Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Davis, Lee, Allen, Kawhi, Kings, Warriors

April 15th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Anthony Davis missed the final six minutes of Sunday’s victory over New Orleans due to back spasms, but he’s confident he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday when the Lakers and Pelicans meet again in the play-in tournament, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“No doubt that I’m going to play,” Davis said after Sunday’s game.

Davis’ injury occurred with 5:52 remaining in the fourth quarter when he was attempting to grab a rebound and was pushed in the back by Pelicans big man Larry Nance Jr. (video link). According to McMenamin, Davis said the contract resulted in hyperextension when he landed and that his back “just locked up.”

“I was in the air,” Davis said. “Obviously it’s a dangerous play. I know he’s not a dirty player.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Suns wing Damion Lee admits that he went through some “dark days” during the lengthy recovery process from an October meniscus surgery that sidelined him for the entire regular season, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. However, Lee is in a better place now as he nears the end of that recovery process — he also hasn’t given up on the idea of returning this spring. “To be determined,” Lee said. “I’ll just leave it at this. I feel like the longer we go in the postseason, the more likely there is a chance. No timetable necessarily. It’s all feel based. You saw me out here shooting, jumping. Running.”
Grayson Allen gave up a little money to sign an extension with the Suns, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), who says the veteran swingman could have secured $80-85MM on the open market. Allen has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $70MM deal with Phoenix.
The Clippers continue to be evasive about Kawhi Leonard‘s outlook for the start of the playoffs, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Asked on Sunday whether Leonard has been doing workouts, head coach Tyronn Lue said he’s “been doing a little something,” but Lue declined to say whether or not he expects the star forward to be available in the postseason.
It won’t be an easy path to the playoffs for the Kings or Warriors, who will each have to win two play-in games just to claim the No. 8 seed in the West. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the challenge facing the Kings, while Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic checks in on a Golden State team in “March Madness mode.”

Budenholzer, Fernandez, Young Finalists For Nets’ Coaching Job

April 13th, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Budenholzer, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, and Suns assistant Kevin Young are finalists for the Nets‘ head coaching job, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Nets, who parted ways with Jacque Vaughn in February and replaced him with interim head coach Kevin Ollie, opted not to wait for the end of the season to begin their head coaching search. NetsDaily reported earlier today (Twitter link) that Brooklyn’s search process has been ongoing for more than a month and is believed to have been “extensive,” which Charania confirms.

According to Charania, Ollie received consideration for the permanent job, as did several other outside candidates, including Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Pelicans assistant James Borrego.

However, the franchise appears to have zeroed in on Budenholzer, Fernandez, and Young as its finalists. Sources tell The Athletic that team owner Joe Tsai will hold in-person meetings with all three candidates, with a final decision to be made sometime in the not-too-distant future.

A two-time Coach of the Year, Budenholzer compiled a 484-317 (.604) regular season record across 10 seasons as an NBA head coach from 2013-23 — five in Atlanta and five in Milwaukee. He also owns a 56-48 (.538) overall postseason record and won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. Budenholzer was an assistant in San Antonio when Nets general manager Sean Marks joined the Spurs’ front office in 2012.

Fernandez, who technically holds the title of associate head coach on Mike Brown‘s staff in Sacramento, served as an assistant in Denver from 2016-22 before making the move to the Kings. He has long been considered a future NBA head coach and led the Canadian national team to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’ll coach the Canadians at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.

Young is another veteran assistant who has been promoted to associate head coach and has received NBA head coaching consideration in recent years. He reportedly interviewed with the Rockets, Bucks, Raptors, and Suns a year ago. Young was an assistant with the Sixers from 2016-20 before spending the last four seasons in Phoenix.

The Nets are one of three teams in the market for a permanent head coach, along with the Hornets and Wizards.

O'Neale's Insertion Into Lineup Is Temporary

April 11th, 2024 at 9:32am CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns coach Frank Vogel switched up his rotation in the team’s 124-108 win over the Clippers on Wednesday, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. Royce O’Neale was inserted into the lineup in place of Grayson Allen, while Thaddeus Young replaced Drew Eubanks as the backup center.

However, the Suns could go right back to Allen as the starter against Sacramento on Friday. “It’s just something we’ve been talking about,” Vogel said. “If we get into a playoff matchup where we have a bigger opponent, then we feel like (O’Neale’s) size in the starting lineup is something that would make sense. We didn’t want to go to that with Grayson coming off the bench for the first time having never done it. We used this one game to let Grayson just feel the rhythm of coming off the bench, if it’s needed in the playoffs.”

