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International Notes: Bahamas, Poland, Green, Lessort

August 20th, 2023 at 3:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Pacers swingman Buddy Hield submitted a team-most 17 points, while Suns guard Eric Gordon and center Deandre Ayton both made meaningful contributions during Bahamas’ 78-62 blowout win over Uruguay during the 2024 Olympics pre-qualifiers Saturday, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Bahamas will now square off against home team Argentina in the final of this year’s Olympic pre-qualifying tournament Sunday night, with the winner earning a spot in next summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament. This is an entirely separate event from the FIBA World Cup, which tips off next week.

Here are more international hoops notes:

In winning one of this month’s Olympic pre-qualifying tournaments, Poland has now clinched a spot in the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament, according to Eurohoops. Poland vanquished Bosnia and Herzegovina, 76-72, in the final. Napoli Basket small forward Michal Sokolowski paced Poland with 16 points and seven boards.
While playing their fourth FIBA World Cup exhibition game in Tokyo, Team Australia beat Team France 78-74. Boomers (and Mavericks) wing Josh Green departed the warm-up bout with a mild ankle injury, but the ailment appears fairly minor, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link).
After sitting out most of France’s training camp with an ankle issue, national team center Mathias Lessort has been given the green light to suit up for next week’s World Cup, reports Eurohoops. The Knicks own Lessort’s draft rights, though it remains unclear whether he will ever come stateside.

Suns Notes: Ayton, Gordon, Booker, Beal

August 15th, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns center Deandre Ayton led the Bahamian national team to a blowout victory over Cuba in a pre-Olympic qualifying tournament game on Monday, putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds in a game the Bahamas won by 41. Ayton, who said it felt “amazing” to represent his home country, was excited to team up with new Suns wing Eric Gordon, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes.

“Definitely lit,” Ayton said when asked about playing with Gordon. “Definitely something that you never thought would happen. He’s such a great player as well. Just having a feel for his game before we both hit training camp and start fighting each other to figure out some type of chemistry. I’m glad we’re handling that early. Just us trying to make some history now to make the Olympics is truly something special.”

Asked about the former No. 1 pick, Gordon said he believes he’s an ideal fit alongside Ayton both on the Bahamian squad and in Phoenix.

“He’s going to be a threat,” Gordon said. “So we needed to use him as much as possible. When he gets double-teamed, that’s when you got guys like me to space the floor.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

Kevin Durant is a former MVP, a 13-time All-Star, and a future Hall of Famer, but former NBA star Kevin Garnett believes the Suns are Devin Booker‘s team, as he said during an episode of Showtime’s Ticket and The Truth (Twitter links). “So down the stretch, Booker’s getting the first look over KD?” Paul Pierce asked. “Abso-f–king-lutely, yeah,” Garnett replied.
Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com outlines four ways that Bradley Beal can raise the Suns’ ceiling and make them legitimate championship contenders in 2023/24, noting that he’ll help carry the play-making load and can also be a spot-up threat when others are handling the ball.
In case you missed it, the NBA has announced the schedule for the league’s first ever in-season tournament. The Suns will face the Lakers on November 10, followed by Utah (Nov. 17), Portland (Nov. 21) and Memphis (Nov. 24).

Azubuike Excited To Play With High School Foe Ayton

August 14th, 2023 at 9:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Udoka Azubuike played against Deandre Ayton in high school. They’re now on the same NBA team after Azubuike signed a two-way contract with the Suns. Azubuike is excited to compete against his new teammate in practice. “Playing alongside him, it’ll be great. Just us competing. Ultimately, we’re competing for one another,” he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “We’re a team. It’s all for the best interest of the team. Whatever is going to make the team better, just competing. I’m excited. I’m looking forward to that from the jump, going into training camp and competing and working hard.”

Payne's Heart Is Still In Phoenix

August 11th, 2023 at 1:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cameron Payne isn’t hiding his feelings about the Suns dealing him to the rebuilding Spurs. Payne admits he’d rather be in Phoenix, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic relays via an Instagram Live post from the point guard.

Due to injury and other factors, Kevin Durant hasn’t played in Golden State since he left the Warriors and signed with the Nets in 2019. As long as he’s not injured coming out of training camp, Durant will finally make his return to the Warriors’ home floor when the Suns open their regular season there on Oct. 24, according to Rankin.

Celtics-Lakers, Bucks-Knicks Among 2023/24 Christmas Day Games

August 10th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The full Christmas Day game schedule is now known thanks to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). As usual, the holiday features five games, including a matchup between the rival Lakers and Celtics in Los Angeles.

Additionally, the Knicks host the Bucks, the Sixers and Heat play in Miami, the Mavericks and Suns square off in Phoenix, and the Nuggets host the Warriors.

