Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Have Explored Trading Chandler, Dudley

October 9th, 2017 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have explored trading Jared Dudley and/or Tyson Chandler, but they likely feel no urgency to move either player at this point, says Lowe. The ESPN scribe adds that Phoenix “will surely listen” if the team receives inquiries on Eric Bledsoe.

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T.J. Warren's Extension Worth $47MM

October 6th, 2017 at 6:28pm CST by Austin Kent

According to Basketball Insiders, the base value of T.J. Warren‘s four-year contract extension with the Suns is worth $47MM (as opposed to the $50MM that was initially reported). The difference could be comprised of contract incentives, although that’s merely our speculation.

Poll: Phoenix Suns’ 2017/18 Win Total

October 6th, 2017 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning 23 games two years ago and 24 last season, the Suns contemplated the idea of accelerating their rebuild this summer, but ultimately held off on going all-in for a free agent like Paul Millsap or a trade target like Kyrie Irving.

As a result, Phoenix is prepared to continue taking small steps forward and developing in-house talent this season. Players like Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Marquese Chriss, Tyler Ulis, Dragan Bender are another year older and should continue to improve. Rookies Josh Jackson and Davon Reed also figure to get a chance to show what they can do.

The Suns have been hit hard by early injuries, with Reed, Brandon Knight, and Alan Williams all set to miss significant time – the whole season in Knight’s case – but with veterans like Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler, Jared Dudley, Alex Len, and Troy Daniels around to fill out the rotation, this should be an interesting team to watch.

Still, another year in the lottery is all but assured for Phoenix. Oddsmakers, including offshore betting site Bovada have placed the Suns’ over/under for this season at 29 wins, but we’ll bump that figure down to 28.5, since early betting action has been heavy on the under.

What do you think? Can this young Suns squad improve by five or more wins in a tough Western Conference in 2017/18, or is the club headed for its third straight season of 28 or fewer wins? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Previous over/under voting results:

Western Conference:

Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)
Dallas Mavericks: Under 35.5 (54.95%)
Los Angeles Lakers: Over 33.5 (50.4%)

Eastern Conference:

Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
Orlando Magic: Under 33.5 (75.24%)
Indiana Pacers: Under 31.5 (54.85%)
New York Knicks: Under 30.5 (57.87%)

More Expected Out Of Bender And Chriss; Derrick Jones Most Improved?

October 1st, 2017 at 9:39pm CST by Austin Kent

The rebuilding Suns will expect more out of their 2016 lottery picks Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes. The pair were unpolished but promising in their debuts last season and will look to use experience they’ve since gained to their advantage.
The most improved player on the Suns this season could be Derrick Jones, Eric Bledsoe tells Cody Cuningham of the team’s official website. The athletically gifted guard – and 2017 dunk contest participant – has improved his offensive game and three-point range.

Josh Jackson And Experience Should Help On D

September 29th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by Austin Kent

The Suns were painfully bad at defense last season, allowing 113.3 points per game and fouling more than any other team in the NBA. This year, experience and the addition of Josh Jackson could change that, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes.

Anthony Bennett Eager To Salvage Career

September 28th, 2017 at 5:34pm CST by Austin Kent

Now down to 232 pounds, the lightest he’s been in years, 24-year-old Anthony Bennett is ready to resuscitate his career, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes. The former first-overall pick is on a non-guaranteed deal with the Suns.

Suns Sign T.J. Warren To Four-Year Extension

September 26th, 2017 at 4:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 26: The Suns have officially signed Warren to a rookie scale extension, the team announced today in a press release.

“We are excited about extending T.J.’s contract,” Suns GM Ryan McDonough said in a statement. “T.J. has improved every year and we think he has the potential to continue to grow as he just begins to approach his prime. We view T.J. as an important part of our young core going forward and we are glad that we were able to reach an agreement on this extension.”

SEPTEMBER 25: The Suns and forward T.J. Warren have come to terms on a four-year, $50MM extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Warren will make $3.15MM this season and was eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer. The deadline for the extension was October 16.

Warren became a starter last season, averaging 14.4 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 31.0 MPG. He appeared in 66 games, 59 as a starter, and missed 13 games in November and December due to a head injury. The 6’8” Warren, who is expected to be Suns’ starting small forward again this season, has made 50.2% of his shots during his three-year career but needs work on his 3-point game (31.2%).

Phoenix can afford to extend a young player on the rise, as it has just $62.7MM on guaranteed commitments for the 2018/19 season, not including Warren’s new deal.

