Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Sign Mike James To Two-Way Contract

July 6th, 2017 at 11:42am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 6: The Suns’ deal with James will be a two-way contract, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. Our primer on two-way contracts can be found right here.

JULY 4: Combo guard Mike James has signed with the Suns, the team announced on its website.

James, 26, has spent the past five seasons in Europe and played this year for Panathinaikos in Greece. He has also spent time in Croatia, Israel, Italy and Spain.

The 6’1″ James played 25 games this season, averaging 13.1 points, 3.0 assists and 0.9 steals per night. He is part of the Suns’ summer league team this year and played summer ball for Phoenix in 2015. He scored 32 points in the 2015 championship game in Las Vegas.

James played collegiately at Lamar, where he was named first-team All-Southland Conference in 2011/12 and scored 52 points in a 2010/11 game. He went undrafted in 2012.

Josh Jackson Signs Rookie Contract With Suns

July 4th, 2017 at 10:53am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns have signed first-round pick Josh Jackson, according to the Associated Press. As with all rookie deals for first-rounders, Jackson received two guaranteed years with team options for the following two seasons.

As the fourth overall selection, Jackson will make a little more than $5.09MM in his first season. The full deal would give him more than $27.12MM, assuming he stays with the Suns for four years, as our rookie-scale chart shows. Jackson will become eligible for an extension in 2020 or could be a restricted free agent in 2021.

A 6’8″ forward out of Kansas, Jackson averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his only season as a Jayhawk. Scouts raved about his versatility, athleticism and defensive prowess heading into the draft.

Fans can get their first look at him in a Phoenix uniform starting this weekend as part of the Suns’ summer league team in Las Vegas.

Suns Waive Leandro Barbosa

July 3rd, 2017 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns are waiving veteran guard Leandro Barbosa, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter). The timing of the move doesn’t come as a surprise — Barbosa’s salary for 2017/18 would have become fully guaranteed if he remained under contract beyond today.

Barbosa, 34, joined the Suns on a two-year contract last summer, but the second year was only partially guaranteed for $500K. By cutting Barbosa, Phoenix will save $3.5MM on his $4MM total salary.

The Brazilian guard played a part-time role for the Suns last season, rejoining the franchise with which he started his career. In 67 games (14.4 MPG), Barbosa averaged 6.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 1.2 APG, with a shooting line of .439/.357/.889.

Phoenix entered the offseason with aspirations of landing an impact player like Blake Griffin or Paul Millsap. However, after seeing several Western Conference teams – including the Rockets, Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets – make impact moves to load up their rosters, the Suns opted to stay out of the fray. They’ll focus instead on developing their young players and plan to use their cap room to accommodate other teams’ salary dumps, acquiring draft picks or young players in the process.

Suns Offer Alan Williams Four-Year Deal

July 2nd, 2017 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have made a contract offer to restricted free agent Alan Williams, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who reports (via Twitter) that Phoenix’s offer is a four-year deal in the range of $5-6MM per year.

Williams, 24, took on a bigger role in his second season with the Suns in 2016/17, though he only averaged 15.1 minutes per contest in 47 games overall. Still, he was very productive when he played, recording 17.6 points and 14.8 rebounds per 36 minutes.

Since free agency began, Williams has been linked repeatedly to the Knicks, with at least one Saturday report suggesting that New York may be preparing an offer sheet for him. Because the 6’8″ forward/center is a restricted free agent, Phoenix would have the opportunity to match any offer, but the team would clearly prefer to negotiate its own contract with Williams rather than risk having to match a more exorbitant deal from the Knicks or another club.

As Gambadoro adds (via Twitter), the Suns had originally planned on pursuing top-tier free agents, but with several Western Conference teams further loading up their roster this week, the franchise has decided to stay patient with its rebuilding plan. That means Phoenix is no longer in the hunt for Paul Millsap, as we heard on Saturday night.

