Bradley Beal

Suns Rumors: Budenholzer, Beal, Booker, Durant, Coaching Candidates

April 15th, 2025 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Detailing some of the issues that led to Mike Budenholzer‘s ouster in Phoenix, NBA insider Chris Haynes (YouTube link) reports that Budenholzer told Bradley Beal earlier in the season that he wanted him to play more like Jrue Holiday.

That was “not well-received” by the three-time All-Star, Haynes says, and Phoenix-based insider John Gambadoro confirms as much. According to Gambadoro (Twitter link), Beal responded by telling Budenholzer, “Don’t ever disrespect me like that. Don’t ever tell me to play like another player.”

Communication with his players was a recurring issue for Budenholzer in Phoenix, per Haynes, who says the veteran head coach also butted heads with Jusuf Nurkic by criticizing his screening ability and telling him he’s a “bad teammate.” Haynes previously reported that Budenholzer told Devin Booker to “tone it down vocally” during games and film sessions, which ESPN’s Brian Windhorst confirms.

Booker began speaking to reporters more late in the season about the importance of his “voice,” which was intentional, sources tell ESPN. As Windhorst explains, Booker appeared to be sending a message to a coach on his way out and making it clear he’ll have more say going forward.

“[I need] to be a leader and use my voice more,” Booker said last week. Asked if he was referring to speaking to teammates, coaches, or management, the star guard added, “Everybody.”

Here’s more out of Phoenix:

The Suns have privately acknowledged they made a mistake by not involving Kevin Durant and his manager/agent Rich Kleiman when they explored trade possibilities involving Durant prior to February’s deadline, Windhorst writes. The front office wanted to keep discussions closed like Dallas did with Luka Doncic, Windhorst explains, but word leaked after the Suns had to talk to possible third-team facilitators. All parties will be involved in that process during the offseason, with Kleiman planning to travel to Phoenix this week to have discussions with the Suns, sources tell ESPN.
While it may be a challenge for the Suns to find an appealing trade with a team willing to extend Durant, it’s possible there will be potential suitors who are OK with taking on the risk of acquiring the star forward as a one-year rental, says Windhorst. “Durant is a top-three name in this league,” a high-ranking NBA official told ESPN. “I can see a team who’d love to have him for a season just to sell tickets.”
Booker will be eligible this season for a two-year, maximum-salary extension and the expectation is that the Suns will put that offer on the table, sources tell ESPN. Windhorst refers to that potential deal – which would lock up Booker through 2029/30 – as being worth $149.8MM, but that’s just a projection for now, based on the cap increasing by the maximum 10% in each of the next four seasons.
After letting go of former head coach Monty Williams, Suns owner Mat Ishbia was “very focused” on hiring a replacement with a championship on his résumé, which was a major factor in the team choosing Frank Vogel in 2023 and Budenholzer in 2024, Windhorst writes. This time around, the team may prioritize a candidate who is better suited to build relationships with players, according to Windhorst, who hears from sources that Ishbia will be paying former Suns coaches about $18MM next season.
According to Haynes (YouTube link), the Suns are expected to “look into and evaluate” the following head coaching candidates as they decide who they want to try to interview: former Kings coach Mike Brown, current Pelicans coach Willie Green, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant, Mavericks assistants Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley, Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, their own assistant David Fizdale, and former Suns assistant (and current BYU head coach) Kevin Young. That may not be a comprehensive list of candidates for the job.
In a pair of stories for GoPHNX.com, Gerald Bourguet takes a closer look at why Budenholzer was fired and lists 10 potential candidates to replace him.

Pacific Notes: Booker, Lakers, Doncic, Butler, Curry

April 14th, 2025 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns’ disastrous season didn’t change Devin Booker‘s feelings about the organization. He wants to remain in Phoenix for years to come, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.

“I’ve spoke on it plenty of times,” Booker said. “I’m sure the people are sick of hearing my Phoenix love story, but I’m deeply rooting into this community. I take a lot of pride in it. We’ve built it from the ground up before. I didn’t think I’d be back in this situation, but it shows you how hard the league is. Once we get back to that championship level, I’ll be able to shed light on people that it can change very quickly.”

It seems unlikely Booker will be playing with both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal again next season. There’s heavy speculation that Durant will be traded and the front office will try to do something regarding Beal’s onerous contract. Booker has no issues with either player.

