Devin Booker Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Notes: Ayton, Durant, Wainwright, Booker

April 26th, 2023 at 2:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Starting Suns center Deandre Ayton was a big part of Phoenix’s 4-1 series victory over the Clippers, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

“He’s finding ways to impact winning,” head coach Monty Williams noted last week. “In Game 2, his mid-range shot kept us in the game and allowed us to gain some momentum and footing. (In Game 3), he wasn’t making the shots he typically makes, but he still found a way to impact the game. The rebound at the end was huge.”

For the series, Ayton averaged an impressive 16.0 PPG and 11.2 RPG, despite essentially functioning as the club’s fourth option on offense.

There’s more out of Phoenix:

Though injury-prone All-Star Suns power forward Kevin Durant has been logging major minutes so far in these playoffs, Durant claims the heavy usage doesn’t bother him, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I want to be out there every minute,” Durant said. “I wish I could play 48 every game.” Across a whopping 43.8 MPG, Durant averaged 28.4 PPG (on .518/.458/.956 shooting), 7.6 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG.
Despite being on opposing sides of their just-wrapped playoff series, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has served as a mentor to Suns reserve wing Ish Wainright, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. “He’s like a big brother,” Wainright said. “I know things are not going to go the way that I wanted and I’m going to be patient. He was patient and that’s what I look up to. What’s mine is mine. God said that what’s yours is yours, so that’s how I live. What’s mine is mine and he showed me a way — Ty did it, why can’t I do it?”
All-NBA Suns shooting guard Devin Booker has been solidifying himself as a two-way superstar throughout this stupendous playoff run, writes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. During the team’s Game 5 home closeout victory over the Clippers, Booker scored 47 points on 19-of-27 shooting from the floor, and also chipped in 10 dimes, eight boards, and two steals. Bourguet notes that Booker now has notched the most 30- and 40-point playoff games in the history of the franchise.

Pacific Notes: Barnes, Booker, Craig, D. Green, Myers

April 22nd, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Kings forward Harrison Barnes will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and head coach Mike Brown is among those hoping the 30-year-old doesn’t go anywhere, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Brown made it clear that he’ll leave the roster decisions to general manager Monte McNair and assistant GM Wes Wilcox, but made it clear he’d love for the Kings to re-sign Barnes, referring to him as “irreplaceable” and praising his “championship pedigree” and veteran leadership.

“I’m not trying to be funny, but that’s what irreplaceable means. He’s irreplaceable,” Brown said. “Having said that, that’s Monte and Wes’ area. … There’s nobody, at the end of the day, who’s going to be forever and ever in this league and this organization, but HB definitely is a guy who has been a big, big part of what we’ve got going here, and I hope he’s a big, big, big part of what our future looks like.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Devin Booker was an All-Star before the Suns acquired Kevin Durant, but Durant’s arrival has helped Booker take his game to another level, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. “You can’t leave (Durant), obviously. He draws a lot of attention,” Booker said after scoring 45 points in a Game 3 victory on Thursday. “A lot of the buckets I scored, I went right to him right after and said, ‘You opened that up.'”
Reinserted into the Suns‘ starting lineup when the playoffs began in order to match up defensively against Kawhi Leonard, Torrey Craig has had a monster series so far, averaging 18.0 PPG and making 10-of-16 three-pointers (62.5%) through three games. As Doug Haller of The Athletic details, Craig’s performance is all the more impressive given the path he took to get here — he went undrafted in 2014 and spent the first three years of his professional career playing in Australia and New Zealand.
Tim Kawakami of The Athletic explores the bond between Warriors forward Draymond Green and president of basketball operations Bob Myers and muses about what it would mean for the franchise to lose one or both of them as free agents this offseason. Elsewhere at The Athletic, Anthony Slater explores how a big game from veteran center Kevon Looney helped nullify Green’s absence in Game 3.

Injury Notes: Heat, Sixers, Robinson, Mavericks

April 7th, 2023 at 1:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With the seventh seed in the East now sewn up, the Heat will rest their three priciest players and their first-round rookie draft pick tonight against the Wizards, the team has announced (Twitter link).

