Suns Rumors

Suns Notes: Gillespie, Ighodaro, Big Win, Allen

Suns two-way guard Collin Gillespie drew the first start of his career on Monday in place of injured Bradley Beal, writes The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin. Gillespie has since started twice more and Phoenix has won all three games, its first such streak since late January. Gillespie is in his third year in the league, all of which have been on two-way contracts. He missed his rookie season due to injury and joined Phoenix this past offseason.

It was really cool,” Gillespie said of earning a starting opportunity. “Really surreal moment for myself after just battling that stuff, all the injuries and stuff. It was cool, it was fun. Most importantly, we got a win.

There’s no concern about Gillespie reaching his 50-game limit on his two-way deal, since he has been inactive 35 times so far this season. However, he won’t be eligible for the playoffs unless he’s promoted to the active roster.

If the Suns wanted to convert Gillespie to a standard deal, they would need to waive a player, as they’re at the limit of 15. His energy has helped Phoenix get back into the play-in picture at 10th in the West. They’re two games behind the Kings and tied with the 34-37 Mavericks, who rank 11th due to tie-breaking procedures.

Gillespie scored 13 points on a trio of made three-pointers on Friday in a victory against the Cavaliers.

If I’m out on the floor, I’m going to play hard,” Gillespie said. “I’m going to exhaust myself and then if I need a breather, they’ll probably get me out of the game, but when I’m out there, I’m going to play hard and I’m going to exhaust myself.

We have more from the Suns:

  • Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro earned his third career start on Friday, playing a career-high 44 minutes. He finished the upset win over the Cavaliers with six points, 13 rebounds and four assists. “He’s shown a unique ability where he doesn’t seem to get winded or tired,” coach Mike Budenholzer said, per Rankin (Twitter link). “He plays at such a great pace. Mentally, he’s very calm. He understands and sees the game. So there’s not a lot of wasted energy mentally. We scheduled to give him a few more breaks, but he was just playing so good, we just kind of stuck with him.” The rookie No. 40 overall pick is playing much more as of late, averaging 7.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 28.8 minutes over his past six games. Ighodaro earned the start over an injured Nick Richards.
  • The Suns picked up one of their biggest wins of the season on Friday, defeating a healthy but slumping Cavaliers team. As Rankin writes, Phoenix was down four rotational players but their new-look starting lineup is providing an identity and generating good vibes. Alongside Kevin Durant (who scored 42 points on Friday) and Devin Booker, the Suns are starting Gillespie, Ighodaro and rookie No. 28 overall pick Ryan Dunn. When Beal, Richards, Grayson Allen and Mason Plumlee return to the lineup, Budenholzer will be forced to make some lineup decisions, Rankin notes.
  • In a similar story, The Athletic’s Doug Haller points out that Cody Martin is helping bring a defensive intensity off the bench for Phoenix. “I keep saying, just being connected,” Booker said of what’s fueling the team. “You’re moving as one. We’re covering (for) each other on defensive breakdowns and everybody’s making the extra effort to rotate for each other, and at the same time, making sure we secure the ball and rebound.”
  • Allen’s missed game on Friday was his sixth in a row, Rankin adds (via Twitter). “I think this has been a little bit more than what we anticipated, but I think he’s in a really good place,” Budenholzer said. “I think he’s making really good progress. We feel really good about it.” Allen, who is dealing with a foot sprain, was able to get some work in after shootaround on Friday. Budenholzer said the Suns feel “upbeat and optimistic” regarding his chances to play either Monday against the Bucks or Wednesday vs. the Celtics.

Western Notes: Bogdanovic, Durant, Rockets, Mavs, Nuggets

Veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic was having the worst year of his NBA career in Atlanta this season, averaging 10.0 points per game on 37.1% shooting (30.1% on three-pointers). He has looked more like his usual self since being traded to Los Angeles, bumping his scoring average to 12.6 PPG while making 48.5% of his shots from the floor (and 40.0% of his threes).