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Thompson, Kawhi, Harden, Jones

April 9th, 2024 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Having earned a rest-of-season commitment from the Suns, Isaiah Thomas isn’t looking to just play out this season and then call it a career. He views his comeback this spring as a “stepping stone” toward continuing his playing career beyond 2023/24, he told reporters on Tuesday (Twitter video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

“I want to play two to three more years,” Thomas said. “Knowing that I can still play a high level, knowing that I can still impact a locker room. That’s a positive, being able to be signed for the rest of the year and to hopefully build some momentum going into next year for myself, and into free agency.”

Thomas added that he appreciates the Suns welcoming him “with open arms” and that he likes it “a lot” in Phoenix, signaling that he’d be open to remaining with the team beyond this season if that interest is reciprocated.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Asked by teammate Draymond Green on his podcast about what factors will be most important to him during his upcoming free agency, Warriors wing Klay Thompson admitted that his contract situation weighed on him earlier this season and that it took some time for him to stop stressing about it and focus on having fun. “I want to re-sign with the Dubs, but I also have to prioritize my mental health and lay out what is important to me at this point in my career,” Thompson said (Twitter video link).
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will miss a fifth consecutive game due to right knee inflammation on Tuesday vs. Phoenix, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Los Angeles is a single win away from clinching a top-six seed and a playoff berth, but will obviously need Leonard healthy to make a deep postseason run.
James Harden‘s status for Tuesday’s game is up in the air, as he has been added to the Clippers‘ injury report with right foot inflammation, notes Youngmisuk (Twitter link).
Could Colby Jones join the likes of Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell and become the latest Kings youngster to go from out of the rotation to playing a key role? Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee explores that question after Jones played the final six minutes of Friday’s loss to Boston and then logged a career-high 23 minutes in Sunday’s blowout win over Brooklyn. Jones was a +34 in 29 total minutes across those two appearances.

Suns Sign Isaiah Thomas For Rest Of Season

April 9th, 2024 at 12:47pm CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 9: Thomas’ rest-of-season contract with the Suns is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

APRIL 8: The Suns intend to make veteran guard Isaiah Thomas playoff-eligible by signing him for the rest of the 2023/24 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Thomas signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Phoenix, the second of which expires tonight. The 35-year-old will fill the 15th and final spot on the Suns’ standard roster.

A former two-time All-Star, Thomas had been out of the NBA for a couple years prior to getting another shot with Phoenix. He has only played 14 minutes of garbage time across four appearances this season, but he has reportedly played well in practices and has drawn praise from head coach Frank Vogel for being a good locker room presence.

Thomas, who has played for 10 different teams in his 12 seasons, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 first reported around the time that Thomas signed his first 10-day deal last month that he was expected to eventually get a rest-of-season commitment from the Suns.

The move signals that Saben Lee and Phoenix’s other two-way players will remain on their current contracts and won’t become playoff-eligible.

O'Neale Lacks Incentive To Sign Before Free Agency

April 8th, 2024 at 1:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Royce O’Neale doesn’t have much of an incentive to sign an extension with the Suns prior to the summer, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix notes (Twitter link). Right now, the Suns are limited to just a two-year, $20.5MM extension. However, Phoenix can offer him up to five years in the summer since it holds O’Neale’s Bird rights. A contract in the $13-14MM annual range for three or four years might work for both sides, Gambadoro speculates.

NBA’s 20 Postseason Teams Set For 2024

April 7th, 2024 at 5:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The 20 teams that will compete in either the playoffs or the play-in tournament (or both) have officially been set following the Rockets‘ loss to Dallas on Sunday, per the NBA (Twitter link).

There’s still much to be decided in the season’s final week, including exactly which six teams in each conference will secure playoff spots without having to win one or two play-in games. However, with the Rockets’ elimination, we at least know which teams from both the West and East will play beyond the end of the regular season next Sunday.

The Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Thunder have already clinched playoff berths in the West, while the Clippers‘ magic number for a playoff spot is down to 1. The Mavericks are also well positioned to claim a top-six seed following their win on Sunday. They’re followed in the standings by the Suns, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, and Warriors.

Four of those teams will compete in the play-in tournament for two playoff spots, but the exact play-in participants and matchups remain very much up in the air. Of the Western clubs in the back half of the top 10, only Golden State is a virtual lock to be a play-in team, since the Dubs are currently four games out of sixth place.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are the lone club to secure a playoff berth so far and have also clinched the No. 1 seed. They’re followed by the Bucks, Magic, Knicks, Cavaliers, Pacers, Heat, and Sixers, with the Bulls and Hawks well out of eighth place and locked into the No. 9 vs. 10 play-in game.