In addition to Williams, Alex Len also remains a restricted free agent for the Suns.

Western FA Rumors: Gay, Wolves, Rondo, Kings

July 2nd, 2017 at 12:16am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder big man Enes Kanter created a stir on Twitter earlier tonight when he published a photo that showed neighboring lockers featuring Russell Westbrook‘s and Rudy Gay‘s nameplates. While Gay was in Oklahoma City meeting with the Thunder today, Kanter’s tweet doesn’t mean the two sides have an agreement in place, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Young says that league sources were confident as of Friday night that OKC was in a strong position with Gay, adding that the Thunder made a “strong impression” during Saturday’s meeting (Twitter link).

With no deal in place yet, Gay continues to draw interest from other teams. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that the Timberwolves remain on the lookout for a free agent who can play power forward and shoot, and gave Gay a call today. Wolfson classifies the contact as “just a check-in call,” however.

Here are more free agent rumors from around the Western Conference:

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) has heard that Rajon Rondo would have interest in joining the Clippers. As Kennedy notes, Rondo has friends on the team and has a history with Doc Rivers from their Boston days.
In a separate tweet, Alex Kennedy passes along an update on free agent big man Thomas Robinson, reporting that the Timberwolves have expressed some interest in the former lottery pick.
The Kings are “very interested” in signing Zach Randolph, league sources tell Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento saw a pair of its free agent targets land elsewhere late on Saturday night, as Andre Iguodala committed to the Warriors and P.J. Tucker agreed to sign in Houston. The Kings had offered Iguodala a two-year deal in the range of $16MM annually, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
With other restricted free agents set to receive larger offers, Suns center Alex Len may be a more attainable target for teams, and is discussing scenarios with a few potential suitors, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Suns No Longer Pursuing Millsap; Nuggets May Be Favorites

July 1st, 2017 at 5:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will no longer pursue Hawks power forward Paul Millsap, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.

Phoenix has opted to use its available cap to take on salary dumps paired with assets, Wojnarowski adds. The Suns are committing to a youth movement are open to dealing any of the veterans on their roster.

The Nuggets, who have a meeting tonight with Millsap, may now be the favorites to sign him, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The Timberwolves, who reportedly met or will meet with Millsap, may have also pulled out of the running, Aldridge suggests.

Gary Harris will be joining team president Josh Kroenke, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and coach Michael Malone in their appeal to Millsap, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Denver is still open to re-signing Danilo Gallinari if its pursuit of Millsap doesn’t work out, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).

The Kings are another possibility, although Amick says they remain a long shot, at least for now (Twitter link).

Free Agent Rumors: Durant, Hayward, Gay, Kings

July 1st, 2017 at 11:27am CST by marksuleymanov

The defending NBA champion Warriors started free agency off with a bang, agreeing to terms with two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry to the richest pact in league history. The team will reportedly sign Curry to a five-year deal worth $201MM+ and now the focus turns to retaining the remainder of Golden State’s championship-winning roster.

Last year’s prized acquisition, Kevin Durant, led the team to a championship and is now a free agent. However, Chris Haynes of ESPN (via Twitter) reports that teams have not reached out to Durant’s camp to gauge his interest in leaving because they see it as a “waste of time.” Earlier this week, it was reported that Durant will wait to re-sign with the Warriors to allow the team to finish other offseason business, and he will not meet with other teams during that stretch.