Bogdanovic has emerged as an X-factor for the Clippers, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register, due to his ability to read the floor, his decision-making, and the way he complements star guard James Harden.

“Bogey, him coming to our team really gave us a shot in the arm and helped us out in all of those areas,” assistant coach Brian Shaw said. “(His) spacing, being able to handle the ball takes some of the pressure off of James … and then when we want to seek out mismatches, they have to account for him out on the three-point line and that leaves the paint and everything open.”

Bogdanovic has a guaranteed $16MM salary for next season and a $16MM team option for 2026/27, so he won’t simply be a rental for his new team.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

  • Within a mailbag for SI.com, veteran NBA reporter Chris Mannix says he thinks Suns forward Kevin Durant would like to end up with with the Rockets this summer. While Mannix makes it clear that’s just his opinion, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) notes that he shares that opinion. Houston controls a handful of Phoenix’s draft picks, making the two teams an obvious match, but the question is how much interest the Rockets would have in giving up significant assets for a player who will be 37 next season — past reports have suggested they’ve sought to complement their young core with a more “age-appropriate” star.
  • The Mavericks held Kessler Edwards out of their game against Detroit on Friday, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Edwards, who is on a two-way contract, can only be active once more and Dallas didn’t want to burn his last game quite yet, so he’ll join the team on its upcoming road trip. Another two-way player, Brandon Williams, is active for the Mavs on Friday and will have just four active games of his own left after tonight (Twitter link).
  • Bennett Durando addresses a series of Nuggets-related topics in a mailbag for The Denver Post, exploring what the team’s playoff rotation might look like, discussing the latest on Aaron Gordon‘s nagging calf injury, and evaluating who’s to blame for Denver’s subpar defensive play.

Suns Notes: Durant, Budenholzer, Plumlee, Booker

Kevin Durant‘s relationship with Suns coach Mike Budenholzer has been an ongoing storyline for several weeks, and Durant offered some insight after this morning’s shootaround, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The topic arose again after Durant snapped at Budenholzer during a timeout in Sunday’s game at Los Angeles (Twitter video link).

“I don’t say, ‘Coach, we’ve got to do this.’ It’s his team,” Durant told reporters. “I’m there to be of assistance. If he needs me to do anything. If I got some suggestions on what may happen, I’m asking him. I’m not telling him what to do. I’m asking him, ‘Yo, Coach, what you think, we should do this right here?’ If he doesn’t think so, all right, then I’ll move on.”

A potential rift between Durant and Budenholzer has been one of the subplots of a disappointing season in Phoenix. Budenholzer is in his first season with the team after replacing Frank Vogel last summer, and Sunday’s incident was the latest evidence of possible tension behind the scenes. In a March 4 game, Durant was seen slapping away Budenholzer’s hand while returning to the huddle.

However, Durant has been supportive of his coach in his public comments, and he believes his long career gives him the right to offer input when he thinks it’s appropriate.

“I’ve never been that guy telling somebody what to do,” Durant said, “but I’ve been in the league for a long time and if I see something, Coach gives me the leeway to come to him if I see something out there that may be different. I think everyone on the team has that type of confidence to go to Coach with that stuff. I’m not telling him what he needs to do. I’m listening and giving suggestions and if it helps, it helps. If he doesn’t take it, then you move on to the next thing.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

  • After losing to the Lakers on Sunday, the Suns responded with one of their best games of the season the next night in a 40-point win over Toronto. In a separate story, Rankin notes that injuries to Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen created more playing time for newcomer Cody Martin and rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, who provide a better defensive foundation. “(Martin) does a little bit of everything,” Devin Booker said. “But most importantly, he’s been vocal even in the times that he hasn’t been in the game, and just seeing things that he sees out there, and it translates. And you know, it was a big part of what we did today.”
  • Backup center Mason Plumlee will miss tonight’s game against Chicago with a left quad strain. Budenholzer isn’t sure when it happened, saying it might be “a little bit of a cumulative effect,” tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Budenholzer adds that the team will monitor Plumlee for the next 24 to 48 hours in hopes that it’s not more serious.
  • Owner Mat Ishbia stated last week that trading Booker this summer would be “silly,” but Mark Deeks of HoopsHype lists four potential landing spots for Booker in the event that the Suns change their minds. Deeks views the Pistons, Thunder, Rockets and Knicks as the best options.

