Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Exploring Sign-And-Trade For Paul Millsap

June 21st, 2017 at 11:49am CST by Arthur Hill

11:49am: Tyson Chandler is a candidate to go to Atlanta if the Suns are part of a sign-and-trade for Millsap, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix.

11:09am: After trading Dwight Howard Tuesday, the Hawks are exploring their options involving free agent forward Paul Millsap, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (hat tip to Slam Magazine). Windhorst said Atlanta has reached out to teams about a possible sign-and-trade, with the Suns, Kings and Nuggets all expressing interest.

New Hawks GM Travis Schlenk suggested last week that the team may not be willing to make a max offer to Millsap, who turned 32 in February. The Hawks can sign Millsap to a five-year deal worth about $205MM, while other teams are limited to four seasons and about $152MM.

Millsap is coming off his fourth straight All-Star season, averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 69 games. He made a little more than $20MM this season.

A Millsap deal would signal a full rebuilding job for the Hawks, who are on a string of 10 straight postseason appearances.

Suns GM: Off-Court Issues Won't Impact No. 4 Choice

June 20th, 2017 at 11:07pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Suns GM Ryan McDonough said this week that off-court issues will not factor into the team’s selection with the fourth overall pick, per AZCentral’s Doug Haller. That suggests that the team figures to seriously consider Josh Jackson if he’s available at No. 4.

Clippers Gauging DeAndre Jordan’s Trade Value

June 20th, 2017 at 9:18pm CST by Luke Adams

With Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick all eligible for free agency this summer, DeAndre Jordan appeared to be the only core piece on the Clippers who definitely wasn’t going anywhere. However, even Jordan may not be a lock to stay put. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, the Clippers have gauged the market on a possible Jordan trade.

The reports on Jordan are somewhat conflicting, with Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times tweeting that the Clips aren’t actively looking to move the veteran center, and adding that no deal has been discussed. Haynes, meanwhile, says the Clippers have spoken to a few teams in “exploratory fashion.” It’s possible that both reports could be true — the Clippers may be asking around to get a sense of what Jordan might be worth, without any formal offers being made.

Nonetheless, Haynes’ report does go into a little more detail, suggesting that the Clippers and Suns discussed the possibility of a swap of Jordan for Tyson Chandler and the No. 4 pick. Phoenix is believed to have “balked” at that idea, per Haynes.

Of course, the respective futures of Paul and Griffin figure to play a large part in deciding what the Clippers do with Jordan. According to Haynes, rival executives believe that the Clippers would intensify their pursuit of a possible Jordan deal if Griffin decides to sign elsewhere as a free agent next month.

It’s also not clear how Jerry West‘s arrival will affect the team’s stance — the Clippers were surveying the landscape prior to West’s arrival, but rival clubs believe Jordan’s status hasn’t necessarily changed in recent days, says Haynes.

Haynes also notes that the Clippers are “desperate for youth and athleticism,” and are expected to be aggressive in attempting to acquire a second-round pick on Thursday.

Bulls Becoming More Open To Jimmy Butler Trade

June 20th, 2017 at 8:32pm CST by Luke Adams

8:32pm: Butler’s preference to remain in Chicago has been made clear to the Bulls’ front office in addition to the Cavs, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that a trade between Chicago and Cleveland appears unlikely at this point. Still, Johnson tweets that the Bulls remain active in Butler talks.

7:28pm: The Cavaliers have been notified that Butler would like to stay with the Bulls and would be reluctant to commit to a long-term future in Cleveland, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. If the Cavs are able to complete a deal for Butler, I imagine they’d do so without a long-term commitment from the forward, but his desire to remain in Chicago is still a factor they’ll have to consider.

4:33pm: Just one day after Bulls sources suggested that the team likely wouldn’t move Jimmy Butler this week, the odds of a trade appear to be increasing. The Bulls have typically just been willing to listen on Butler inquiries to gauge his value, but they’re now making outgoing calls to teams about the star forward, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com.

