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Suns Notes: Paul, Payne, Ayton, Bridges

July 21st, 2021 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Over the course of his 16 years in the NBA, point guard Chris Paul has never come closer to winning a championship than he did this season with the Suns. But ultimately, his season ended like most of those other 15 did — with a playoff elimination. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, Paul now holds the ignominious distinction of being the only player in NBA history to lose four different series in which his team held a 2-0 lead.

Paul has a $44MM player option for the 2021/22 season and it remains unclear what his plan is for that option. Picking it up and trying to work out an extension with the Suns would be one viable path. Opting out in search of a new multiyear deal would be another. After Tuesday’s loss, the 36-year-old wasn’t ready to discuss his intentions, simply confirming that he’s not considering the possibility of retirement.

“It will take a while to process this or whatnot, but it’s same mentality,” Paul said, per McMenamin. “Get back to work. I ain’t retiring, if that’s what you’re asking. That’s out. So, back to work.”

While Paul didn’t specifically address his contract situation, his comments after Game 6 made it sound as if he’s leaning toward remaining in Phoenix, McMenamin notes. The veteran guard spoke about the Suns’ desire to continue improving and to compete for a championship again in 2022.

“Everybody in that locker room knows we had enough, but it wasn’t enough,” Paul said. “So, we got to figure it out. I think for me, I just look at myself and figure out how can I get better, what I could have done more and make sure I come back next season ready to do it again.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

  • Although the Suns’ loss adds to Paul’s list of playoff disappointments, his legacy as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and one of the all-time great point guards has already been cemented, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Mark Medina of USA Today makes a similar case, arguing that CP3’s legacy shouldn’t be tarnished by Phoenix’s loss.
  • In his preview of the Suns’ offseason, Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) takes a closer look at Paul’s contract situation and several of the other decisions facing the Suns, including Cameron Payne‘s free agency and possible rookie scale extensions for Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges. Adding backcourt bench depth will also be a priority this summer for Phoenix, Marks adds.
  • Anthony Slater of The Athletic also explores what’s next for the Suns, suggesting that the team should be open to moving the No. 29 pick in next week’s draft for veteran help if the right deal arises.
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Western Notes: Williams, Suns, Blazers, Gilgeous-Alexander

July 18th, 2021 at 8:56pm CST by JD Shaw

The Suns will look to regroup in Game 6 after losing three straight contests to the Bucks, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. Phoenix now trails 3-2 in the series entering Tuesday’s pivotal game.

“We got to win one game to put them back on the plane,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “That’s it. And you have to have that determination that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to put them back on the plane.”

Game 6 of the Finals will take place in Milwaukee, meaning a Suns win would allow the team to play Game 7 at home. The club won its first two contests in its own arena before dropping Saturday’s game 123-119.

“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy,” Chris Paul said. “We didn’t expect it to be. It’s hard. Coach said it all year long: Everything we want is on the other side of hard, and it don’t get no harder than this.

“So, we got to regroup, learn from this game. But it’s over. We got to get ready for Game 6.”

There’s more out of the Western Conference:

  • The Suns have been hampered by defensive issues and ball protection, according to The Arizona Republic. Phoenix struggled in non-Deandre Ayton minutes during Game 5, playing Torrey Craig, Jae Crowder and Cameron Johnson when Ayton sat on the bench. The team mostly played Dario Saric in those minutes during the regular season, but Saric suffered a torn ACL in the first quarter of Game 1.
  • Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated examines the current situation between Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers. To this point, Lillard has publicly denied the notion that he plans to request a trade, but he’s also explained the importance of building a contender around him this summer. The Blazers were eliminated by the short-handed Nuggets during the first round of the playoffs this spring. “Right now, I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” Lillard said on Friday. “My intention, my heart has always been set on being in a Trail Blazers uniform for my entire career. But I think over time, you want to win it all. I want to win it all in a Trail Blazers uniform. We all have to be making strides toward that.”
  • Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman explores why it wouldn’t make sense for the Thunder to trade Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander appeared in 35 games for the team this year, averaging 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per outing.
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And-Ones: Rose, Roberts, Thunder’s Arena, Free Agents, Silver

July 16th, 2021 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA VP of basketball operations Malik Rose is a candidate to succeed Michele Roberts as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, Marc Stein of Substack tweets. Roberts recently told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill she planned to stay at her post for “another six or so months.” Rose was an assistant GM with the Pistons for two seasons prior to accepting his current post last June. 