Bradley Beal Out At Least One Week

Suns guard Bradley Beal will miss at least one week before having his left hamstring strain reevaluated, head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters on Monday night, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Beal exited Sunday’s loss to the Lakers after playing just 15 minutes. The team initially referred to his injury as left hamstring soreness but has since changed the diagnosis to a strain.

The veteran guard subsequently sat out Monday’s blowout win over Toronto and will also miss games on Wednesday vs. Chicago and Friday vs. Cleveland before having his injury reassessed ahead of next Monday’s matchup with Milwaukee.

It has been a challenge for Beal to stay healthy this season. While he has appeared in 48 of Phoenix’s 69 regular season games to this point, the 31-year-old has also missed time over the course of the year due to calf, toe, ankle, knee, and elbow issues.

“I feel bad for Brad,” Budenholzer said on Monday. “We’ve just got to find a way to try to keep him healthy. Hopefully, get him right.”

In his 48 appearances (33 starts), Beal has averaged 17.3 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game, with a strong shooting line of .505/.395/.813.

Two-way player Collin Gillespie took Beal’s place in the lineup on Monday, making the first start of his NBA career. Gillespie logged 23 minutes on Sunday and 16 on Monday, well above his season average of 8.0 MPG, and appears poised to continue playing a rotation role this week.

Suns Still Hoping To Salvage Disappointing Season

Kevin Durant‘s heated sideline exchange with coach Mike Budenholzer (Twitter video link) may be the only positive to come out of the Suns‘ loss to the Lakers on Sunday, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. It suggests that Durant is still locked in enough to care about the team amid widespread reports that he plans to ask for a trade this summer.

Durant and his teammates are struggling to make up ground on the 10th-place Mavericks, whose season is imploding amid a constant string of injuries. Phoenix has gone just 4-6 in its last 10 games and remains a game and a half behind Dallas with less than four weeks to play.

“This group is — there’s still (14) games left. We need to get into the play-in, we need to get into the playoffs and try and do something there,” Budenholzer said. “Like, there is a lot of talent in our locker room. There is a lot of fight in our locker room. So we got to get in (the play-in), and then we got to play good basketball, win games. But we got to start winning to get there, (and) I think the guys know that. And I think the mindset and the fight, in the first quarter, wasn’t where it needs to be.”

Budenholzer dismissed the latest run-in with Durant, saying it involved defensive rotations and calling it “pretty normal stuff.” Durant didn’t talk to reporters after the game, according to Vardon, telling them he was going to shower first and then quickly slipping out of the locker room after he was done.

Vardon states that there’s no easy explanation for what has gone wrong with the Suns, who looked like one of the NBA’s best teams in October and early November with an 8-1 start. There’s plenty of firepower on the roster with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal playing alongside Durant, and the front office thought it had upgraded the coaching staff by hiring Budenholzer, who has an NBA title on his resume.

Some observers have labeled Beal a disappointment, but Vardon points out that he has been playing pretty well as a third option, averaging 17.3 PPG while shooting better than 50% from the floor and nearly 40% from three-point range. However, Beal suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday that prevented him from playing in the second half and he’s considered questionable for tonight’s game against Toronto.

Phoenix is 27th in the league in defensive rating, and Budenholzer cited the need to improve in that area several times after Sunday’s loss. Vardon also notes that the three-point shooting has been inconsistent as the Suns missed 18 of their first 20 attempts from beyond the arc against the Lakers.