“I love playing with both of them,” Booker said. “Even the moments that we played together, they haven’t been to what we expected or wanted out of it, but good things do take some time to build and they take experience. We haven’t had a lot of that, but that’s not a good excuse to fall back on.”

Booker is eligible to sign a two-year, maximum-salary extension this offseason, even though he just completed the first year of his four-year super-max extension. He seems tempted to take it if it’s offered.

“I’ve been in long enough where I’ve watched some of my heroes and idols just slowly get out of the league, and you see how it hurts them,” he said. “I don’t want to think about the day that I have to do that. It’s nice to be up for an extension.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers‘ best source of information as they prepare for the Timberwolves in the opening round could be their superstar newcomer. Coach JJ Redick will consult with Luka Doncic, who led the Mavericks to a series win over Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals last season. “There are nuances to what teams are trying to do against certain opponents,” Redick said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The third-seeded Lakers will use their time off this week to heal up and gradually work on their game plan for the best-of-seven series. “It’s not necessarily going to be everything at once this week. We’ll have to slow drip, and I think that’s the approach that I think is going to work best for our group,” Redick said. “Tuesday will be more about us. Wednesday, we’ll introduce Minnesota.”
Speaking of Doncic, he became the first international player to have the best-selling jersey in the league, according to Mike Vornukov of The Athletic. Since the 2013/14 season, either LeBron James or Stephen Curry led the NBA in that category. The Lakers also had the league’s top-selling merchandise.
Jimmy Butler gave the Warriors fans a glimpse of “Playoff Jimmy” when he played 48 minutes, scored 30 points and matched up with Kawhi Leonard in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Clippers, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes. Golden State was relegated to the play-in tournament but Butler gives the Warriors another player who can take over and assert his will, Thompson notes. “You have a guy who can kind of slow the pace of the game down for us, get us into good things,” forward Draymond Green said. “Just having that extra added weapon. Having another No. 1 next to Steph is different.”
The Warriors have a clean injury report for their matchup with Memphis on Tuesday night, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Curry has a sprained right thumb and Butler took a knee to the thigh on Sunday, but both will play.

Suns Dismiss Mike Budenholzer

April 14th, 2025 at 11:07am CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Budenholzer is out as head coach of the Suns, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Budenholzer’s firing was widely anticipated after Phoenix fell far short of expectations despite a payroll approaching $400MM between salaries and tax penalties. After a fast start, the Suns stumbled to 36-46 record and failed to reach the play-in tournament.

Budenholzer, a two-time Coach of the Year, was in his first season with the team after agreeing to a five-year deal worth more than $50MM last May. This marks the third straight offseason that Phoenix will make a coaching change since Mat Ishbia bought the team. The Suns parted with Monty Williams in 2023 and Frank Vogel in 2024.

The organization’s dissatisfaction with Budenholzer went beyond the losing record, sources tell Doug Haller, Sam Amick and Fred Katz of The Athletic. There were concerns about his ability to manage the locker room and his “contentious” relationship with Devin Booker and other players. While there’s heavy trade speculation surrounding Kevin Durant, the authors report that Suns management plans to rebuild around Booker and couldn’t envision “a productive path forward” with Budenholzer as head coach.

Haller, Amick and Katz note that Budenholzer inherited many of the problems that led to his downfall. Hefty salaries for Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal led to second-apron restrictions that limited the Suns’ ability to make roster moves. Budenholzer was left with a team short on defensive ability and toughness that ranked 27th in points allowed per possession.

The authors point out that Budenholzer used 35 different starting lineups and made rotation changes that sometimes led to confusion in the locker room. They cite examples such as rookie Ryan Dunn, who was benched for a while despite being the team’s best defender, and Bol Bol, who averaged 21 minutes during a 16-game stretch in January and February then barely got off the bench for the rest of the season.

Despite the coaching change, league sources tell Haller, Amick and Katz that no immediate moves are planned in the front office, although that could change as the offseason wears on. President of basketball operations James Jones will have his contract expire in June, and Ishbia is expected to consider replacing him. They add that it’s not clear what plans Ishbia has for CEO Josh Bartelstein.

