- Suns rookie Dragan Bender‘s offensive skills are his calling card, but the young big man understands that it is his defensive development that will determine his playing time, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I learned the hard way,” Bender said. “I came to a big club [Maccabi Tel Aviv] and thought I didn’t need to play defense because of the shooting ability and everything. But once the coach puts you on the bench and freezes you for a couple games, you realize as a young guy you have to come inside and play defense and bring the energy. Defense is just a will. It’s just a matter if you want to play it or not. You have to follow the coaches’ instructions about how you’re going to defend those teams. It doesn’t matter if you’re weak or have less muscles than those guys, you just have to fight with them for better position and get them out of there.”
Former Hawks big man Edy Tavares, waived by Atlanta earlier this season, is nearing an agreement to join Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League affiliate, reports international basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter). If and when Tavares officially signs, he’ll remain an NBA free agent, as the Raptors would only hold his D-League rights.
Players can’t sign outright with D-League teams, instead signing a D-League contract and entering the league’s player pool, where teams can claim them. As D-League Digest tweets, the Northern Arizona Suns, the club with the top waiver priority in the D-League, claimed Johnny O’Bryant today. With the move, the Raptors’ D-League squad has moved up to the top waiver spot, giving them the opportunity to land Tavares, per Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link).
The 43rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, Tavares joined the Hawks for the 2015/16 season, appearing in just 11 games and averaging 6.6 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old Cape Verde native also made 29 D-League appearances, averaging 9.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 3.3 BPG in 21.6 minutes per game. The Hawks decided to move on from him earlier this year when they needed an opening on their 15-man roster to sign Ryan Kelly.
Tavares received interest from the Spanish club FC Barcelona, according to a recent report, and likely would’ve had other opportunities overseas if he chose to pursue them. His decision to head to the D-League instead suggests he hopes to get another shot with an NBA team.
- Jared Dudley has been moved to the Suns’ second unit to give it an offensive boost, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic relays. Phoenix has placed rookie Marquese Chriss into the starting five at power forward. Dudley was expecting to be a starter until about midseason, when either Chriss or fellow rookie Dragan Bender would take that spot, but coach Earl Watson felt he needed to make a switch much earlier because the reserves were getting dominated, Coro adds. “The second-unit was suffering, especially we need to get B-Knight (Brandon Knight) going, and he’s such a huge part of us,” Dudley told Coro.
- The Suns are thrilled by what they’ve seen from rookie power forward Marquese Chriss, who was acquired in a draft-day trade with the Kings, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Phoenix is bringing Chriss along slowly, giving him 15 minutes per night in his first six games, and he has responded with averages of 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. Although he is only 19, Chriss believes he is mature enough for the NBA. “Off the court I’ve never had any problems, I never get in conflicts or things like that,” he said. “I’m real mellow, kind of just handle my business and put my head down. I’m just adjusting like everybody else is, getting up every morning, coming to the gym with the mentality that I want to get better and every day has a purpose.”
- Former Suns coach Alvin Gentry thinks the team made wise moves in reacquiring two of his former players this offseason, relays Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Gentry had high praise for Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa, who both returned to Phoenix as free agents. “When I was there, they were great,” Gentry said. “They’re great locker room guys. There’s a maturity about them that they understand where they are in their careers and they’re going to do everything they can to help the young guys. You can put them on the court and they can be productive. That’s a win-win-win all the way around.”
- Suns center Alex Len is setting up in the low post more often and that decision is paying dividends, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes. Len had 18 points in 21 minutes off the bench against the Trail Blazers, mainly by staying in the paint. “Alex Len perfected simplicities of the game,” coach Earl Watson told Coro. “He kept it simple, and his numbers were better.”
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2016 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 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Phoenix Suns.
Free agent signings:
- Jared Dudley: Three years, $30MM.
- Leandro Barbosa: Two years, $8MM. Second year partially guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Gracin Bakumanya: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
- Derek Cooke: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
- Shaquille Harrison: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
- Derrick Jones: Three years, minimum salary ($42.5K guaranteed)
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Marquese Chriss (No. 8 pick) from the Kings in exchange for the draft rights to Georgios Papagiannis (No. 13 pick), the draft rights to Skal Labissiere (No. 28 pick), the draft rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic, and the Pistons’ 2020 second-round pick.