According to Goodwill, the Celtics and Cavaliers are the frontrunners to land Butler if a deal gets done this week. The Suns have been “doing due diligence,” league sources tell Goodwill. The Nuggets were somewhat involved on Butler at the trade deadline, per CSN’s report, though it’s not clear if they’re jumping into the fray this time around. The Timberwolves were also mentioned on Monday as a possible trade partner for Chicago.

Butler has publicly expressed a desire to remain in Chicago, but Goodwill writes that the relationship between the All-NBA forward and head coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t been “fruitful,” which is one reason the Bulls appear to be legitimately considering moving Butler. Goodwill also suggests that the club may be reluctant to pay Butler a super-max Designated Veteran Extension if he becomes eligible for one next summer.

According to Goodwill, the Bulls were “rebuffed” on an offer to the Celtics for the No. 3 overall pick, straight up. I would expect Chicago to be seeking more than just that one pick in return for Butler, so if that’s true, it’s a surprise. Goodwill adds that bringing the Cavs to the negotiating table figures to increase the quality of the offers for Butler.

An earlier report indicated that the Cavs were attempting earlier this week to work out a three-team Butler trade that would see a third team receive Kevin Love, with a high lottery pick going from that club to the Bulls.

Although the Suns were believed to be the third team in that scenario, and John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 confirms (via Twitter) that the Cavs had interest in Phoenix’s No. 4 pick, Gambadoro says those discussions didn’t involve Love (Twitter link). While that may be true, it would be virtually impossible for the Cavs to pry away a top-five pick for the Bulls without using Love, so I have to think he’d be involved somehow.

Those Butler discussions with the Cavs took place before GM David Griffin departed from the franchise. However, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, Griffin left behind the framework for possible deals involving Butler or Paul George, so owner Dan Gilbert and assistant GM Koby Altman – essentially the Cavs’ acting GM – could continue to work on those deals.

Latest On Kristaps Porzingis

June 20th, 2017 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been another eventful day in the NBA, as a new name has entered the rumor mill as a possible trade candidate: Kristaps Porzingis. Reports have suggested there is a “frenzy of interest” in Porzingis, and the Knicks haven’t shot down potential suitors, though their asking price is said to be very high. The Celtics are reportedly among the teams with interest.

As we wait to see how serious the Knicks are about moving Porzingis, here are a few more noteworthy updates on his possible availability:

4:48pm:

A plugged-in source who spoke to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) says to “disregard” the Porzingis buzz, telling Beck that the Knicks are taking calls but aren’t shopping the Latvian.

3:42pm:

The Sixers and Spurs were among the teams to call the Knicks about Porzingis, a team source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.

2:38pm:

According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix (Twitter link), the Knicks asked the Suns for the No. 4 pick and Devin Booker in exchange for Porzingis. Gambadoro is as plugged in as anyone on Suns news, and asking for Booker makes sense for a team seeking a “front-line guard,” which we heard earlier. So this is perhaps an indication of New York’s asking price for Porzingis.
One general manager tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link) that the Porzingis rumor feels more like a “message” than something the Knicks are seriously considering. Deveney doesn’t speculate about the specifics of that message, but presumably it’s one aimed at Porzingis’ camp.
League sources tell Jordan Schultz of The Huffington Post (Twitter link) that Phil Jackson would like to dump Joakim Noah‘s contract in a Porzingis deal, though it’s not clear if that’s a deal-breaker. While getting Noah off the cap would certainly be huge for the Knicks, attaching him to Porzingis would risk significantly reducing the latter’s trade value.

Cavs Rumors: Griffin, LeBron, Butler, Love, Irving

June 20th, 2017 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of David Griffin‘s departure from the Cavaliers, rumors have been swirling about the circumstances that led the two sides to part ways, the deals Griffin was pursuing while he was still employed, and what the Cavs may do now that he’s gone.

