Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans, Suns, Pistons Discussed Bledsoe Trade

November 2nd, 2017 at 6:28pm CST by Luke Adams

6:28pm: It turns out the third team involved in the Bledsoe/Jackson trade discussion was New Orleans. Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated writes that the Suns would have landed Detroit’s 2019 first-round pick, New Orleans’ 2018 first-round pick, Alexis Ajinca, and Omer Asik. Jackson would have gone to the Pelicans in that scenario. The talks are now “dead,” the report states.

2:25pm: According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, the Pistons offered the Suns a package including Jackson and a first-round pick for Bledsoe.

12:06pm: If they make a deal with the Pistons, the Suns would prefer to get a third team involved to take Jackson, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

It makes sense that the rebuilding Suns wouldn’t want to absorb Jackson’s contract, which runs through 2019/20, but involving a third or fourth team typically makes trades more difficult to complete, so we’ll see if this goes anywhere.

11:39am: The Pistons should be added to the list of teams that have exhibited interest in disgruntled Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). However, Stein cautions (via Twitter) that for a deal to appeal to Phoenix, the Pistons would have to attach additional pieces to Reggie Jackson.

Shortly after Bledsoe publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with his situation in Phoenix a week and a half ago, the Suns sent him home and began aggressively seeking a trade. At that point, it seemed as if the Suns may resolve the situation quickly, but GM Ryan McDonough said this week that there’s no timetable for a Bledsoe deal, suggesting the team isn’t rushing to get something done.

Reports last week indicated that the Nuggets and Bucks might be the most likely landing spots for Bledsoe, but Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay have played well lately for Denver, and Malcolm Brogdon – whom the Suns would reportedly target – is off to a good start in Milwaukee. As such, the Suns may be looking to engage other teams in trade discussions.

The Pistons would be an interesting trade partner. It’s worth noting that the Suns were said to have expressed “strong” interest in Andre Drummond back in June. Jake Fischer of SI.com, who initially reported Phoenix’s interest in Drummond, tweeted today that Bledsoe’s name was part of those discussions as well.

For what it’s worth, Detroit has been linked to multiple point guard trade candidates over the course of the year, including Kyrie Irving in August and Ricky Rubio back in January. Those rumors never led to anything real, so it’s possible Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons are just doing their due diligence again here. However, the fact that they’ve kicked the tires on so many other point guards may also suggest they’re open to moving on from Jackson.

After enjoying a career year in 2015/16, Jackson struggled through an injury-plagued 2016/17 campaign. He’s off to a good start this season, averaging 16.4 PPG and 6.0 APG through eight games.

Robert Sarver Has 'Zero Interest' In Selling Team

November 2nd, 2017 at 3:59pm CST by Austin Kent

Contrary to a Washington Post report that suggested Suns owner Robert Sarver was looking to sell the franchise, the executive has “zero interest” in cashing out, Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic writes. Sarver bought the team for $401MM in 2004 and it’s now, per Forbes, valued north of $1B.

Latest On Jahlil Okafor

November 2nd, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

Having turned down Jahlil Okafor‘s request for a buyout, the Sixers remain focused on finding a trade involving the third-year big man, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Wojnarowski, Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo is determined to land some sort of “asset” in an Okafor deal. However, a trade may ultimately revolve around future second-round picks in exchange for Okafor, league sources tell Wojnarowski.

It has been a busy week on the Okafor front. We heard last Friday that the 76ers are working Okafor’s camp to try to find a workable trade, but the club wasn’t able to find a deal before the rookie scale option deadline on Tuesday. Philadelphia declined Okafor’s option for 2018/19, which prompted him to ask for a buyout, as he confirmed on Wednesday. The former third overall pick further expressed his frustration with his current situation in a conversation with reporters.

The Celtics have been mentioned as a possible destination for Okafor, but a few other teams have displayed interest in the 21-year-old as a “reclamation project,” per Wojnarowski. Woj’s report suggests that an Eric Bledsoe trade may help create the “moving parts around the league” necessary to pave the way for an Okafor deal. While it’s not clear if the Suns have interest in Okafor, Woj does note that they’re monitoring the situation in Philadelphia.

Suns GM: No Timetable For Eric Bledsoe Trade

October 31st, 2017 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

With the Suns in Brooklyn to face the Nets tonight, Eric Bledsoe will miss his fourth straight game, and he may end up sitting out many more. According to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic, Suns GM Ryan McDonough said this week that there’s no timetable for a Bledsoe trade, suggesting the team isn’t rushing to get anything done.

“We are open to doing a deal whenever the best offer presents itself,” McDonough said. “Any other comments or thoughts from me would be pure speculation at this point.”