The Suns only lose $2MM on cap space because Warren had a $9.5MM free agent cap hold next offseason, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes.

With Warren in the fold, the Suns should have a stable roster in the next couple of years. The only significant player headed to unrestricted free agency next summer is center Alex Len, who recently signed his qualifying offer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2017 Offseason In Review: Phoenix Suns

September 26th, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Phoenix Suns.

Signings:

Alan Williams: Three years, $17.04MM. Second year non-guaranteed. Third year team option.
Alex Len: One year, $4.188MM. Signed qualifying offer.
Mike James: Two-way contract. One year.
Alec Peters: Two-way contract.

Camp invitees:

Anthony Bennett: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
Peter Jok: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.

Trades:

Acquired Troy Daniels and a 2018 second-round pick (second-most favorable of Grizzlies, Heat, and Hornets second-rounders) from the Grizzlies in exchange for Suns’ own 2018 second-round pick (top-55 protected)

Draft picks:

1-4: Josh Jackson — Signed to rookie contract.
2-32: Davon Reed — Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract. Second year partially guaranteed. Third and fourth years non-guaranteed.
2-54: Alec Peters — Signed to two-way contract.

Extensions:

T.J. Warren: Four years, $50MM (reported)

Departing players:

Leandro Barbosa (waived)
Ronnie Price

Other offseason news:

Extended general manager Ryan McDonough.
Hired James Jones as vice president of basketball operations.
Brandon Knight expected to miss 2017/18 season due to ACL tear.
Alan Williams expected to be out until March due to meniscus tear.
Davon Reed expected to be out until at least December due to meniscus tear.

Salary cap situation:

Operating under the cap and under the salary floor. Could create up to $13MM+ in cap space (carrying approximately $85.4MM in guaranteed salary), plus full room exception ($4.328MM) still available.

Check out the Phoenix Suns’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

The Suns entered the 2017 offseason armed with cap room and ready to make a major splash in free agency or on the trade market. After having been linked to Kevin Love in several trade rumors, Phoenix lined up meetings with the top two free agent big men on the market, Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap.

Ultimately, Love remained in Cleveland, Griffin cancelled his meeting with the Suns after quickly coming to the terms with the Clippers, and the Suns reconsidered their direction. Less than 24 hours after the free agent period began, the Suns backed off their pursuit of Millsap, opting instead to continue taking a patient approach to the rebuilding process and to potentially use their cap space to accommodate salary dumps rather than to sign an impact free agent.

The Suns may have been tempted to deviate from that approach later in the summer when Kyrie Irving made his trade request — Irving is younger than Love, Griffin, or Millsap, and would’ve been a better fit for the Suns’ timeline. However, acquiring Cleveland’s star point guard likely would have cost the Suns Josh Jackson and a future first-round pick, and despite being the club most frequently linked to Irving, Phoenix wasn’t willing to pay that price and compromise its rebuild.

That looks to me like the right call. Clawing their way back to the upper ranks of the Western Conference will be a long, challenging road for the Suns, but going out and compromising their future cap flexibility to land an impact player would have represented an ill-advised short cut. This roster has a long way to go before it’s ready to contend, and adding a single star wouldn’t have changed that.

Key offseason losses:

Veteran guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight continued to be the subjects of trade rumors throughout the offseason, and young bigs Alan Williams and Alex Len reached free agency. All four of those players are still Suns though, as the roster remained surprisingly stable over the summer.

Thirteen of the 15 players who finished the 2016/17 season as Suns are still on the roster, with Leandro Barbosa and Ronnie Price representing the only departing vets. While their career résumés are impressive (they’ve appeared in nearly 1,400 combined regular season games), Barbosa and Price didn’t have a major impact on last season’s club. Barbosa at least had a rotation role, averaging 6.3 PPG in 67 games, but Price only appeared in 14 total contests.

Key offseason additions:

The Suns’ only major moves in free agency involved re-signing their own players, with Williams and Len getting new deals from the team. That meant that Phoenix’s most notable additions came in the draft, and fourth overall pick Jackson topped the list of the Suns’ draftees.

The Suns headed into the draft lottery as the second-highest seed and slipped two spots to No. 4, so it will be interesting to see if that outcome ends up coming back to haunt the team in the years to come. Having a shot to draft Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball likely would’ve resulted in a very different offseason for the Suns, who could have shopped Bledsoe more aggressively in that scenario.