Suns insider John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that Budenholzer’s dismissal is “just the beginning” and many more changes are coming to the organization. Gambadoro adds (via Twitter) that he doesn’t expect Michael Malone or Taylor Jenkins to emerge as serious candidates for the coaching job in Phoenix.

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Griffin, Green, Suns, Beal, More

April 13th, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been buzz around the NBA this weekend about the future in New Orleans, where the futures of Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin and head coach Willie Green appear tenuous, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). League sources tell The Stein Line that some people around the league are “undeniably bracing” for Griffin’s exit from the franchise, with Green also said to be on the hot seat.

While injuries were once again a significant factor this season, it has been a disappointing run in recent years for the Pelicans, who haven’t been able to capitalize on getting the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft and acquiring significant trade hauls for Anthony Davis (in 2019) and Jrue Holiday (2020). The club has made the playoffs in only two of the past six seasons and won just two total games in those postseason appearances.

Dyson Daniels‘ rise in Atlanta this season, after he was sent to the Hawks in last summer’s Dejounte Murray trade, has been a “source of tension” within the Pelicans organization, Stein and Fischer say, noting that Green has been questioned internally for having often leaned on Jose Alvarado over Daniels from 2022-24.

Still, Stein and Fischer caution that there were “whispers” about Green’s job being in danger following New Orleans’ 5-29 start in the fall and he has made it through the season, so there’s a chance he could be retained through the offseason too. He’s known to hold “significant support” from owner Gayle Benson, according to The Stein Line.

Here are a few more items of interest from Stein and Fischer:

While it’s somewhat rare for a team to clean house by firing its head of basketball operations and head coach at the same time, Denver did it last week and the Suns have been “painted” as a team that could follow suit, write Stein and Fischer. General manager James Jones has been atop the front office hierarchy since 2018, whereas head coach Mike Budenholzer just joined the organization on a five-year contract in 2024.
In addition to exploring a Kevin Durant trade, the Suns are “known to be trying to extricate themselves” from the final two years of Bradley Beal‘s contract, Stein and Fischer confirm. That will be easier said than done, given his no-trade clause and the $111MM he’s still owed. But for what it’s worth, plugged-in Phoenix insider John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 said last week that there’s a “zero percent change” Beal will be back on the Suns next season (Twitter link).
If Chauncey Billups hadn’t signed a contract extension with the Trail Blazers, there was a belief he might emerge as a candidate in Phoenix and/or Denver, according to Fischer and Stein. It remains to be seen whether the Suns will make a coaching change this spring, but some of their players were said last May to be high on Billups. The Nuggets, meanwhile, will definitely have a coaching vacancy, but it’s unclear whether or not they would have targeted Billups — as Fischer and Stein explain, there was a sense that Billups, a Denver native, would have been interested in that job if Portland hadn’t retained him.
Berlin, Germany and London, England are viewed as the frontrunners among European cities to host NBA regular season games next season, with Manchester also believed to be in consideration, per The Stein Line.

Suns Notes: Beal, Dunn, Bol, Booker

April 12th, 2025 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bradley Beal is disappointed with the way things turned out for the Suns and understands that a lot of the blame is directed toward him, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal’s contract, which pays him $53.6MM next season with a $57.1MM player option for 2026/27, would be difficult to unload even if it didn’t include a no-trade clause. Phoenix would like to get rid of that financial burden to move under the second apron, but the front office couldn’t find a taker when it tried to move him before the deadline in hopes of landing Jimmy Butler.

Beal indicated at the time that he would veto a trade unless he was happy with the destination, which raised the ire of Suns fans. He also dealt with injuries that limited him to 53 games and lost his starting job for a while, saying he relied on faith to help get him through a difficult time. Despite the setbacks, he told reporters on Friday that he would be happy staying in Phoenix next season.