Draft picks:
- 1-4: Dragan Bender. Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-8: Marquese Chriss. Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-34: Tyler Ulis. Signed for four years, $4MM. Third and fourth years non-guaranteed.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Named Earl Watson the team’s permanent head coach (had been interim).
- Hired Jay Triano and Tyrone Corbin as assistant coaches. Hired former NBA big man Mehmet Okur as a player development coach.
- Exercised 2017/18 team options on Devin Booker and T.J. Warren.
- Alex Len eligible for contract extension until October 31.
- Lost NBA rights to 2014 second-round pick Alec Brown.
- Hired Ty Ellis as head coach of the Northern Arizona Suns, their D-League affiliate.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Phoenix Suns right here.
The most important moves made by the Suns this offseason came before the free agency period began on July 1.
Phoenix’s first order of business was to decide what coach would guide a young roster through its rebuilding process. The second was to accumulate more difference-makers in the draft lottery through its abundance of picks.
The Suns didn’t take long on the first of those offseason decisions. They gave interim head coach Earl Watson the job full-time, making him the second youngest head man in the league this season behind only the Lakers’ new coach, Luke Walton.
Watson joined Jeff Hornacek’s staff prior to last season and got promoted when Hornacek was fired in early February. Though the Suns only went 9-24 the rest of the way, the front office liked the way the players responded to him.
“Earl did a very good job with our team last season after taking over as interim head coach during a challenging time for the organization,” Suns GM Ryan McDonough said at the time. “Earl’s natural leadership qualities and his ability to connect with and motivate our players have stood out throughout his time here in Phoenix.”
Former Raptors coach Jay Triano was soon hired as Watson’s right-hand man to lend guidance and an experienced voice.
With that out of the way, the front office’s attention turned to player personnel. The next few seasons for the Suns will be shaped by what they did on June 23rd. They walked into the draft with four first-rounders, including two lottery selections, and a high second-rounder.
They held onto the fourth overall pick and chose Euro big man Dragan Bender, giving them a stretch four with length and versatility. What they did with their other picks was both curious and intriguing. They packaged them up and shipped them to the Kings for another power forward, Marquese Chriss, a one-and-done prospect whom the Kings selected at No. 8.
How the Suns plan to use tandem of teenage power forwards in the long run remains as a question mark. The 7’1” Bender would have to fill out physically to handle the banging required to play center, and it’s doubtful two players of their size could man both forward positions because of obvious concerns guarding quicker small forwards.
So unless the Suns plan to have them split the minutes at power forward in the near future, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless they eventually make one of them a trade chip.
McDonough offered an explanation shortly after the draft.
“We knew Sacramento would consider dropping down from 8 to 13 if we made it worth their while. But both teams wanted to get on the clock in the draft to see who was still available on the board,” he said. “We took Dragan and said, let’s see what we can do to get No. 8 and get both of them. We think those two guys are perfect for the modern NBA, where athleticism and shooting and defensive versatility is at a premium, and they were the two best guys in the draft at those things.”
Phoenix went much smaller with its second-rounder, selecting diminutive point man Tyler Ulis out of Kentucky. Ulis provides a change of pace option to starter Eric Bledsoe, and the Suns were impressed enough to give him a four-year, partially-guaranteed contract.
In the early going, all three rookies have seen action, with Chriss getting rotation minutes.
Small forward P.J. Tucker had his $5.3MM guaranteed just before the start of free agency, but the Suns renounced their rights to four other players heading into the market. One member of that quartet, Jon Leuer, landed a lucrative four-year deal with the Pistons.
The Suns knew they weren’t going to attract any top-level free agents, so they went shopping for a couple of high-character players who could contribute in the short term. The biggest fish they landed was power forward Jared Dudley, who received a three-year deal to hold the fort until either Chriss or Bender is ready to move into the starting lineup.
Dudley’s contract was structured to give him slightly more at the front end, allowing a little more cap flexibility for the next two seasons.