“I think it’s more than one thing,” Booker said. “In spots, we’ve shown we can do it, and that’s what makes it even more frustrating. We have a game like last game (a 122-106 win over Sacramento), and then we come in and miss a few shots, which affects our defense, which, you know, affects our offense. So, it’s a domino effect. If you’re playing with energy and effort, you know, you can sleep well at night, regardless. And I don’t think we’re doing that right now.”

Pacific Notes: Sabonis, Kings, Lakers, Reaves, Suns, Plumlee

Friday’s loss to Phoenix was the latest in a string of ugly defeats for the Kings, writes Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. The Kings were blown out for the third game in a row and have now dropped four straight and five of their past six.

I expected a way better performance out of our guys,” interim head coach Doug Christie said to open his postgame press conference.

Opposing teams have been feasting from behind the arc of late against Sacramento, which gave up a season-high 24 three-pointers to the Suns and made only eight of their own. As Biderman notes in another story, things went from bad to worse in the fourth quarter, when star center Domantas Sabonis appeared to aggravate the left hamstring injury that had sidelined him for the past six games.

I think he wanted to continue to play,” Christie said. “But (there’s) no conversation. Sit down. When I see you do that, I’m not even playing around with that one. You are way too important to us.”

The Kings, who are currently the No. 9 seed in the West, have dropped to .500 at 33-33 and are only one game up on Dallas and 2.5 games ahead of Phoenix as they vie for a postseason spot.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

  • Prior to Friday’s game in Denver, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said that LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes all have a good chance to suit up within the next week, tweets Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet. “They’re all very close to returning,” Redick said. James has missed the past three games with a groin strain, while Hachimura and Hayes are battling knee injuries. The Lakers wound up losing their fourth straight game to conclude their road trip.
  • Austin Reaves was a bright spot for the Lakers in their shorthanded road loss to the Nuggets, as Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times relays. Reaves wasn’t sure whether he’d play after injuring his right wrist on Thursday in Milwaukee, but he wound up recording 37 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and four steals in 39 minutes. “We know when we’re full healthy and got everybody on the team that we have a really good chance to beat anybody,” Reaves said. “I just see this group, coming together, locking in on one common goal and that’s to win. And tonight I think is the biggest testament to that. Very shorthanded and went and played a really good basketball team with probably the best player in the world. And went toe to toe and had an opportunity to win it and just didn’t execute the last 50 seconds.”
  • Suns star Kevin Durant credited the play and professionalism of Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro following Friday’s victory over Sacramento, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter video link). “It was incredible. … Love playing with those guys and it’s something we need to build on,” Durant said. “We’ve been talking about it for so long, but each game matters, every possession matters. They came out there with that type of mindset.” Both rookies have been in and out of the rotation over the past month.
  • Suns backup center Mason Plumlee was ejected for the second straight game on Friday after elbowing Sabonis in the neck area (YouTube link via ESPN). The play was reviewed and Plumlee’s actions were deemed “unnecessary and excessive with contact above the shoulders,” leading to a flagrant 2 foul and automatic ejection. Plumlee was also ejected from Wednesday’s game vs. Houston after a brief scuffle with Steven Adams.

Cody Martin On Track To Make Suns Debut

Veteran forward Cody Martin, traded from Charlotte to Phoenix at last month’s deadline, has yet to play for the Suns as he recovers from a sports hernia injury. However, he has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game vs. Sacramento and is expected to be available if all goes well during his pregame workout, per head coach Mike Budenholzer (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports).

Martin, who missed most of the 2022/23 and ’23/24 seasons due to injuries, was healthy for the first half of ’24/25 with the Hornets, appearing in 39 of the team’s first 41 games. He averaged 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 24.8 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .433/.323/.694, before being sent to the Suns along with Vasilije Micic and a second-round pick in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic and a first-rounder.

Martin has never been a significant offensive threat, but he’s known as a solid, versatile defender who can guard multiple positions. That could make him a useful piece for a Suns team that currently ranks 27th in the NBA in defensive rating (116.8), though he admitted today that he’s not sure whether Budenholzer plans to immediately incorporate him into the rotation.