“I believe in what we got in there,” Beal said after the Suns snapped an eight-game losing streak. “Things happen. We didn’t have a good year. We couldn’t put it together like we wanted, but nobody hates the other man. Nobody dislikes anybody else. I love Phoenix. I love being here. Hopefully I can continue to be here, but I know (owner Mat Ishbia) is probably going to make some changes, but I enjoyed this group.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

Ryan Dunn turned in the best game of his rookie season Friday night, scoring a career-high 26 points and matching a career best with 11 rebounds, Rankin adds. He had 11 three-point attempts and has grown more confident in that part of his game as the season has worn on. “Just trusting my shot, just trusting my work, being aggressive on the offensive glass,” he said. “Got some tip-ins, got to the free-throw line.”
Among the complaints Suns fans have with coach Mike Budenholzer is his refusal to give regular minutes to Bol Bol, Rankin notes in the same piece. In the final home game of the season, the crowd cheered as Bol walked to the scorer’s table with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter, but Budenholzer changed his mind after San Antonio called a time out and Bol never entered the game. “I think they cut (the lead) to 22 or 20 or 18 or something like that and just stuck with Royce (O’Neale),” Budenholzer explained. “Kind of the veteran. Just make sure it didn’t get any closer. Royce had been out there and playing. Just loved his presence. Loves what he brings on both ends of the court in that situation.”
Devin Booker thanked Phoenix fans for remaining loyal through a rough season and offered a message of hope after Friday’s game, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). “Things will get better,” he said. “It took a true fan to be in there tonight and still support us through what type of season we had. So it was a pleasure to see, still smiles on faces and people cheering and happy to still watch us play.”

Suns Notes: Elimination, Budenholzer, Booker, Defense, Durant, Future

April 10th, 2025 at 8:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

Head coach Mike Budenholzer wouldn’t speculate on his future after the Suns were officially eliminated from postseason contention with their eighth straight loss on Wednesday.

“It’s pretty raw right now, it’s pretty fresh,” Budenholzer said, per ESPN News Services. “It’s been tough. There’s no doubt about it. We haven’t been as good as we’ve needed to be and expected to be.”

Budenholzer was signed to a five-year, $50MM contract last spring after Frank Vogel was dismissed. Vogel lasted just one season with the franchise and Monty Williams was fired after the 2022/23 season, shortly after Mat Ishbia became the primary owner. Firing Budenholzer would mean four different head coaches in four seasons.

Budenholzer has been in frequent contact with Ishbia.

“He’s always pushing us to win. To try to find ways to win. He’s ultra competitive. It’s always very consistent from him,” Budenholzer said, as Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.

Devin Booker said after the 125-112 loss to the Thunder that there’s plenty of blame to go around for the team’s collapse.

“There’s not one thing or one person or one player or one coach that’s the problem,” Booker said. “When you’ve had a season this bad, it’s a bunch of things. I think the most frustrating part is being that close a few years ago, and now being back to where we are.”

We have more on the league’s most disappointing team:

A lack of defensive discipline and toughness was a major reason why the Suns floundered, according to The Atheltic’s Doug Haller and Amos Morale III. With the payroll far above the second tax apron, the Suns were unable to make significant moves to improve the roster. Their failed attempt to acquire Jimmy Butler highlighted that point.
Kevin Durant was unavailable once again on Wednesday. He hasn’t played this month due to an ankle injury. “He’s making progress but regardless of wins and losses, we’ve got to see if he’s healthy,” Budenholzer said, per Rankin (Twitter link). “I don’t think there may even be a decision to make, but we’ll see how he does over the next 24 to 48 hours.” All signs point to Durant being traded this offseason, Rankin writes.
Phoenix is just the latest example of a franchise that made reckless moves and sacrificed future success for fleeting short-term gains rather than exercising patience, The Athletic’s John Hollinger opines. The Suns have traded all of their own draft picks through 2031 and have the league’s worst contract, according to Hollinger, who notes that Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause and is still owed more than $110MM over the next two seasons. The only real solution, Hollinger says, is to trade both Booker and Durant for draft capital and start a complete rebuild.

Pacific Notes: Curry, Udoka, Kings Pick, LaRavia, Beal

April 7th, 2025 at 8:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry was hot on the court in recent games but he was only hot at the officials and the opposing coach on Sunday. After scoring 125 points combined in wins over the Grizzlies, Lakers and Nuggets, the Warriors superstar had more turnovers (four) than points (three) in the Rockets’ 106-96 win, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes.

While heading to the locker room at halftime, Curry seemed frustrated about the way he was being defended. He crossed paths with Houston coach Ime Udoka, who said something to Curry that led to a terse exchange.