We have a ton of Cavs rumors to pass along, so we’ll break them down into sections, focusing on Griffin, the front office, and trade-related reports…

David Griffin:

Griffin had become pessimistic about his future in Cleveland during the last few months of the 2016/17 season, and had kept an eye on other job openings around the NBA, according to Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo suggests Griffin expressed interest in the Magic and Bucks jobs through back-channels, but wasn’t given permission to speak to those teams by owner Dan Gilbert.
According to Windhorst and McMenamin, Gilbert occasionally inserted himself into trade talks during Griffin’s tenure as GM, calling another team’s owner directly and derailing Griffin’s plans.
Gilbert and Griffin had a long meeting last Friday, which didn’t go well, per Windhorst and McMenamin. Griffin wanted a significant pay raise and a promotion, while Gilbert wanted better communication and more aggression from his GM.
LeBron James was “disappointed” by Griffin’s departure, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). LeBron suggested as much on his own Twitter account, telling Griffin that he appreciated his work for the franchise even if “no one” else did.
Griffin was among the NBA’s lowest-paid general managers, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Previous reports indicated that Griffin was making less than $2MM per year.

Front office:

League sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link) that former Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik would be a strong candidate to work in the Cavaliers‘ front office if Chauncey Billups is hired. Zanik left Milwaukee this week after the team passed him over for a GM promotion.
LeBron is keeping an open mind about the Cavaliers‘ front office shakeup, according to David Aldridge, who tweets that James is “very serious about structure” and wants to see who the team brings in.

Trade rumors:

On Monday, Griffin called several teams about possible trades and told the Bulls he might be able to land a top-five pick if they were willing to trade Jimmy Butler, per Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. According to the ESPN duo, the Cavaliers were making an effort to work out a three-team trade involving Kevin Love and the Suns‘ No. 4 overall pick.
Even after Griffin’s departure, talks involving Love remain ongoing and the Cavaliers continue to gauge the status of Jimmy Butler, says Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter links).
Some Cavaliers players, including LeBron and Kyrie Irving, have reached out to Butler directly to gauge his interest in coming to the Cavs, and those players were encouraged by what they heard, Cleveland sources tell Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. One source tells Cowley that Butler may even push the Bulls front office to get a deal done, though as Cowley notes, that would be a major departure for Butler, who has talked about wanting to remain in Chicago.
Multiple teams have spoken to the Cavaliers about Irving, according to Amico, who adds (via Twitter) that Griffin was unwilling to move the star point guard. Cowley notes in his report that Irving has told some of his Team USA teammates that he might be open to a trade if it starts to look like LeBron will leave in 2018, and the Bulls are one team he’d be interested in. I’m extremely skeptical about the idea of an Irving trade — I think things would have to really go downhill in Cleveland following Griffin’s dismissal for that to be a realistic option.

Five Key Offseason Questions: Phoenix Suns

June 19th, 2017 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns showed only modest improvement in their first full season under coach Earl Watson, going from 23 wins to 24. There are reasons to hope for a brighter future, but the Phoenix front office has a lot of work to do on a roster stocked with a combination of very young and very old players, with little in between.

Here are five key questions facing the Suns as that project begins:

1. Anybody need an extra guard?

Devin Booker‘s path to stardom was shorter than anyone expected, and he punctuated his rise to the NBA elite with a 70-point barrage at Boston in March. The second-year guard has been a starter since early in his rookie season and led the Suns in scoring this year at 22.1 points per game. However, his performance has made Brandon Knight expandable, and Knight hasn’t handled it well. He didn’t appear in a single game after the All-Star break and told the team when asked to play in March that back spasms were preventing him from taking the court.

Knight still has three seasons and nearly $43.9MM on a contract he signed in 2015 before the Suns realized what they had in Booker. It won’t be easy to unload a deal of that size, especially given Knight’s reduced production last year. On the other hand, he’s only 25 and has a history of being an explosive scorer, so there may be takers if the Suns don’t expect much in return. A strong first season from Tyler Ulis makes Knight even more expendable.

Another option is dealing Eric Bledsoe, a productive but injury-prone talent. Bledsoe, 27, will be the Suns’ highest-paid player next season ($14.5MM) and in 2018/19 ($15MM) and would probably fetch a nice collection of assets to help with the team’s youth movement.