All-Star center Bam Adebayo will be unavailable due to a left quadriceps tendon strain, small forward Jimmy Butler will miss the bout with a right hand contusion, and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry will rest with a knee ailment. Rookie power forward Nikola Jovic will also be out due to a back injury.

Three other players are considered questionable with various maladies. The statuses of guards Tyler Herro and Max Struss are uncertain due to a right quad contusion and a hyperextended right finger, respectively. Veteran big man Kevin Love‘s availability is murky due to a right rib contusion.

Here are more injury notes:

The Sixers will sit All-Star center Joel Embiid, a 2023 MVP hopeful, point guard James Harden, forward P.J. Tucker and shooting guard Tyrese Maxey against the Hawks, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Forward Tobias Harris and reserve guard Jaden Springer are questionable to suit up.
The Knicks have announced that they will rest starting center Mitchell Robinson tonight against the Pelicans (via Twitter). At 47-33, New York is now locked into the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, as the team is three games ahead of the Nets in the East standings with just two games left in its regular season schedule.
The Suns will sit their top four players tonight against the Lakers. Sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter) that Phoenix, playing in the second night of a back-to-back set of bouts, will be without All-Star forward Kevin Durant, All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker, future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, and maximum-salaried center Deandre Ayton against Los Angeles tonight. Charania notes that the Suns have locked up the West’s fourth seed.
The Mavericks tweet that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, guard Josh Green, wing Tim Hardaway Jr., and frontcourt players Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood will all sit out tonight’s game against the Bulls. Dallas is just 0.5 games behind the Thunder for the West’s No. 10 seed, but sitting all these key rotation players appears to signal a subtle surrender of the club’s season. The Mavericks are currently tied for the 10th-worst record in the NBA, and given that they owe a top 10-protected first-round pick to the Knicks this year, it makes sense that they would hope to preserve their future draft selection.

Suns Notes: Durant, Booker, Okogie

March 31st, 2023 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant finally made his Suns home debut on Wednesday, scoring 16 points against Minnesota in a 107-100 victory. He admitted he was eager to show the Phoenix fans how he’s blending with his new teammates, Nick Friedell of ESPN relays.

“It was hard for me to get sleep (Wednesday),” Durant said. “It was hard for me to stop thinking about the game. Sometimes you can want it too bad. And you come out there and play like you start rushing and start being uncharacteristic. I’m glad I’m back. I’m glad I’m into the zone of playing again and being around the guys and being one of the guys again, just keep building from here.”

We have more on the Suns:

Durant told Shams Charania of The Athletic that he’s still rooting for the Nets and holds no ill will toward the organization. Durant asked to be traded before and then during the season. “I want the best for that organization. I wanted the best for us every game,” he said. “I hated it had to go down like that. I wasn’t trying to prove the Nets is a (bad) organization. I was trying to prove that the Nets are a great organization, that they care about their players, want the best for their players. Certain (stuff) just didn’t work out.”
Devin Booker told Sam Amick of The Athletic that he becomes even more of an offensive threat with Durant drawing defensive attention. “The thing about Kev is that he’s one of the best scorers – if not the best scorer – to ever play the game. But he still plays the right way,” Booker said. “He makes teams pay for double teaming, and he’ll get off it quick. We just hoop. We make reads We make plays, and we start with a structure and our sets. He fits right into that and he knows what we’re doing.”
Josh Okogie, a free agent after the season, has emerged as the team’s fifth starter. He knows his offensive contributions are simply a bonus, he told Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic. “I’m always focused on the defensive end,” Okogie said. “The opportunities that I saw early, it was just that I never really think about scoring. I just try to do my job just to get stops, being about position on defense, try to get the rebound and bring energy to the team.”