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • A new name for the Thunder‘s arena will be revealed as soon as next week, Steve Lackmeyer of The Oklahoman writes. Signage for the Chesapeake Energy Arena was removed on Thursday. The team has a naming rights deal in place, pending approval of its application from the Downtown Design Review Committee.
  • Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul and John Collins are the top three potential free agents, according to a ranking system used by The Athletic’s John Hollinger. The top 20 free agents are ranked, with Hollinger projecting potential contracts offers for those players.
  • The challenges over the past two seasons created by the virus have been immense but NBA commissioner Adam Silver hopes it has brought a better understanding between management and players, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “That sense of unity, I hope we can keep up,” Silver said. “I think the players have a better understanding of what we’re up against in trying to run this business, and we have a better understanding of the players — what it’s like to travel the amount they do, the stresses they’re under, the emotional and physical burdens they’re under by competing at this level.”
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Stein’s Latest: Paul, Holiday, Leonard, Harrison

July 16th, 2021 at 1:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks considered a trade for Chris Paul last offseason before deciding to make a run at Jrue Holiday, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column. Milwaukee wanted to add a veteran guard who could fill a leadership role after a disappointing playoff loss to the Heat, and Paul was an obvious name to consider.

The Bucks opted for a younger alternative in Holiday, who has helped them reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 50 years. Stein believes the addition of Holiday helped convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to commit to the franchise with a five-year, $228MM contract extension.

Holiday finds himself matched up in the Finals against Paul, whom the Thunder promised to trade to a contender last fall as they began rebuilding. Paul wanted to be closer to his son in Los Angeles, so the Bucks would have been at a disadvantage if he’d been their preferred choice.

Stein offers more news from around the league:

  • There were rumors that Paul might be interested in opting out of his $44.2MM salary for next season and leaving Phoenix this summer, but that seems less likely after the Finals run. No matter what he decides on the option, Stein expects Paul to be back with the Suns next season, noting that he fits perfectly alongside Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and coach Monty Williams. Booker said recently that the team’s 8-0 record after the restart motivated management to pursue Paul.
  • Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has a $36MM option decision to make, and the ACL surgery he had this week will likely influence his thinking. League sources expect him to remain in L.A., according to Stein, but several teams will be interested if he hits the open market. Stein states that the Mavericks are willing to sign Leonard even if the ACL prevents him from playing next season.
  • New Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said he has received offers from other teams in the past, but he chose to remain with Nike until the opportunity with Dallas arose. League sources tell Stein that the Spurs and Lakers are among the franchises that have shown interest in Harrison.
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Pacific Notes: Warriors Workouts, Lakers, LeBron, CP3

July 15th, 2021 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors, who hold the seventh and 14th overall picks in this year’s draft, are busy this week working out prospects, many of whom could be in play for one of those two lottery picks.

As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets, Cameron Thomas, Tre Mann, Isaiah Todd, Quentin Grimes, Nah’Shon Hyland, and LJ Figueroa came in for a group workout with the Warriors on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Baylor’s Davion Mitchell is conducting an individual workout with Golden State before Jalen Johnson, Kai Jones, and Moses Moody audition later in the afternoon, according to Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).

Of those 10 prospects, Mitchell (No. 7), Johnson (12), Moody (16), Jones (20), Mann (22), Thomas (26), Grimes (29), and Hyland (30) are all projected by ESPN to be first-round picks.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

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And-Ones: COVID-19 Testing, Female Coaches, White, Hilliard, A-Rod