Below are additional rumors surrounding this year’s free agency period:

If the Heat’s pursuit of Gordon Hayward falls through, the team may turn its attention to fellow free agent Rudy Gay, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical (via Twitter). Mannix adds that Gay told the outlet he should be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor (via Twitter) cites three league sources who believe the Heat are the frontrunners for Hayward. The sunny beaches and warm weather of Miami, a popular coach in Erik Spoelstra, and a prominent role in which he can be the team’s primary scorer are all lucrative incentives, O’Connor notes. However, O’Connor acknowledges that it’s a fluid situation, and a lot could change based on Hayward’s meetings.
Restricted free agent Alan Williams is a “serious” candidate to sign with the Knicks, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). While the Suns could match any offer for Williams, their willingness to do so may hinge on who else they’re able to land in free agency.
The Kings are intent on landing a power forward in free agency, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, who tweets that Zach Randolph, Patrick Patterson, and Taj Gibson are all on Sacramento’s radar. We had previously heard about the team’s interest in Randolph and Patterson.
According to Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), the Pistons have been in contact with Reggie Bullock, Aron Baynes, and restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope since free agency opened late on Friday night.

Free Agent Rumors: Porter, Randolph, Millsap, Holiday

July 1st, 2017 at 2:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards‘ session with Otto Porter ended without an agreement, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. Porter plans to start meeting with other teams this weekend (Twitter link). That creates a potential opening for the Nets, who appear willing to offer the max of four years and $100MM, according to a post on NetsDaily. Philadelphia may also get involved, but the Sixers seem reluctant to make long-term offers. Washington has promised to match any offer for the restricted free agent.

There’s more late-night free agency news:

Aldridge has two more tidbits to pass along. The Cavaliers are interested in Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph and plan to call him today (Twitter link). Also, Blake Griffin‘s decision to re-sign with the Clippers means the Suns will intensify their pursuit of Hawks forward Paul Millsap (Twitter link).
Jrue Holiday met with the Pelicans tonight, but no deal was reached, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The two sides are expected to get together again in the morning.
The new $201MM supermax contract that the Warriors gave to Stephen Curry doesn’t include a no-trade clause or a player option, according to Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link).
Spurs forward Jonathon Simmons has gotten calls from the Kings, Clippers and Timberwolves and is ready to start holding meetings, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
In addition to Simmons, the Clippers plan to meet with Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari on Sunday and Jazz forward Joe Ingles this weekend, relays Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
There’s a strong chance that Celtics‘ power forward Amir Johnson will sign with the Sixers, a source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Johnson has a history with Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, who traded for him in 2009 as GM of the Raptors.
The Kings met tonight with Andre Iguodala and Patrick Patterson, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
The Timberwolves have put in a call to Ty Lawson as a possible backup for Jeff Teague, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The Pelicans, Thunder and Kings have also been in contact with Lawson.
The Grizzlies are the latest team to show interest in Kings guard Ben McLemore, relays Chris Mannix of The Vertical (Twitter link).
The Knicks contacted Suns power forward Alan Williams tonight, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Williams fits New York’s goal of finding players who can contribute on both ends of the floor, Begley notes.

Suns To Meet With Paul Millsap

June 30th, 2017 at 10:43pm CST by Austin Kent

JUNE 30th, 10:43pm: Phoenix has a meeting set with Millsap for this Sunday, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. With Blake Griffin agreeing to re-sign with the Clippers, this may intensify the Suns’ pursuit of the forward, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (via Twitter).

JUNE 29th, 4:45pm: In addition to their scheduled meeting with Blake Griffin, the Suns will meet with Paul Millsap, John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports reports.

The 31-year-old forward is expected to have numerous suitors although most tend to be more established contenders. As Gambadoro notes in his article, Millsap would join a small group of players considerably older than the Phoenix’s young core.

As we discussed yesterday, new Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk is not expected to offer Millsap a full max contract, that puts the ball in the court of teams looking to lure the 12-year veteran away.

Just last week, Millsap was briefly linked to the Suns by Brian Windhorst of ESPN and Gambadoro then offered up Tyson Chandler as a possible player who could be involved in a sign-and-trade between the two franchises.

In a fourth consecutive All-Star season last year, Millsap averaged a career high 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Dudley Out 3-4 Months With Toe Injury

June 30th, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Austin Kent

Veteran Suns forward Jared Dudley underwent surgery to repair a lingering toe issue and will be sidelined 3-4 months, ESPN relays.