Suns Notes: Durant, Ayton, Booker, Shamet

March 22nd, 2023 at 5:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns won their first three games with Kevin Durant in the lineup, but they’ve gone into a skid since his injury that could put them in danger of falling into the play-in tournament, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix is just 2-4 since Durant sprained his left ankle during warmups two weeks ago. The Suns are still fourth in the Western Conference standings, but they’re just two-and-a-half games away from the seventh spot, which is currently occupied by the Thunder and Mavericks.

Durant will miss his seventh straight game tonight, and although he recently started participating in shootarounds, there’s no indication of when he might be able to return. He’s scheduled for a medical reevaluation later this month, according to Rankin.

“We have some things to clean up,” Devin Booker said of the team’s recent play. “We know roles are going to change when KD comes back, but polishing everything up before he comes back is important, too.”

There’s more on the Suns:

Deandre Ayton will miss his second straight game tonight with a hip contusion he suffered last Thursday, Rankin adds. Bismack Biyombo took over as the starting center in Sunday’s game at Oklahoma City, and coach Monty Williams expressed confidence in his backups’ ability to contribute while the stars are injured. “You obviously need the guys that are important to the program, but all of our guys are,” Williams said. “That’s why player development, being ready to play is important also. That doesn’t diminish what Kevin and DA bring to the table. We all understand that, but we’ve prided ourselves having guys ready to play.”
With 11 games remaining, Booker understands that the Suns need to finish strong to give themselves the best possible chance in the playoffs, Rankin states in another Arizona Republic story. “You want homecourt advantage,” Booker said. “Honestly, if that’s not the case, I’m fine, too. I don’t think you want to be in the play-in. I think them adding the play-in kind of dices things up. It’s a one-game thing, but we just want to be there.”
Landry Shamet provides a balance of offense and defense that could lead to an important role for the rest of the season, observes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Bourguet assesses the strengths and weaknesses of all the Suns’ wing options and notes that Durant’s injury has prevented Williams from establishing a set rotation around his top four players.

Pacific Notes: Covington, Zubac, Westbrook, Durant, Curry

March 6th, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Robert Covington has played sparingly the last six weeks and the Clippers forward believes he can be a defensive force if he gets back in the rotation, he told Law Murray of The Athletic.

“I bring a different thing to this team,” said Covington, who is signed through next season with the Clippers. “And it’s one of the things, one of the reasons why they brought me here. It’s being that disruptor on it. Being a disruptor off the ball. Seeing things and reading it right. Watching plays really develop, and just getting a knack for getting my hands on the basketball. Creating an opportunity for us on the defensive side and creating transition plays. And getting out and running.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers center Ivica Zubac has been pleasantly surprised by what Russell Westbrook has brought to the team since Westbrook cleared waivers and signed as a free agent, Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points tweets. “Honestly, it’s way better than I thought it would be,” Zubac said. “He’s a great leader also, he’s very vocal, something we needed… He has a great attitude, always smiling, laughing, being very positive.”
The Suns have a renewed spirit since Kevin Durant joined the lineup, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. The Suns are 3-0 with Durant in uniform and Phoenix once again has the look of a true contender. “Even in the postgame, a lot of people are saying we feel fresh. We play team basketball,” Devin Booker said.
The Warriors had a five-game winning streak halted by the Lakers on Sunday. Stephen Curry returned from a leg injury that sidelined him for 11 games and he knows their season could go in many different directions. “It’s weird to say, we’re still trying to win championships but we’re trying to avoid the play-in,” he said, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “Both can be true. … Until we get beat, we still feel we’re a tough matchup for anybody. That is the confidence we’ve got to have down the stretch.”

Devin Booker, Julius Randle Named Players Of The Week

March 6th, 2023 at 2:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns guard Devin Booker and Knicks forward Julius Randle have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced (via Twitter).

Phoenix went 3-0 last week, with Booker averaging 36.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.0 block on .560/.500/.778 shooting in the three victories. The three-time All-Star won for the Western Conference.

Randle, the East’s winner, averaged 29.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists on .526/.465/.727 shooting last week. New York went 4-0 to extend its winning streak to nine games.