“When people start complaining about foul calls or crying about physicality, you’ve done your job,” Udoka said. “That’s the first step in winning the battle. So I told my team, when this team starts crying about it, up the intensity, up the aggressiveness, and make the refs adjust to you.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Kings owe the Hawks a first-rounder which is top-12 protected in this year’s draft. It’s still very much uncertain whether that pick will be conveyed, given Sacramento’s current status as a play-in team. James Ham of The Kings Beat takes an in-depth look at the scenarios where the Kings might retain the pick.
Kings forward Jake LaRavia is progressing through his rehab for what is now being called an incomplete scaphoid fracture of his left thumb, Ham tweets. LaRavia, who has been cleared for light on-court workouts, has been sidelined since March 25. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game last month.
What should the Suns do with Bradley Beal this offseason — trade the oft-injured wing, waive him and use the stretch provision to spread out the financial burden, or buy him out? Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com (subscription required) takes a deep dive into each of those possibilities.

Suns Notes: Offseason, Budenholzer, Beal, Durant, Bol

April 7th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns are on the brink of elimination after losing their sixth straight game Sunday night in New York, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix is winless since Kevin Durant suffered a sprained left ankle last weekend, and although there’s hope that he can resume playing, it may be too late. At 35-43, the Suns would have to catch either Sacramento (38-40) or Dallas (38-41) to sneak into the postseason.

As Rankin describes, Sunday’s game was typical of the recent slide as Phoenix was competitive for much of the night but still found a way to lose. The biggest problem against New York was three-point shooting as the Suns, who rank third in the league in that category at 38%, were a dreadful 4-of-34 from beyond the arc.

Although their situation looks bleak, Devin Booker said the players can’t afford to lose their focus in the final four games of the season.

“Same approach, man. I keep saying for the love of the game,” Booker said. “You never play with this sport. This is our lives. Whatever the situation is, whether we’re in or out, we’re going to give it our all and do what we can do.”

Attention now turns to what the Suns will do this summer after a hugely disappointing season despite a payroll that tops $400MM with luxury tax included. Rankin expects another coaching change, even though Mike Budenholzer was just hired last May.

Trade speculation involving Durant has been steady for the last two months, and Rankin believes the focus should be on getting under the second apron so they’ll have more flexibility to remake the roster. He also notes that owner Mat Ishbia’s willingness to change coaches hasn’t extended to the front office where general manager James Jones and CEO Josh Bartelstein have kept their jobs despite not producing a contender.

There’s more on the Suns:

Bradley Beal, who returned Friday after missing eight games with a strained left hamstring, said he’s feeling much better, Rankin adds in the same story. Beal was held scoreless in the first half Sunday, but he delivered 16 points after intermission. “Night and day better,” he said of the hamstring. “A lot more confident. Still, in the first, kind of felt like I was still trying to feel my way into the game, but I like where I was defensively. The effort on defense kept me in the game and I was able to find that rhythm in the second half.”
The Suns weren’t able to work out a Durant trade before the February deadline because they were asking for “a massive haul,” sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Windhorst doesn’t expect Phoenix to get that kind of return when trade talks resume this summer, noting that Durant will turn 37 in September and will be eligible for a two-year, $120MM max extension. Like Rankin, Windhorst suggests that a Durant trade might provide the Suns with cap flexibility rather than win-now players and draft capital.
Bol Bol was held out of Sunday’s game and has barely played over the last month or so. In a separate story from Rankin, Budenholzer explains his decision to bench Bol, who was used as a starter for 10 games around the All-Star break. “I think Cody (Martin) has gotten healthy, we’ve played Cody,” Budenholzer said. “Ryan (Dunn) has been playing more. Just always trying to give different guys opportunities, different mix, different combinations. So, (Bol’s) kind of fallen out of (the rotation).”

Pacific Notes: Curry, Lakers, Beal, Clippers

April 5th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors star Stephen Curry did a little bit of everything in Friday’s win over Denver, including some coaching, writes Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Holding a lead during a play stoppage late in the game, Curry motioned for coach Steve Kerr to reinsert Gui Santos to provide energy and defense. Kerr took the suggestion, and Santos helped close out a 118-104 victory.

“I was like, ‘OK, if he’s saying it, then I’m going in,’” Santos said. “When the game matters a lot, in the most important moments, Steph wants everything to be perfect. He sees everything.”

