren’t many reasons teams need ’17/18 cap room at this point — free agency is all but over, the trade deadline is behind us, and even the deadline for renegotiating contracts has passed.
Still, 2017/18 cap room isn’t entirely useless, even this late in the season. The current league year runs through June 30, so if a team wants to complete a trade before, during, or right after this year’s draft, having cap room available to accommodate a salary could come in handy.
Additionally, teams with cap room have fewer restrictions when it comes to signing free agents — if a club wants to take a flier on a prospect during the final few weeks of the ’17/18 regular season, it could use cap space to sign that player to a lightly-guaranteed contract that stretches across three or four seasons.
Here are the teams that still have cap space available for the 2017/18 season, along with their estimated total room:
- Dallas Mavericks: $14,240,776
- Chicago Bulls: $11,325,670
- Note: The Bulls are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
- Phoenix Suns: $6,749,365
- Indiana Pacers: $5,423,615
- Orlando Magic: $3,669,889
- Sacramento Kings: $3,465,472
- Brooklyn Nets: $3,128,440
- Note: The Nets are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders, along with our own data, was used in the creation of this post.
So far this week, we’ve relayed comments from Suns general manager Ryan McDonough and owner Robert Sarver about the state of the franchise, the upcoming search for a new head coach, and potential roster moves. We’ve got a few more Suns-related notes to pass along this afternoon, so let’s dive right in and round them up…
- With Josh Jackson showing the potential to emerge as the Suns’ starting small forward for years to come, Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic suggests that T.J. Warren, whose four-year contract extension will begin in July, could become an “ideal sixth man” for the team.
- Within the same article, Bordow says it’s unlikely that the Suns attempt to re-sign Alex Len this offseason, despite the big man’s solid numbers as a starter (10.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.0 BPG). Having signed his qualifying offer as a restricted free agent in 2017, Len will be an unrestricted free agent this July.
- The Suns are currently on track to receive two additional first-round picks in the 2018 draft, in addition to their own lottery pick. Assuming the club keeps one or both of those picks, keep an eye on Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a potential target, tweets Bordow.
- With the Suns set to miss the postseason for an eighth consecutive season, David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders details the moves he’d look to make this offseason to turn things around for the franchise.
Early in the 2017/18 season, the Suns made a coaching change, installing Jay Triano as the interim head coach in place of Earl Watson. Speaking to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic, team owner Robert Sarver praised the job that Triano has done with the club this season, suggesting that his interim role has been “a tough job that wasn’t what he signed up for.”
Despite his appreciation for Triano, Sarver doesn’t want to repeat a past mistake — in 2016, after Watson stepped in for Jeff Hornacek as the Suns’ interim coach, the team hired Watson to the full-time position at season’s end without interviewing other candidates. This time around, Sarver says, the club plans to “cast a much wider net.”
Sarver’s conversation with Bordow about the state of the franchise is worth checking out in full, particularly for Suns fans. The discussion includes a few more interesting comments from the club’s owner, so we’ll relay some of those highlights right here:
On the Suns’ offseason outlook as the 2017/18 season nears an end:
“We’re going to add another really good young player. I think we’re in a position where we can turn the corner, but if we don’t execute properly in terms of free agency and we don’t develop the players and we don’t execute in terms of our draft, then it’s going to be another tough year. So I think it’s a year of opportunity, but a year for us to step up and make some good decisions.”
On adding more veteran leadership without compromising the development of young players:
“Our younger players need confidence. I think there’s a fine line between coming in a game feeling confident you can win and not feeling confident you can win. I think maybe we can add a piece or two next season with some leadership and some experience and some winning and some grit that can help turn that confidence level with some of our younger players. So this offseason is going to be about adding some of that confidence and leadership, and at the same time to get some of our younger players to take a meaningful step forward.”
On what sort of player(s) the Suns will be targeting this summer:
“I think two things. Balance in terms of shooting. The league has been changing. What’s very important is the ability to shoot the three and defend the three. And getting back to this winning attitude that someone can bring to us. Someone who has won and someone who plays a meaningful role on our team. Someone who probably is a starter or first guy off the bench who can bring some swagger and a winning attitude. Obviously I’m biased, but I do think the talent on our roster is a little bit better than our win-loss record, and I think we need some of that winning attitude and swagger. I don’t think we have that right now.”
On expectations for 2018/19:
“I think with a piece or two and a solid year of development, I think we can flip the switch and end up being a team that can have a winning record. But looking at where we stand right now, there’s a long way to go to get to that.”