It was the first time either player has won the award this season.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, Domantas Sabonis and Jalen Williams, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickley were nominated in the East.

Suns Notes: Durant, Irving, Booker, Roster Depth

March 6th, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Playing his first close game since joining the Suns, Kevin Durant provided a reminder of what a dangerous clutch-time scorer he can be, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Durant had 37 points in Sunday’s win at Dallas and hit a tough jumper over Tim Hardaway Jr. with 12.4 seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winner.

“Once I had him on my hip, I felt like I was in good position to just stop on a dime,” Durant said. “Glad I made it.”

In just his third game since returning from an MCL sprain, Durant was supposed to be on a minutes restriction. However, coach Monty Williams allowed him to stay on the court for 40 minutes as the game remained close throughout.

“I was out there for a while,” Durant said. “I didn’t look over to (Williams) on purpose. I wanted to keep playing, but I’m glad he trusted me out there. Glad the training staff trusted me. Hopefully we can build on this from here.”

There’s more on the Suns:

There was drama surrounding Sunday’s game because it marked the first meeting between Durant and Kyrie Irving since they both asked the Nets for a trade last month. But Durant said afterward that he had “no emotions at all,” noting that he played against Irving many times before they teamed up in Brooklyn, Rankin adds. In an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” Monday morning (video link), Brian Windhorst observed that Durant and Irving didn’t interact at all during the game, adding, “The only relationship they have right now is zero relationship.”
The Suns’ rivalry with the Mavericks was punctuated by a verbal altercation between Devin Booker and Luka Doncic late in Sunday’s game, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. After Doncic missed a floater in the final seconds that would have tied the score, he took exception to a comment from Booker and they went nose to nose before being separated. “You guys say you don’t want everybody to be friendly-friendly,” Booker told reporters. “Here you go. We got some smoke.”
The Suns are considered to be among the favorites in the West after adding Durant, but they’ll need to overcome a lack of depth after giving up important rotation pieces in the trade with Brooklyn, Windhorst writes in an ESPN story. He notes that Josh Okogie, who has been inserted into the starting lineup, missed all eight of his three-point attempts Sunday, while Torrey Craig was just 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Kevin Durant On Joining Suns, Time With Nets, Irving, More

February 16th, 2023 at 8:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns held a press conference on Thursday (YouTube link via ESPN) introducing Kevin Durant, who was acquired last week from the Nets in a four-team blockbuster trade. With several thousand fans in attendance, the superstar forward confirmed that he requested a trade to Phoenix following Kyrie Irving‘s own surprise trade request and the subsequent deal that sent the guard to Dallas.

“I was upset that we couldn’t finish (the season),” Durant said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I thought we had some good momentum. We were finally building a culture that we always wanted. I felt like every game we were building our chemistry, but I didn’t know what was going on with Kyrie and his situation with the organization, so I didn’t really focus on that. I only focused on what we were doing on the court, and it was a blow to our team. It just took away our identity. He was a huge, huge part to what we do. His game, he’s a Hall of Fame player, a great, great player, that can do everything on the floor and we relied on that.

“So without him we didn’t have a clear identity. So that was tough for me to stomach. I love playing with those guys throughout the year. I felt like we had dudes that were stepping up and doing stuff that they didn’t do on their previous teams. So I enjoyed everything about it — it was tough not finishing the season, but I just tried to move forward as quickly as I can and try to figure something out for myself, but also still focus on trying to rehab and get back. So it all happened so fast, but I’m glad it worked out this way.”

Durant got emotional discussing his time with Brooklyn, Friedell adds.

“It was a lot of ups and downs, but I loved the grind,” Durant said. “And everybody in Brooklyn loved the grind, too, so I built a family over there. They’re going to always be part of my journey. So we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish as far as winning a championship, but I enjoyed the grind. And everybody there, we tried our hardest every day, regardless of what was going on in the media, or what was going on with our teammates.

“I get emotional talking about them because that was a special four years in my career, coming off an Achilles (injury). They helped me through a lot, so I don’t have anything (bad to say).”