The other top free agent addition, guard Leandro Barbosa, has a championship pedigree after playing for the Warriors during their trips to the Finals the last two seasons. The second year of Barbosa’s deal is non-guaranteed, but at $4MM per is cost effective if he shows he still has something in the tank this season.
Once those free agents were signed, the only other order of business was to decide whether to pursue a rookie-scale extension with Alex Len. There was never any indication the Suns were willing to get serious in that regard with their backup center, and no agreement was reached.
It’s obvious the Suns’ roster is still a work in progress. They have an aging center in Tyson Chandler, a backup guard in Brandon Knight with four years and nearly $57MM left on his deal, and uncertainty at small forward. T.J. Warren’s fast start could alleviate concerns with the latter issue.
Phoenix seemingly struck gold by selecting Devin Booker late in the 2015 lottery, and the 20-year-old shooting guard could develop into one of the league’s top scorers.
Ultimately, the success of the Suns’ 2016 offseason will be determined by whether Bender or Chriss develops into an All-Star level talent. Essentially, the Suns opted to give themselves two chances to find one top-notch power forward.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The first D-League assignment of Dejounte Murray‘s young career was a brief one. The Spurs announced today that they’ve recalled Murray, just one day after assigning him to Austin, so the 2016 first-rounder will join the team on its road trip to Utah.
- The Suns have sent rookie forward Derrick Jones to their newly-relocated D-League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, the team announced today in a press release. Jones has yet to see the floor for Phoenix during the regular season, so it makes sense to send him to Northern Arizona to get him some action.
- The Jazz have assigned 2016 second-rounder Joel Bolomboy to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a team release. Bolomboy has played briefly in two games for Utah so far this season.
Throughout the offseason, and in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams before the season can be designated as affiliate players and assigned to their D-League squads.
The players have some say in the decision — if they’d prefer to sign with a team overseas, or if they get an opportunity with another NBA club, they’re free to turn down their team’s request to have them play in the D-League. Most NBA and international teams have fairly set rosters by late October though, so having the opportunity to continue playing in the same system is appealing to many of those preseason cuts. Especially since they’ll maintain NBA free agency while they play in the D-League.
There are a few other rules related to D-League affiliate players. A player whose returning rights are held by a D-League team can’t be an affiliate player for another club, which is why undrafted free agents from the current year are commonly signed and assigned. Additionally, an affiliate player must have signed with his team during the current league year, which explains why we often see players signed and quickly waived in the days leading up to the regular season. And, of course, not every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, so clubs like the Hawks, Nuggets, or Clippers have no place to send affiliate players.
With all that in mind, here are the NBA D-League affiliate players to start the 2016/17 season:
Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs)
Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Delaware 87ers (Philadelphia 76ers)
- The Suns had already pushed back John Jenkins‘ guarantee date once this year, and the 25-year-old consented to having that date postponed again, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, Jenkins’ salary now won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10, the league-wide deadline.
Pablo Prigioni, who was waived by Houston on Monday, is drawing interest from a team in Spain, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. The 39-year-old point guard has an offer from Barcelona that he is reportedly considering. Prigioni played for the Knicks, Clippers and Rockets in four NBA seasons.
There’s more NBA-related news tonight:
- Former NBA guard Marquis Teague has been released by his Israeli team, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. The younger brother of Pacers guard Jeff Teague, Marquis Teague played 88 games for the Bulls and Nets but has been out of the league for the past two seasons.
- Ex-NBA players Jeremy Evans and Robbie Hummel have signed with Khimki Moscow, Pick reports (Twitter link). Evans, who was waived by the Pacers last week, had a guaranteed $1,227,286 contract. Hummel had a $150K guarantee from the Nuggets, who released him last week.
- Three recently waived players were part of a D-League trade today, reports Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link). The Northern Arizona Suns dealt Xavier Munford, Cory Jefferson and Alec Brown to the Greensboro Swarm in exchange for three draft picks. Munford, a 24-year-old shooting guard, was released by the Clippers, Jefferson was cut by the Cavaliers and Brown was waived by the Suns.