Several players expressed the same message about Curry after the game, which was the Warriors’ first regular season win over the Nuggets in more than three years. Curry’s attention to detail when it’s time for “meaningful basketball” is part of what has made him one of the greatest players in NBA history.

“There’s a completely different focus, but you see the focus everywhere,” Draymond Green said. “It’s not just once Steph steps on the court in the game. It’s in practice, it’s in his workouts. He’s on the phone talking: ‘Yo, we need to do this.’ He gets into the weeds around this time. We try to keep him out of the weeds all year, because it can be a bit exhausting. But he kind of knows when it’s time for him to get in the weeds, and that’s where he is right now. … You can see the look in his eyes from a mile away.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Coach J.J. Redick ran several actions involving LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to finish off Friday’s win over New Orleans, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The Lakers have started winning the minutes with their three stars on the court together, and Doncic believes their chemistry is improving. “Obviously, like we talk about, it’s still a work in progress,” he said. “We haven’t had many practices together, but I think we’re getting more comfortable, like you saw (on Friday). It’s getting better.”
Suns guard Bradley Beal missed all seven of his shots from the field Friday at Boston, but he felt fine physically after returning to the lineup following an eight-game absence due to a strained left hamstring, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Just getting back into a rhythm, getting back into the pace of the game,” Beal said. “Just got to be a little more aggressive. It was a little bit trying to feel my way into the game.”
The Clippers are in playoff mode already as they try to climb into the top six in the West and avoid the play-in tournament, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. has won 10 of its last 12 and entered tonight in a three-way tie for the sixth spot. “Everyone is treating every game like the playoffs. Honestly, it’s fun,” Ivica Zubac said. “I think what the NBA did with that play-in, I think it’s a really good thing. It’s very competitive and it’s been good. The last few weeks have been fun. You just kind of lock in, treat it as a playoff game, a must-win, and I’m sure other teams are like that too.”

Pacific Notes: Payton, Beal, Hayes, Carter, Kings

April 3rd, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Golden State should have one of its top defensive players back in the near future. While veteran swingman Gary Payton II has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, he is making “good progress” from the partially torn ligament in his left thumb is now considered day-to-day, according to an announcement from the Warriors (Twitter link).

Initial reports on Payton’s thumb injury indicated he would be sidelined indefinitely, but the Warriors announced last Thursday that he’d be reevaluated in one week and it sounds as if that exam went well. While the defensive specialist won’t suit up on Thursday, he has yet to be ruled out for the second end of the team’s back-to-back set, so it’s possible he could return as soon as Friday vs. Denver.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Bradley Beal isn’t listed on the Suns‘ injury report for Friday’s game in Boston and is on track to make his return after missing eight games with a left hamstring strain. He shares fans’ frustrations about his inconsistent availability this season and is hopeful he won’t have to miss any more games this spring, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s not ideal, obviously, it’s not fun,” Beal said. “You don’t enjoy it. You control what you can control. That’s all I can do. I always preach about being available and that’s something I’m definitely kicking myself about, but that’s sometimes how the cookie crumbles. All I can do is keep my head up and keep getting better. The staff has been great, my body is in a better place and I feel really good right now. Hopefully it continues to stay that way.”
Jaxson Hayes averaged a career-low 12.5 minutes per game in his first season with the Lakers in 2023/24, but has taken on a significantly more important role in the second year of his minimum-salary deal following the trade sending Anthony Davis to Dallas. Hayes, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is looking to make the most of the chance to start at center alongside an elite pick-and-roll play-maker like Luka Doncic. “I just view it as opportunity to make a name for myself, an opportunity to go win some games and win a ring,” Hayes said on Wednesday, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “And I just look at it as I gotta come in locked in every day and just try to make the most out of every day, be the best version of myself.”
The Kings got good news on Devin Carter after the rookie guard exited Saturday’s game early due to a right shoulder injury. Carter is considered day-to-day due to a shoulder contusion and is being listed as questionable to play on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). Carter has a history of shoulder issues, so the team can breathe a sigh of relief now that the injury appears to be relatively minor.
While the Carter update was a positive one, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate in Sacramento as of late. As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, the Kings‘ loss in Washington on Wednesday represents a new low for a team struggling to separate itself in the play-in race from a Phoenix squad that has lost four games in a row. The 36-40 Kings have a one-game lead on the Suns for the No. 10 seed in the West.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

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