Here’s more from Durant’s press conference (quotes courtesy of Friedell, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic and Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports):

On the Nets’ “big three” he formed with Irving and James Harden:

“We just didn’t get on the court enough. I think when you seen James, Kyrie and myself, it was amazing basketball for (16) games, but in order for you to win a championship and be a great team, you just need more time on the floor. It’s another story about why we didn’t get on the floor together, but we just didn’t get enough time on the floor. And those are Hall of Fame players that I learned a lot from every day. I’m wishing them the best as well. It just didn’t work out.”

On why he wanted to join the Suns in particular:

“They experienced a lot the last couple of years. You see the growth of this team. When (head coach) Monty (Williams) took over, when (GM) James (Jones) came in, I saw the culture start to change. The way they played on the floor, the energy that they play with started to change. I always loved playing here in Phoenix. The fans always showed love to just good basketball in general. They always cheered their team on, but they always showed love to the opposing team as well. I knew this would be a great place to play and a great place to continue get better as a player.”

On Durant’s belief that the Suns have enough to bring Phoenix its first NBA championship:

“I think we got all the pieces to be successful. We got guys that have experienced what it’s like to play in that final round. We got a champion (Jones) already that’s overseeing us. Monty’s a champion as a coach. So we got guys that been there and that’s half the battle, just knowing what it takes.”

On playing with Devin Booker:

“He’s just such a quiet, efficient scorer, and he goes about his business on and off the court in just a mature manner. I wanted to be a part of his journey and see how good he can get from here. He’s just one of those players that I really admire, and people are gonna be doing classes on him once he’s done playing. You can learn so much from watching his game.”

On the support he’s received from Phoenix’s fans:

“While I appreciate it, I truly don’t think I deserve all this because I know I’ve done a lot of good things in basketball, but I haven’t done ‘em yet in a Suns jersey. I’m looking forward to doing it. I wanna go out there and do the most as I can and be the best that I can every day for you guys. So I appreciate the warm welcome, but I got more work to do.”

On when he might return to action from his MCL sprain:

“I’m going to follow the training staff and go on the schedule they got me on. So hopefully soon after the break.”

Pacific Notes: Lakers, S. Johnson, Booker, Suns, Warriors

February 15th, 2023 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link) has confirmed that the Lakers remain ineligible to sign free agent swingman Stanley Johnson.

NBA rules prohibit Team A (in this case, the Lakers) from signing a player when he’s traded to Team B (ie. Utah) and that team waives him later in the season (or during the following season, if the trade took place during the offseason).

In this specific case, Johnson – after being cut by Utah – was signed and then waived by Team C (San Antonio), but the restriction on the Lakers remains in place. If the Jazz had hung onto Johnson, traded him to the Spurs, and he had subsequently been released by San Antonio, the restriction on the Lakers would no longer apply.

While there has been no indication the Lakers actually had interest in bringing back Johnson, the application of this particular rule is still worth clarifying for any similar instances in the future.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers how the Lakers‘ moves at the trade deadline will affect their offseason, outlining their various cap options and taking a look at their potential luxury tax situation for 2023/24.
Suns star Devin Booker, who won a gold medal with Kevin Durant at the Tokyo Olympics, is thrilled to be teaming up with Durant in the NBA and proud of the fact that he has helped turn Phoenix into a desirable destination for stars, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “We built something that the league has picked up on,” Booker said. “We were probably the laughingstock of the NBA about four or five years ago, and just turning that around to something serious to championship contenders is a quick turnaround for us, so we take a lot of pride in what we’ve built here. For us to be a destination that Kev wanted to come to is a big sign of that, to show respect of what we’ve done so far. We still have more to do, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
John Hollinger of The Athletic is skeptical that the Warriors will be in line for any significant compensation based on the NBA’s investigation into whether the Trail Blazers disclosed certain medical information about Gary Payton II. In Hollinger’s view, Golden State would be lucky to get back one of the five second-round picks that went to Portland in the deal.