Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Pacific Notes: Jemison, Metu, Paul

August 1st, 2023 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns have filled two of their three two-way slots with guard Saben Lee and, reportedly, center Udoka Azubuike. According to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link), Trey Jemison, who was on Phoenix’s Summer League team, is on the team’s radar for the other two-way slot.

The 7’0” Jemison, 23, played his last three college seasons at UAB and went undrafted. He averaged 8.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game during five Summer League contests.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Signed to a minimum salary contract at the start of free agency, Chimezie Metu will have to force his way into the Suns’ rotation. The best way for Metu to do that would be as a small-ball center. Gerard Bourguet of GoPhnx.com believes Metu must show he can defend well enough for those lineups to work, and grab defensive rebounds to finish off those stops.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas doesn’t see Chris Paul having any trouble fitting in with the Warriors, even if he comes off the bench for the first time in his career. “You have an opportunity to get a Hall of Fame player in Chris Paul, even though when you look at his body of work, maybe his teams and his personal style has been a little different than the style will be in Golden State,” Bilas told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole. “But it’s a player who is hungry to win. It’s not going to be about him. It’s going to be about the team and doing what it takes for the team to win. I think it’s a great move. And I think he’ll blend in wonderfully.”
In case you missed it, we relayed a number of items on the Lakers earlier on Tuesday. Get the details here.

And-Ones: D. Rivers, M. Jackson, Bahamas, Shooting Tech, Contracts

July 31st, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Rory Maher

After letting go of Jeff Van Gundy last month, ESPN/ABC has also laid off fellow analyst Mark Jackson, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. Jackson confirmed the news in an interview with Peter Vecsey, Marchand adds (via Twitter).

As Marchand writes, the new top NBA broadcast team at ESPN/ABC will be comprised of longtime play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, and Doris Burke, who is being promoted. The hiring of Rivers and promotion of Burke aren’t yet official, but they are “quickly moving in that direction,” according to Marchand.

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald confirms Marchand’s reporting (via Twitter).

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

The Suns‘ Deandre Ayton and Eric Gordon, Pacers wing Buddy Hield, and Hornets big man Kai Jones are on the 2024 Olympic qualifying roster for the Bahamas, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. The Bahamian national team will play its qualifying games in Argentina from August 14-20. “I’m excited to be back playing for Team Bahamas and to see how much the program has grown,” Ayton told Spears. “Can’t wait to play with my guys. It’s truly a special experience to compete with teammates – who are from where you’re from – with Bahamas on your chest.”
Tim MacMahon of ESPN details how Breakaway Data — a startup focused on the biomechanics of shooting — has partnered with Overtime Elite and Las Vegas Summer League to provide detailed breakdowns of each player’s shot. “I thought it was very informative,” Overtime Elite product Amen Thompson, drafted fourth overall by the Rockets, told ESPN. “Not everything works for everybody, but that [data] can’t really be a bad thing. It can only help to get as much information as possible. I felt like that’s what it gave us.”
Which players have inked the most lucrative contracts in NBA history? Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype provides the list. Jaylen Brown‘s new super-max extension with the Celtics is the current largest deal ever, Gozlan notes.

Pacific Notes: Kawhi, Brown, Suns Payroll

July 30th, 2023 at 3:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Clippers are reportedly in “no rush” to enter into a new extension for oft-injured star forward Kawhi Leonard, reports Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN in a new edition of Zach Lowe’s podcast The Lowe Post.

“I hear it’s kind of quiet right now,” Youngmisuk said (hat tip to Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated for the transcription). “There is no rush on an extension for Kawhi Leonard, and then Paul George will be eligible in September.”

The 32-year-old Leonard, a five-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Finals MVP, remains an impactful player when healthy. After missing the entire 2021/22 season with an ACL tear, the 6’7″ swingman averaged 23.8 PPG on .512/.416/.871 shooting splits, along with 6.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.4 SPG and 0.5 BPG last year, albeit in just 52 games. He tore his meniscus during L.A.’s first-round matchup against the Suns this spring, and has not played a full postseason without a major injury since 2020.

As Youngmisuk notes, Leonard’s fellow injury-prone, maximum-salaried wing George will also be eligible for a lucrative new extension this offseason.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Clippers rookie Kobe Brown considers his four years of college seasoning a positive asset as he preps for his pro hoops debut, writes Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points. The 6’7″ wing was selected with the No. 30 pick out of Missouri in June. “Just because of the experience, the maturity on and off-the-court,” Brown told Azarly of how his extended NCAA run will help him at the next level. “I hear some guys you gotta kind of worry about off-the-court and if they’ll catch onto stuff faster, but me being older, I’ve kind of already lived a lot, not a whole lot, but a little bit more than some of the younger guys in the league so I understand a lot of off-the-court stuff a lot better.”
The Suns’ $188.5MM payroll ranks third in the NBA this season. Jeremy Cluff of The Arizona Republic unpacks the team’s contract situation for 2023/24. That number will shoot up to $204MM+ in 2024/25 among just 11 players who will be signed on that season, assuming some player and team options are picked up.
In case you missed it, former Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers is expected to receive a variety of inquiries about his services, should openings arise in rival front offices. Myers has publicly stated he wanted to take a break from the NBA at large upon departing, so it will be interesting to see how clubs try to entice him to return.