McDonough Doesn't Expect To Move No. 4 Pick

June 19th, 2017 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns GM Ryan McDonough doesn’t anticipate moving the No. 4 pick in the draft, as he told Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic and other reporters on Monday. The Suns have been rumored to part of three-way deals involving Paul George and Jimmy Butler, and they are also reportedly enamored with UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, who is expected to be drafted No. 2 overall by the Lakers. However, McDonough says he’s comfortable with staying put and taking whatever player falls to that spot. “We have a good grouping of players regardless of who goes one, two or three we really like,” McDonough told Bordow. “I think at this point there’s one player we feel won’t be there for sure at No. 4 (Fultz) and we’re prepared for every other scenario.”

Cavs Trying To Piece Together Trade For Butler

June 19th, 2017 at 4:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers are seeking to acquire Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler by putting together a multi-team trade, league sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Cleveland needs to get at least one other team involved to obtain the assets Chicago would demand and have been working diligently to do so, Stein adds. (Twitter links)

The Cavaliers’ high payroll, plus their lack of draft picks, makes it difficult to swing a deal for any high-level player. The Trail Blazers own their pick in Thursday’s draft and they also owe the Hawks a first-rounder in 2019. They don’t have any first-rounders coming their way.

It’s logical to assume they’d have to include Kevin Love in any blockbuster deal. Whether the Bulls would be interested in Love is unknown. Perhaps a third-party would facilitate the deal by taking on Love’s contract, which has three years and approximately $74MM remaining, though the final year is a player option.

The Suns might be a team that would get involved in the Cavaliers’ quest for Butler, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets.

Butler’s name continues to swirl in trade rumors, even though numerous executives around the league believe Butler won’t be dealt during draft week. The Timberwolves, Celtics and Suns have all been mentioned as possible suitors for Butler. The Bulls’ asking price is high, as The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted, but there has been preliminary contact between Minnesota and Chicago. Boston has a bevy of first-round picks to offer the Bulls, adding another in its deal with the Sixers to swap the first and third overall picks, which was finalized today.

The Cavaliers have also been linked to the Pacers’ Paul George, who informed Indiana he won’t re-sign with the franchise when he becomes a free agent next summer. As is the case with Butler, the Cavaliers would likely to have to get a third party involved to pry away George.

Bulls Remain Unlikely To Trade Jimmy Butler

June 19th, 2017 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

3:57pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link) agrees that the Bulls’ asking price for Butler remains high, but notes that the Timberwolves have “assets and interest,” adding that Minnesota and Chicago made preliminary contact this week. The Wolves were also linked to Butler around the time of last year’s draft.

Meanwhile, the Suns are another team to watch if Chicago is willing to move Butler, tweets K.C. Johnson.

12:18pm: The Celtics’ impending acquisition of yet another future first-round pick has increased speculation that Danny Ainge will make a push for a star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George in the coming days. However, that talk is “based more on speculation than reality” when it comes to Butler, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, who cites three executives who don’t believe the Bulls forward is going anywhere this week.

Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times expresses a similar sentiment in his latest piece, writing that sources say the Bulls’ asking price for Butler is still “almost insurmountable,” and is unlikely to drop by Thursday. People around the Bulls aren’t even convinced that Ainge will come calling on Chicago before the draft, sources tell Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com.

As Johnson details, the Celtics and Bulls discussed Butler at the trade deadline and around the time of last year’s draft, but February’s discussions were less serious than the talks in 2016. The Bulls asked for at least three – and possibly four – assets from the Celtics, and didn’t want to accept top-one protection on Boston’s 2017 first-round pick, according to Johnson.

While it’s possible that the Bulls’ position on Butler could change at some point, perhaps even later this week, there’s a belief around the league and within the Bulls organization that the Celtics plan to use the third overall pick in this year’s draft and then pursue Gordon Hayward in free agency. If Boston wants to make a blockbuster trade, the team would still have plenty of assets to pursue a deal after the free agent period, with or without Hayward.