The East’s playoff race remains tight, with No. 2 Milwaukee and No. 8 Philadelphia separated by only 4.5 games at the time of this writing.

Frank Vogel Says Lineup Change Possible For Playoffs

April 6th, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

At 45-33, L.A. is a half-game behind New Orleans and a half-game ahead of Sacramento in a tight race for seedings. The Lakers trail Phoenix by a game-and-a-half for the coveted sixth spot, but they’re two games back in the loss column and will need some help to catch the Suns.

Suns coach Frank Vogel indicated that he might consider replacing Grayson Allen with Royce O’Neale in the starting lineup depending on the postseason matchup, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Grayson has been our starter, I expect it to stay that way,” Vogel said, “but you get into or near the playoffs, everything is on the table.”

Community Shootaround: Who Will Win The West?

April 6th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Celtics currently hold a 14-game lead for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, making them a very strong favorite to reach the NBA Finals, though that outcome is far from assured.

The standings are much more competitive in the West though. The seedings are still up for grabs, but the top 10 teams are all but secured after Golden State beat Houston on Thursday.

The Timberwolves are currently the No. 1 seed due to a tiebreaker over the defending-champion Nuggets, who hold an identical 53-24 record. The upstart Thunder are one game back at No. 3, followed by the Clippers, Mavericks and Suns.

The Pelicans, Kings, Lakers and Warriors are currently the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds, meaning they’d be in the play-in tournament if the season ended today. Only two games separate Phoenix and the Lakers, however, so things could certainly change between now and April 14, when the regular season concludes.

Each of the top teams in the West has question marks ahead of the postseason, mostly due to injuries. Minnesota may not have Karl-Anthony Towns back before the first round, and the team has only advanced past that stage one time in franchise history. Denver, which went 16-4 in last year’s playoffs en route to its first title in 2023, has been playing without star guard Jamal Murray of late, though he may return soon.

Oklahoma City is young and is not playoff tested, plus MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been sidelined recently with a quad injury. Kawhi Leonard is currently dealing with a knee injury for the Clippers.

The Mavericks have dealt with injuries to rotation players throughout the season, though they’re the hottest team in Conference at the moment. Phoenix’s “big three” has only played in 36 games together in 2023/24. New Orleans, Sacramento, the Lakers and Golden State have all been inconsistent throughout the season.

With so many unknowns, it makes it difficult to pick a favorite. That leads us to our question of the day: Who do you think will advance out of the West and make the NBA Finals? Head to the comments and let us know what you think.

And-Ones: K. Smith, NBL, Salary Cap, Ishbia, Gilbert

April 6th, 2024 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA champion and current TNT analyst Kenny Smith is getting involved in Australia’s National Basketball League, according to a press release. Smith has been appointed as the head of the NBL’s Next Stars player initiative and will “actively recruit, develop and mentor new Next Stars players” in that role.

The Next Stars initiative has served as an alternative to college basketball (or to the G League Ignite) for NBA prospects who are not yet draft-eligible, with LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, R.J. Hampton, and Ousmane Dieng among the notable players who have chosen that path. Alexandre Sarr, a candidate to be this year’s No. 1 overall pick, is currently in the program.

“Legitimate pathways to the NBA are evolving, and the NBL has a proven track record of getting players drafted,” Smith said in a statement. “The NBL identified a key role for me to mentor and support young talent and equip them with the tools to compete at a professional level with a view to making the leap into the NBA.”

In addition to heading up the Next Stars initiative, Smith will also become the part-owner of an NBL expansion team that will be announced in the near future, according to the announcement.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA shared new salary cap projections for 2024/25 with its teams this week, but the estimated figures haven’t changed since January’s update, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). As Wojnarowski relays, the cap is still projected to be $141MM next season.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has been in the news for non-basketball reasons over the past week. Baxter Holmes of ESPN put out a story detailing the feud between Ishibia and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert due to the billionaires’ rival mortgage companies, while Hunterbrook Media published an investigative report about the questionable legality of Ishbia’s business practices as the CEO and chairman of United Wholesale Mortgage. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic details, Ishbia suggested during a media session that Hunterbrook’s investigation was funded Gilbert’s Rocket Mortgage, which a Rocket Mortgage spokesperson adamantly denied.
Noting that the teams near the bottom of the NBA’s standings have been historically bad since the All-Star break, John Hollinger of The Athletic considers ways the league might address the issue and improve its product in March. Hollinger suggests eliminating the buyout market entirely and making any player waived after the trade deadline ineligible for the postseason, but acknowledges that the impact may be marginal.