Both the Celtics and the Lakers are expected to be title contenders next season. The Lakers revamped their roster, while the Celtics did the same. Boston made a huge switch-up when they moved longtime Celtic Marcus Smart in a trade that brought in Kristaps Porzingis. By moving Smart, the Celtics committed to playing a bigger lineup, with Porzingis, Al Horford and Robert Williams all expected to have major roles. The Celtics also lost Grant Williams but added Oshae Brissett to help fill the void.

The Bucks and Knicks are both interesting players in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee fell to the Heat as the No. 1 seed last year, but brought back the majority of their roster, including Brook Lopez to a two-year, $48MM deal and Khris Middleton to a three-year, $98MM deal. Jae Crowder also re-signed. Robin Lopez and Malik Beasley joined Milwaukee in free agency while the team drafted Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston.

New York didn’t have many moves to make in free agency, with most of their roster under contract. Josh Hart recently extended with the Knicks and they brought in Donte DiVincenzo, who will be squaring off against the team who drafted him. While the Knicks might not end up winning the chip, there’s thought that they improved on a roster that was the No. 5 seed last season.

The Heat and the Sixers may look vastly different by the time Christmas rolls around. Both teams are facing trade requests, but on different sides. Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard asked Portland a trade, with Miami as his preferred destination. There’s no telling when or if the Heat and Lillard will unite. If they do, the Heat immediately become one of the best teams in the NBA, pairing Lillard with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. If not, they’re likely worse off. Even though they added Josh Richardson, Thomas Bryant and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to their roster, the Heat lost Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, two key playoff contributors. The Heat did make the NBA Finals last season but did so after scraping past the play-in tournament.

Meanwhile, the Sixers saw James Harden request a trade out of Philadelphia and reportedly express a desire to be sent to the Clippers. That hasn’t happened yet, and Harden remains a member of Philly. There’s a chance the Sixers could bring Harden to camp and into the season, but it would be surprising if he was a member of the team by the time Christmas arrives. The Sixers won 54 games last season but losing Harden would hurt. Their best move this season has been to re-sign Paul Reed, but they have no avenue to adding additional talent and any Harden trade to the Clippers is unlikely to bring back a star return. That means an even bigger plate for last year’s MVP Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. Additionally, Patrick Beverley and Mohamed Bamba signed with the Sixers this offseason.

Any matchup between the Sixers and Heat is of note, considering Butler’s history in Philadelphia and the unofficial rivalry between the two teams.

The Suns added a new star to their roster while the Mavericks kept their co-star this offseason. While Dallas finished last year outside of the playoffs after trading for Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks doubled down on his pairing with Luka Doncic by signing him to a new three-year, $120MM contract. Dallas fleshed out the rest of the roster by adding Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Richaun Holmes and Derrick Jones Jr. while drafting Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

The matchup between the Suns and Mavericks features a battle between former Nets teammates Kevin Durant and Irving.

We went over the new-look Warriors and defending-champion Nuggets in a previous story.

Charania revealed the opening day matchups earlier today, which likely means the full schedule will be revealed sometime in the near future.

Nuggets Host Lakers, Warriors Host Suns On Opening Night

August 10th, 2023 at 4:39pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Four heavyweights in the Western Conference will play on opening night of the 2023/24 season, according to Shams Charania (Twitter link). The defending-champion Nuggets will host the Lakers on Tuesday, October 24, while the Warriors host the Suns. Both matchups will be aired on TNT.

The Nuggets and Lakers squared off in the Western Conference Finals last season, with Denver winning via sweep before going on to win the NBA Finals. Denver’s roster is similar to last season’s. The Nuggets lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, though Green only averaged 4.1 points in 17.2 minutes in the playoffs last year. Losing Brown is huge, but Denver has several players who can help take over with larger roles, such as Christian Braun. Denver also drafted Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson while adding Justin Holiday in free agency.

While the Lakers lost to the Nuggets last year, they only lost one game by double digits. Their average margin of defeat was by six points. Los Angeles moved quickly to bring back several key rotation pieces from last year’s team, such as Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. While they lost the likes of Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker, the Lakers brought in multiple free agents, including Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince. Los Angeles also drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino in the first round.

Both the Warriors and the Suns made it to the second round last season, but both teams opted for major offseason shake-ups. The Suns made headlines when they acquired three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to their roster, giving them one of the most top-heavy and expensive teams in the league. Phoenix was active in the opening days of free agency, re-signing Josh Okogie, Ish Wainright and Damion Lee, while bringing in a multitude of minimum-contract players, like Yuta Watanabe, Eric Gordon and Keita Bates-Diop.

The Warriors also turned heads when they traded young scorer Jordan Poole in a move to acquire Chris Paul, who had been involved in the aforementioned Beal deal, from the Wizards. The Oct. 24 matchup marks Paul’s first against the Suns since the trade. Paul spent three seasons in Phoenix.

While rumors circulated about Draymond Green potentially moving on in free agency or Jonathan Kuminga being traded, both players remain on the team (Green courtesy of a new four-year, $100MM deal). Golden State brought in Cory Joseph and Dario Saric in free agency and drafted Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, both of whom could play their ways into rotation spots.