“I’m the player. I’m coming to do my job and making sure I stay prepared and I’m going to come here to work. They make the decisions,” Martin said (Twitter video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “I’m just going to show up, be myself and when it is time to play and I get my opportunity, go in there and be myself and do everything I can to help win.”

Martin did tell reporters that a recent stint in the G League with the Valley Suns provided him the opportunity to go through “game situations” and got him ready for his NBA return.

“High-intensity workouts,” he said. “They did a good job getting me prepared and put me situations that I feel like are going to be able to simulate the game as much as possible.”

The Suns remain firmly in the hunt for a play-in spot — they’re currently 2.5 games back of Dallas for the No. 10 seed in the West. And while Martin is technically under contract for next season, his $8.68MM salary is non-guaranteed, so he’ll be have plenty of motivation to play well down the stretch if he gets the chance to earn regular minutes.

Wolves Didn’t Offer Jaden McDaniels In Kevin Durant Trade Talks

The Timberwolves were aggressive in trying to land Kevin Durant before last month’s trade deadline, but their offers to the Suns didn’t include Anthony Edwards or Jaden McDaniels, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Scotto’s sources say Minnesota wanted to build the deal around power forward Julius Randle and shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, both of whom were acquired from New York last October in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

The Wolves are expected to continue their pursuit of Durant this summer, but Randle would have to pick up his $30.9MM player option before he could be included in trade talks. Scotto notes that Minnesota has won the last 11 games in which Randle has played, while DiVincenzo, who is signed through the 2026/27 season, is shooting 39.4% from three-point range and averaging a career-best 3.7 assists per game.

It’s worth noting that the Wolves were operating more than $16MM above the second tax apron and Durant’s $51.2MM salary is about $7MM more than Randle and DiVincenzo combined, so they would have needed to trim over $20MM in additional salary to make the deal possible, since teams above the second apron can’t aggregate salaries.

Assuming Rudy Gobert was also off the table, Minnesota would have needed to part with either Naz Reid and Mike Conley or Reid and several lower-paid players. At least one additional team would have been necessary because Phoenix is also over the second apron and couldn’t take back more salary than it sent out in any deal.

Any version of the trade would have been difficult to complete without including McDaniels’ $23MM salary. The 24-year-old forward is averaging 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season and is an important part of Minnesota’s defense.

The Suns expressed interest in Reid during trade talks, sources tell Scotto. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has a $15MM player option for next season that he’s expected to decline, but the Wolves intend to sign him to a long-term deal, Scotto’s sources add.

Mat Ishbia: Suns Won’t Trade Devin Booker

Major changes could be coming to the Suns this summer, but they won’t include a trade of Devin Booker, team owner Mat Ishbia told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Ishbia admits the team has fallen far short of expectations as it faces a desperate race to overtake Dallas and sneak into the play-in tournament as the 10th seed. But even if Phoenix misses out on the postseason, Ishbia plans to rebuild around the 28-year-old guard rather than consider trade offers.

“Never happen,” Ishbia said about the possibility of parting with Booker. “It’s silly. So here’s what I’ll tell you: I have Devin Booker in the prime. In order to win an NBA championship, you got to have a superstar. You got to have a great player.”

Sources tell MacMahon that the Rockets have made several calls about Booker, but have failed to gain any traction. Houston is uniquely positioned to leverage a deal, holding swap rights for the Suns’ first-round pick this year, along with the team’s unprotected first-rounders in 2027 and 2029. All those assets were originally sent to Brooklyn in the Durant trade two years ago.

Booker is likewise committed to staying in Phoenix and has no plans to request a trade, according to MacMahon. He went through four extreme losing seasons early in his career before helping turn the Suns into a winner and eventually reaching the Finals in 2021. He’s ready to repeat that process and wants to spend his entire career with one franchise. He has shared his intentions with Ishbia, CEO Josh Bartlestein and general manager James Jones, MacMahon adds.