The 2017/18 regular season is only two weeks old, so there are unlikely to be any teams desperate enough to improve their existing offers for Bledsoe at this point. Additionally, as Bordow notes, some potential trade partners may be able to make more competitive offers when trade restrictions lift on certain players on December 15.

Of course, the two teams most frequently mentioned as potential landing spots for Bledsoe are Denver and Milwaukee, and neither the Nuggets nor the Bucks were very active in free agency over the offseason, so they’re not limited by many trade restrictions at this point.

In any case, since the Suns have no real playoff aspirations this season, there’s not much downside in being patient and hoping that the offers for Bledsoe improve. Phoenix will have to continue paying its disgruntled point guard while he remains away from the club, but team salary is currently below the required floor anyway, so paying Bledsoe isn’t having a real impact on the Suns’ bottom line.

Alex Len Pumps Up His Value

October 30th, 2017 at 10:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns center Alex Len didn’t receive an offer sheet as a restricted free agent this summer but he’s pumping up his value during the early going, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Len is averaging 10.2 PPG and 8.4 RPG and one scout told Bordow that Len could receive a four-year deal worth up to $15MM per season if he continues his strong play. Len signed his qualifying offer of $4.2MM in late September after his unsuccessful foray into restricted free agency.

Mills: Knicks Won’t Trade Ntilikina Or Hernangomez

October 29th, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks consider Frank Ntilikina and Willy Hernangomez part of their future and don’t plan to include either in a trade for Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Team president Steve Mills conveyed those sentiments today in a meeting with reporters in Cleveland, effectively quashing speculation that the Knicks might be involved in the chase for Bledsoe.

Ntilikina has been limited by injuries and Hernangomez has seen his playing time cut because of a logjam at center, but Mills said both are considered valuable components going forward. He added that coach Jeff Hornacek approached this season the right way by making Hernangomez work for his playing time. “This is part of Willy’s development,’’ Mills said. “He’s a guy who’s going to be with us [at least] the next three years and we have a lot of time to work with him, and he’s going to be part of who we are.”

There’s more from Mills’ session with the media:

Even though the Knicks are off to a 1-3 start following a winless preseason, no thought has been given to a coaching change. Mills pledged that “Jeff, [GM] Scott [Perry] and I are in this together,” although he stopped short of guaranteeing that Hornacek will be safe for the entire season. “We told him to focus on getting the team better and finding ways to reduce the turnovers and make sure we’re improving defensively,” Mills said of a recent meeting with Hornacek. “That’s what our goal was. We didn’t focus on the record. Our focus is how we’re improving over the course of the season. If we do all the things from a defensive standpoint, wins will come out of that. I do believe it’s getting better.”
The organization is stressing stability in the wake of the chaotic reign of former team president Phil Jackson, who was fired over the offseason. Mills doesn’t believe it would be healthy to make another significant move so soon. “We need to make sure we’re doing as a team and doing the things we said we were going to do over the summer,” he said. “As long as we’re doing those things, we’ll continue to build this group. Stability is important for this group. We haven’t had a lot of it here.”
Despite the injuries, the organization has been impressed by Ntilikina, the eighth selection in this year’s draft. “He’s not a flashy player but does the right things, plays solid defensively, willing to challenge guys right from the start,” Mills said. “The way he played, with the style he played, was what we saw when we scouted him. … “We’re committed to him and his development. What we’re trying to do with this team, it centers around guys like Frank, KP, draft picks moving forward.”
The Knicks will have to make a roster move next month when Joakim Noah‘s suspension expires. They signed two veteran point guards over the offseason in Ramon Sessions and Jarrett Jack, and Mills said the team would like to keep both. “We always knew we needed veterans to help support Frank,’’ he explained. “Was that going to be Ramon as starter? Jarrett as starter? They both bring different things to the table. Jarrett did a great job of calming things down. Ramon brings different things to the table. They both mentor Frank in different ways. We feel we need guys like that to bring Frank along.’’

Suns Explore Trading Chandler With Bledsoe

October 27th, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As they continue to seek out a viable trade involving disgruntled point guard Eric Bledsoe, the Suns are exploring ways to include Tyson Chandler in the same deal, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter).

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders first reported earlier this week that the Suns appeared to be looking for deals involving Chandler. Kyler, who noted that both Chandler and Bledsoe were favorites of former head coach Earl Watson, wrote in his report that the “ideal scenario” for Phoenix would be to move the duo in the same trade.

Taking into account the stage the Suns are at in their rebuilding phase, it certainly makes sense to explore trading Chandler — at 35 years old, he seems unlikely to be part of the next contending team in Phoenix.

Still, it may be tricky for the Suns to attach Chandler to Bledsoe in a single trade. The two players are earning a combined $27.5MM this season, and most of Phoenix’s potential trade partners will have little interest in taking on extra money in a deal. That would mean finding a Bledsoe suitor with at least $27.5MM in salaries of their own to trade back to the Suns.