More schedule news will trickle in in the coming weeks. The Christmas Day games, as well as other marquee matchups, are typically leaked before the full schedule release, which happened on Aug. 17 last year.

Suns To Retire Numbers For Shawn Marion, Amar’e Stoudemire

August 9th, 2023 at 4:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will induct Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire into their Ring of Honor this season, the team announced in a press release.

Details of the ceremonies will be worked out once the NBA’s schedule is finalized, but a separate celebration is planned for each player, according to the release. As part of the honor, Marion’s No. 31 and Stoudemire’s No. 32 will join the franchise’s list of retired numbers.

“Shawn and Amar’e are two of the very best to ever wear a Phoenix Suns uniform,” owner Mat Ishbia said. “Shawn changed the game with his elite versatility and Amar’e was one of the most electrifying players the league has ever seen. Shawn and Amar’e helped define the Suns and inspired generations of fans, and our Suns family is incomplete without them in the Ring of Honor. As we embark on the new era of Suns basketball, it is a priority that we remain connected to our storied history. We are excited to celebrate Shawn and Amar’e and properly recognize their incredible contributions and achievements.”

Marion played in Phoenix from 1999-2008, earning All-NBA honors twice and making four All-Star appearances. He averaged 18.4 PPG in 660 regular season games with the Suns and ranks fifth in franchise history in career points, second in both rebounds and steals and third in blocks. He’s also Phoenix’s all-time playoff leader with 706 rebounds.

“This is amazing to be recognized by the Suns family in this way,” Marion said. “The fans in Phoenix are one of a kind and this city will always be a part of me. My time with the Suns was special and I am looking forward to being inducted into the Ring of Honor.”

Stoudemire was named Rookie of the Year in 2003 and averaged 21.4 PPG in 516 games during his eight seasons with the Suns. A four-time All-NBA selection and five-time All-Star in Phoenix, he’s seventh in franchise history in career points, third in rebounds and fifth in blocks.

“I bleed purple and orange, making this a tremendous honor to be inducted,” Stoudemire said. “My best and most transformative years came in Phoenix with the Suns. I have so much love for Suns fans and appreciation for the love they have always shown me. I am excited to reconnect with the fanbase in joining the Ring of Honor.”

Suns Sign Udoka Azubuike To Two-Way Deal

August 8th, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 8: The signing is official, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets via a team press release.

“Udoka possesses imposing size and the ability to finish around the rim,” GM James Jones said in a statement. “His strength and physicality help add to our team’s depth.”

JULY 31: Free agent center Udoka Azubuike has agreed on a two-way contract with the Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The 23-year-old out of Kansas spent his first three seasons with the Jazz. He appeared in 36 games last year, including four starts, averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.

Overall, he’s appeared in 68 NBA games and has never scored more than 13 points. His career shooting percentage is 76.9%, with most of his buckets coming on layups, dunks and putbacks. The 6’10” Azubuike has never attempted a 3-pointer.

A former first-round pick (No. 27 overall in 2020), Azubuike has dealt with multiple significant ankle injuries, which has impacted his development. Utah declined its fourth-year team option on him before last season started, which is how he wound up in the free agent market.

He played for the Celtics’ Summer League squad this month.

The Suns had two openings for two-way players. Guard Saben Lee occupies the other two-way slot.

Azubuike will have to work his way up the depth chart with the NBA club. He’ll be behind starter Deandre Ayton, Drew Eubanks, Bol Bol and Chimezie Metu.

Gordon Joins Ayton On Bahamas Team

August 7th, 2023 at 10:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The new Suns guard scored 12 points as Bahamas defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, 87-81, Monday in an exhibition game in Puerto Rico, Rankin tweets. Ayton didn’t play in the exhibition. Gordon played for Team USA in 2010. Team Bahamas will play in the FIBA Americas Olympic pre-qualifying tournament August 14-20 in Argentina.

Warriors guard Klay Thompson had a dust-up with the Suns’ Devin Booker early last season and was ejected for the first time in his career. However, Thompson now characterizes it as a moment of weakness. Appearing on Paul George‘s Podcast P, Thompson expressed his admiration toward Booker, Rankin relays. “He survived a tough regime in Phoenix where everyone is getting traded,” Thompson said. “He’s playing for a new coach every year. Now he’s franchise player who just kept working. I admire the guys who have work ethic like that.”
Yuta Watanabe was one of many free agent pickups for the Suns and Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com takes an in-depth look at Watanabe’s strengths and weaknesses. Bourguet concludes that Watanabe will be an elite spot-up weapon who will fit in extremely well off the bench.

Bourguet Highlights What Eubanks Will Bring To Suns

August 4th, 2023 at 9:13pm CST by Rory Maher

What can the Suns expect from free agent addition Drew Eubanks? Gerald Bourguet explores that question in detail for PHNX Sports, writing that the big man’s shot blocking, mobility, foot work, athletic finishing, solid screening, and physicality are positive traits he’ll bring to his new club.