 “I take pride in the community in Phoenix, the people that have supported me since I was 18 when things were ugly,” Booker said. “And the people that are with us, we just fell short of accomplishing what we want. So I want to do it, and I want to do it here. That’s the responsibility of being a franchise player, and I wear that with honor. So it might not look the most pretty right now, but we got to get it done and I’m going to do it.”

There’s far less certainty surrounding Kevin Durant, who’s widely expected to be on the move this summer. Durant admitted being “blindsided” when his name came up in trade talks before last month’s deadline, and there’s heavy speculation that he’ll want to continue his career somewhere else next season. Durant, who will turn 37 in September, has one year left on his contract at $54.7MM.

A potential deal with the Warriors died when Durant said he didn’t want to return to the Bay Area. Sources tell MacMahon that Phoenix also discussed frameworks of Durant trades with the Timberwolves, Heat and Rockets, with some of those sources pointing to the Knicks as a possible fit. Houston officials told ESPN that the Suns called them to gauge their interest in Durant.

MacMahon’s sources said Suns management will consult with Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman on any trade discussions that take place this summer. Durant will be eligible to sign a two-year, $122MM extension with his new team.

Ishbia indicated that a Durant trade will be one of many strategies the front office plans to explore once the season ends.

“I’ll just say that we’re going to evaluate in the offseason,” Ishbia said. “We’re going to find a way to win, and it’s probably a lot easier winning with Kevin Durant than without him. But at the same time, yes, if we’re not good enough in this iteration of the Phoenix Suns, we’re going to find a way to be better next year. “

Bradley Beal, who was reluctant to waive his no-trade clause to help the Suns complete a deal for Jimmy Butler, suggested to MacMahon that he might be more open to changing teams during the offseason. Beal, who was demoted to a bench role in January and February, feels like he has been disrespected at times.

“It is a different deal in the summer,” he said. “Everything is kind of more laid out on the table. You got more options.”

Suns’ Plumlee, Rockets’ Adams Ejected After Scuffle

Suns center Mason Plumlee and Rockets center Steven Adams were ejected from Wednesday’s game in the second quarter following a confrontation that ended with both players falling to the floor as players and coaches attempted to pull them apart, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN details.

Plumlee and Adams were battling for rebounding position on a Jalen Green shot attempt when they initially got tangled up. The two big men remained entangled with one another as they began walking back up the court, resulting in Plumlee attempting to shove Adams away and then briefly scuffling with the Rockets center before landing on him as both players hit the floor (Twitter video link via Bleacher Report).

Plumlee said he was making a point of aggressively boxing out his frontcourt counterpart in an attempt to match Houston’s physicality.

“He goes for every rebound and he does it whether it’s dirty or not,” Plumlee said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). “I just felt like they were being more physical than us. I just made a point to hit him on the glass.”

After reviewing the play, referee crew chief Tony Brothers announced that Plumlee and Adams had been assessed double technical fouls and had been ejected. After the game, he explained the decision to pool reporter Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

“Their aggressive actions were considered a fight, and by rule, fighting technical fouls carry a penalty of automatic ejection,” Brothers said.

While it’s certainly possible that both Plumlee and Adams will be hit with fines as a result of their confrontation, the skirmish is unlikely to warrant any suspensions, especially since both players already missed over half of Wednesday’s game as a result of their ejections. Both head coaches suggested after the game that they were surprised by that ruling.

“There wasn’t much,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said, according to McMahon. “Steven could do a lot more if he was really trying to wrestle. It looked like they got in a little bear hug and fell down. I thought that would maybe be a technical at best. Surprised they were ejected.”

It’s just two guys getting tangled up. Both physical, both competitors,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said (Twitter video link via Rankin). “… It’d be nice if they just probably give them both a technical and they both stayed in the game.”

The Suns, who were missing usual starting center Nick Richards due to an ankle issue, had to lean on rookie Oso Ighodaro following Plumlee’s ejection. Ighodaro played nearly 18 second-half minutes and logged 28 minutes for the game, his highest total in two months, as Phoenix fell to Houston and dropped to 30-36 on the season.