July 14th, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

All of the players in the Finals have been tested daily for COVID-19 and none of them have returned a confirmed positive test since July 7, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). Outside of Chris Paul early in the postseason, no player has returned a positive test since the playoffs began.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • NBA players are increasingly open-minded about female coaches, but front offices remain reluctant to give one of them a shot as a head coach, according to Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times. There’s increasing pressure on the league to give Spurs assistant Becky Hammon — a finalist for the Trail Blazers job — a chance to be a head coach, but GMs in a risk-averse league keep finding reasons to pass on her and other female candidates. Having more female executives around the league could change those perceptions, Nguyen adds.
  • Former NBA big man Okaro White has signed to play with Greece’s Panathinaikos next season, Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relays. White played in Russia last season. He appeared in 41 games for the Heat in 2016-18 and saw action in three games with the Wizards in 2018/19.
  • Former NBA guard Darrun Hilliard has agreed to terms with Germany’s Bayern Munich, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets. Hilliard appeared in 77 Pistons games from 2015-17 after getting drafted in the second round. He also played 14 games for the Spurs during the 2017/18 season.
  • Timberwolves buyers Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore met with the league’s Finance Committee this week, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. It’s part of the process to receive league approval for their first 20% purchase of the team. They will make multiple purchases of the franchise over the next few years until they become the controlling owners. The sale agreement was reached in mid-May. The Finance Committee is expected to recommend to the NBA’s Board of Governors that it approves the first sale.
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Suns Notes: Paul, Booker, Ayton, Kaminsky, Game 3

July 11th, 2021 at 6:30pm CST by JD Shaw

The backcourt pairing of Chris Paul and Devin Booker has reached historic levels this season, particularly during the first two games of the NBA Finals, Gina Mizell of Suns.com writes.

Paul and Booker have caused problems for the Bucks’ defense, combining to score a total of 59 points in Game 1 and 54 points in Game 2. The two stars are now just two wins away from securing an NBA championship for the first time in their respective careers.

“I’m having a hard enough time trying to figure out how to guard those two,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who’s thrown a variety of defensive schemes at Phoenix thus far. “I can’t come up with a good comparison for you.”

There’s more out of Phoenix tonight:

  • Mark Medina of USA TODAY examines the special bond between Deandre Ayton and former NBA player Mychal Thompson as native Bahamians. “I tell him how proud I am of him and to keep going,” Thompson said of Ayton. “He’s the greatest player we’ve ever had from the Bahamas.” Ayton has welcomed the advice with open arms, averaging 16.2 points and 12.1 rebounds in 36.5 minutes per game in 18 playoff contests.
  • The Suns could benefit from Frank Kaminsky serving as a frontcourt X-factor the rest of the series, Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic writes. Phoenix is already playing without Dario Saric due to a torn ACL, making it imperative that Kaminsky is prepared to step into the rotation. “For me, my mentality this whole playoffs is just, ‘Stay ready,'” Kaminsky said before Game 2. “You never know what can happen. I’ve been ready, I’ve been putting the work in.”
  • The team is treating Sunday’s Game 3 as a must-win contest, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. With a win, Phoenix would take a commanding 3-0 lead heading into Game 4 on Wednesday. “For us, the biggest game of the year is tomorrow,” Paul said on Saturday. “Tomorrow. It’s a must-win game for us. We’ve got to come out with that mindset. Know that they’re home, they’re more comfortable, they will be in front of their fans, but we got to be us. We got to be us and we got to be the hungrier team, and so that’s what we’ll do.”
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And-Ones: Paul, Silver, Canaan, Mickey

July 7th, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by JD Shaw

Suns guard and NBPA president Chris Paul spoke about the NBA’s ongoing injury problem this postseason, making it clear that every player has the right to make their voice heard about topics discussed with the league throughout the year.

Several key players have dealt with injuries throughout the playoffs, including Paul himself. It’s unclear whether the compressed schedule has played a large role or whether the league has simply experienced bad luck — or a combination of both.

“Man, one thing about our league and its players is everything is always a conversation,” Paul said, as relayed by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “There’s a ton of guys on the executive committee who are working hard on things right now, as we speak — day in and day out, traveling. I wish you guys knew all the things that are going on. So, decisions that are made as far as playing or not playing, players are always involved in it.

“Injuries are always unfortunate. You hate to have them. But just like when we went to the bubble, everything was discussed as far as the players and the full body of players. Everything that’s good for this guy and that guy might not be the same for that guy, but everything has always been a conversation, and it’s going to continue to be that way. So, if people don’t like it, then you know everybody has the same opportunity to be a part of all these conversations.”