The Bucks, frequently cited as a team with interest in Bledsoe, may be the most logical match for a deal involving both players. Possible trade candidates on their roster include John Henson ($11.4MM), Mirza Teletovic ($10MM), Matthew Dellavedova ($9.6MM), and possibly even Greg Monroe ($17.9MM), so they could potentially figure out a package that lands them both Bledsoe and Chandler without pushing them into luxury tax territory. It’s not clear if the two teams are exploring that scenario though.

Like Bledsoe, Chandler has one additional guaranteed year on his contract beyond 2017/18. Both players will come off the books in the summer of 2019.

Latest On Eric Bledsoe

October 26th, 2017 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Eric Bledsoe continues to sit out games for the Suns and, after a disastrous start to the season, the club has actually looked better with a new starting point guard — and a new head coach. Since Jay Triano replaced Earl Watson on the bench and Mike James replaced Bledsoe in the starting lineup, the Suns have won consecutive games at home, beating the Kings and Jazz.

As the Suns look to build on their recent success, here’s the latest on Bledsoe, from Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times:

NBA sources tell Woelfel that if the Bucks and Suns were to make a deal involving Bledsoe, Phoenix would likely ask for Malcolm Brogdon, plus either John Henson or Mirza Teletovic. Milwaukee has had interest in Bledsoe over the last few years, but is reluctant to part with Brogdon, the reigning Rookie of the Year, per Woelfel.
According to Woelfel, the Bucks are – for now – dangling Matthew Dellavedova, but he’s not of much interest to the Suns — Phoenix remains focused on Brogdon.
The Suns are eyeing young guards, and are also intrigued by Denver’s Emmanuel Mudiay. According to two NBA officials, the Nuggets and Bucks are viewed as “the leaders in the Bledsoe sweepstakes,” writes Woelfel.
Those same two sources tell Woelfel that a number of other teams have internally discussed the idea of making a play for Bledsoe, including the Clippers, Celtics, and Heat.

Jackson Fined $35K; G League Coaches Promoted

October 25th, 2017 at 7:27pm CST by clarkcrum

Suns rookie Josh Jackson was fined $35K for making a “menacing” gesture towards a Los Angeles Clippers fan this past weekend, it was announced yesterday by NBA executive Kiki VanDeWeghe. While it appeared that Jackson was mimicking a gun with his hand gesture toward the fan, he explained that was not the case, but rather that he a“kind of wanted to put up the middle finger to him but … didn’t do that because I felt like I was … being watched, so I kind of halfway did it.” Clearly, the NBA didn’t buy his explanation.

Its been an eventful week for the Suns, to say the least, but as Chris Reichert of 2 Ways & 10 Days reports, the drama has resulted in good news for three of the Suns’ G League affiliate coaches. Ty Ellis, Bret Burchard and Brandon Rosenthal have been promoted to assistants under the Suns’ new head coach, Jay Triano. As a result, G League assistant coach Tyler Gatlin takes over as interim head coach for the Northern Arizona Suns.

Community Shootaround: Best Fit For Eric Bledsoe

October 25th, 2017 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA offseason featured a parade of trade candidates eventually finding new homes, with Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, and Carmelo Anthony among the All-Star players who were dealt. In the wake of Oklahoma City’s acquisition of Anthony, it seemed like the trade market may be quiet for a couple months, but a five-word tweet from Eric Bledsoe (“I don’t wanna be here”) changed all that earlier this week.

In the three days since Bledsoe’s now-infamous tweet, the Suns have sent him home and begun exploring potential trades, though public comments made by general manager Ryan McDonough on the situation aren’t exactly buoying the point guard’s trade value.

While there still seems to be a significant gap between what the Suns are looking for in exchange for Bledsoe and what potential suitors are willing to offer, a number of possible landing spots have emerged. According to various reports, the Nuggets, Bucks, and Knicks are among the clubs with interest in Bledsoe.

Several other teams have also been linked to the point guard, including the Magic, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Sixers, Pacers, and Spurs. However, most of those potential trade partners for Phoenix appear to be based more on speculation than on anything concrete.

The Suns have some excess cap room and they aren’t in any rush to win now, so they have some flexibility when it comes to finding a deal for Bledsoe and his $14.5MM salary. But it may be tricky to find a package they feel gives them fair value. While Bledsoe put up big numbers last season, averaging 21.1 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.8 RPG, he has battled injuries throughout his career, and this season’s saga has raised questions about his ability to handle difficult situations.

What do you think? Which team do you think would be the best fit for Bledsoe, and which club could offer the Suns the best package? What sort of return do you think the Suns should be happy with for Bledsoe?

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