Instead, the Suns came out of one of the best point guard drafts in recent memory with a versatile, two-way forward who – even at age 20 – should be able to contribute immediately, particularly on the defensive end. Jackson’s jump shot will have to improve significantly if he’s going to fully live up to his potential and become an All-Star caliber player, but even if that shot takes some time to come around, his athleticism and his ability to guard multiple positions make him a valuable piece for the Suns’ core. And the team clearly recognizes that value, having resisted including Jackson in an offer for Irving.

The Suns also looked to make up for the loss of Barbosa and Price by adding Davon Reed with the 32nd overall pick in the draft. A 39.5% three-point shooter over the course of his college career, the rookie guard could have teamed with Bledsoe, Knight, Devin Booker, and Tyler Ulis to form a young, promising backcourt.

Instead, after suffering a meniscus tear, Reed looks likely to miss most of the first half of the season, while an ACL tear for Knight is expected to sideline him for the entire 2017/18 campaign. Newly acquired shooting guard Troy Daniels figures to help fill out the backcourt rotation in their absence.

Outlook for 2017/18:

On paper, the Suns look pretty similar to the team that finished 24-58 and finished dead last in the Western Conference in 2016/17. Of course, Phoenix wasn’t trying too hard to win games down the stretch, and another year of development for the club’s young players should result in an improvement on the court.

Still, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Suns aren’t once again occupying one of the spots at the bottom of the conference. Fellow lottery teams like the Nuggets, Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Lakers made more tangible improvements this offseason, and key Suns frontcourt players like Jackson, Marquese Chriss, and Dragan Bender will still be finding their footing in the NBA this season. Plus, the Suns have been hit hard by the injury bug this offseason, with Knight, Reed, and Williams all poised to miss extended time.

Another finish in the bottom five of the NBA standings may not thrill fans, but it’s probably good for the Suns’ long-term outlook. When Phoenix made the decision this summer to be patient with the rebuild rather than looking for a short-term fix, the club committed to at least another year or two in the lottery. That should help give the Suns’ young nucleus some time to grow, while giving the franchise the opportunity to add a couple more core pieces in the coming drafts.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Suns’ Alan Williams To Miss Six Months

September 25th, 2017 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns big man Alan Williams underwent a meniscus repair of his right knee today in Phoenix, the team announced in a press release. According to the announcement from the Suns, Williams will miss most of the 2017/18 season after undergoing the procedure — he’s on track to return to full basketball activity in approximately six months.

Williams suffered the injury last Monday when he landed on a teammate’s foot during a workout, per Marc Spears and Chris Haynes of ESPN. It’s another unfortunate blow for a Suns team that has already been hit hard by knee injuries this offseason. Brandon Knight tore his ACL and is expected to miss the entire 2017/18 season, while rookie Davon Reed will miss several months with a meniscus injury of his own.

Williams, 24, took a step forward with the Suns in 2016/17. Although he only averaged 15.1 minutes per contest in 47 games overall, he was very productive when he played, recording 17.6 points and 14.8 rebounds per 36 minutes, and seemed poised to take on a bigger role going forward for the club.

A free agent this summer, Williams signed a three-year deal worth just over $17MM with the Suns. The second and third years of that contract are non-guaranteed, so it will be interesting to see if the young forward/center remains in Phoenix’s long-term plans next summer.

In the short term, bigs like Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, and the newly re-signed Alex Len could see a few extra minutes in the Suns’ frontcourt. If the team uses some smaller lineups, players like T.J. Warren, Jared Dudley or rookie Josh Jackson could see expanded roles.

Alex Len Signs Qualifying Offer With Suns

September 24th, 2017 at 1:37pm CST by marksuleymanov

Alex Len has signed a one-year, $4.2MM qualifying offer to return to the Suns, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Len, a restricted free agent, will delay unrestricted free agency until 2018 by returning to Phoenix via the qualifying offer.

Len, 24, enjoyed another productive season off the Suns’ bench in 2016/17, averaging 8.0 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 77 games (34 starts). The 7’1″ center and his representation discussed several sign-and-trade scenarios but none panned out, according to Charania’s report.

The former fifth overall pick from the 2013 draft has spent all four of his NBA seasons in Phoenix. For his career, Len has averaged 6.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 266 games.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Thursday that Len intended to sign his qualifying offer and return to Phoenix for at least one more season. For more details on the Suns center and his free agency decision, be sure to check out our initial story from Thursday.