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world today:

  • Allowing fans back into arenas helped the NBA with financial losses caused by COVID-19, commissioner Adam Silver said, as relayed by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “We did somewhat better than we initially projected,” said Silver. “We don’t have the exact numbers yet, but maybe we’ll be down roughly a third in revenue, something around there, instead of 40%.”
  • Isaiah Canaan has signed an extension with Unics Kazan in Russia, the team announced (via Twitter). Canaan, a former NBA guard, averaged 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in 43 outings with the club last season.
  • Free agent big man Jordan Mickey has signed with Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia, the team announced (Twitter link). Mickey, the No. 33 pick in 2015, holds NBA experience with the Celtics and Heat.
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NBA Finals Notes: Giannis, Saric, Paul, MVP

July 7th, 2021 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

When Giannis Antetokounmpo hyperextended his knee during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks star initially thought his season was over — and that the start of his next season may be in jeopardy too.

“I thought I would be out for a year,” Antetokounmpo said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Giannis added that until the results of his MRI came back, he was convinced his absence would be a lengthy one.

“I couldn’t walk, and my knee was like double the size,” Antetokounmpo said. “Usually I never swell up. But you know, I woke up the next day, did whatever it’s called, MRI or X-ray — I don’t know what it’s called — and they said I’m good. And I was like, ‘Thank God.'”

Antetokounmpo, who was originally listed as doubtful for Game 1, was upgraded to questionable on Tuesday afternoon and was cleared after going through pregame warmups without any issues. He didn’t look too bothered by the knee on Tuesday night, racking up 20 points and 17 rebounds, but said he hopes to feel even better for Game 2, as Bontemps relays.

Here are a few more notes related to the NBA Finals, which the Suns lead 1-0:

  • Despite the fact that the Bucks lost Game 1, Antetokounmpo’s return offers the team hope for the rest of the series, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
  • Suns forward Dario Saric suffered a right knee injury the first quarter on Tuesday night and didn’t return. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN details, there was no official update on Saric’s condition after the game, so his status going forward is unclear.
  • Chris Paul, who is playing in his first Finals in his 16th NBA season, joked on Tuesday that he hasn’t gotten used to not being able to watch other basketball games on days the Suns aren’t playing. “I was watching them soccer games,” Paul said, according to McMenamin. “I watched a hockey game last night.”
  • Paul looks like the early favorite to become this year’s Finals MVP, racking up a game-high 32 points and nine assists on 12-of-19 shooting on Tuesday. Check out our poll from last night to make your prediction for Finals MVP.
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Suns Notes: Paul, Johnson, Booker, NBA Finals

July 3rd, 2021 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s over-38 rule will give the Suns an advantage over the Knicks if they get into a bidding war for Chris Paul, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman cites a report from ESPN’s Bobby Marks that says Phoenix will be able to offer the 36-year-old a four-year contract if he opts out this summer, while other teams are limited to three years because of the age provision.

Marks expects the Suns to make a three-year, $100MM offer to the veteran point guard, who has them headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993. If the Knicks try to match it, Phoenix would be able to add a fourth season.

Paul is a former CAA client of Knicks president Leon Rose, who has been wanting to acquire him since taking over the team in March of 2020. Paul preferred to be closer to his son in Los Angeles, according to Berman, so the Thunder sent him to Phoenix in a sign-and-trade.

There’s more on the Suns:

  • Paul’s right hand is feeling better after a few days of rest, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. After Phoenix closed out the Clippers in the Western Conference finals, Paul revealed that he had been playing with partially torn ligaments in the hand. The Suns haven’t played since Wednesday while waiting to see if they will face the Bucks or the Hawks next. “Each day that we’ve had off has been really good, and we all get a chance to rest up a little bit before we get it going again,” Paul said.
  • Cameron Johnson wasn’t available for Game 6 against L.A. because of a non-COVID illness, but he should be ready for the start of the NBA Finals, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “He’s fine. He was ready to go and we found out that same day,” coach Monty Williams said. “It wasn’t anything earth shattering about the whole deal. He was just sick.”
  • Paul and Devin Booker are the betting favorites to be named Finals MVP, according to Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com (Twitter link).
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