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Suns Notes: Nurkic, Rotation, Beal, Booker

January 10th, 2025 at 11:03am CST by Rory Maher

Suns center Jusuf Nurkic started each of his first 23 appearances this season. After returning from a three-game suspension, he was moved to the bench in favor of Mason Plumlee, later saying he would handle the demotion professionally.

In Thursday’s victory over Atlanta, Nurkic was pulled from the rotation altogether, receiving his first DNP-CD of the 2024/25 campaign. Head coach Mike Budenholzer opted to utilize Oso Ighodaro as the lone big man off the bench, with the rookie playing 25 minutes.

Nurkic, whose name has popped in trade rumors, said Budenholzer didn’t inform him in advance that he wouldn’t play, per Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com.

“No. We never communicated, but that’s fine,” Nurkic said.

When asked what he would do to embrace whatever role was asked of him, Nurkic declined to elaborate.

“No comment, man,” he said. “Just being (a) pro and get ready. That’s all.”

Budenholzer was asked about the decision to not play Nurkic after the game. He said it wasn’t specifically based on the matchup with Atlanta.

“Just went with Mason and Oso tonight,” Budenholzer said. “Just trying to figure out what’s best for the team, find the right combinations, the right group.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

  • Bradley Beal had a stellar showing in his third game since being moved to the second unit, recording 25 points (on 11-of-16 shooting), seven rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block in 33 minutes. Speaking to reporters after the win, he said “every moment” of trying to adjust to his new role has been strange, as PHNX Sports relays (Twitter video link). “But again, I’m not gonna be a distraction, I’m not gonna be an a–hole, I’m not gonna be unprofessional,” Beal said. “… I always take pride in my game. In who I am, in what I do. This is no different. I guess it’s just more magnified because it’s something that people are not used to seeing.”
  • Beal might be playing his best basketball of the season after being demoted, according to Doug Haller of The Athletic, who writes that the three-time All-Star seemed “amused” that outsiders thought he might respond to the move in any way other than being professional. “Everybody’s got their own opinion,” Beal said. “But nobody knows me. People paint their own images. Ain’t nothing I can do but keep being me.”
  • Devin Booker has said players have been frustrated with Phoenix’s recent play and that the team’s “vibes” have been “low” as the Suns have slid down the standings. However, he appreciated the positive energy the team showed on Thursday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I felt that a lot,” said Booker, who has recorded 10-plus assists in three straight games. “Obviously it’s more fun when you’re playing the right way and you’re winning, but just understand that it’s not going to be like that the whole game. Teams are going to go on runs. The quicker you can get out of that funk and get back to playing joyful and playing for each other, the better.”
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Pacific Notes: Monk, Allen, Budenholzer, Durant, Kuminga

December 22nd, 2024 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are expected to make Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, and draft capital available as they go shopping for help on the trade market ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. However, given the fact that Sacramento is off to a 13-16 start this season and is currently out of the play-in picture, teams around the NBA are curious about whether the Kings will consider becoming in-season sellers, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (video link).

“I’m not reporting that Malik Monk is available,” Fischer said. “However, rival teams certainly want to know if Malik Monk will be someone that the Kings are willing to part with.”

In discussing Monk, Fischer acknowledged it would be “tricky” to move last season’s Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, who signed a new four-year, $78MM contract with the Kings over the summer.

“He’s so crucial to what the Kings have done,” Fischer said. “… He’s best friends with De’Aaron Fox dating back to Kentucky. If you’re curious about the long-term ramifications of keeping De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento, you’re probably not wanting to move his best friend, who he recruited to join the Kings.”

Of course, Fox’s own long-term future in Sacramento isn’t certain either, so the Kings are a team worth watching closely in the coming weeks.

We have more items from around the Pacific:

  • The Suns are monitoring swingman Grayson Allen for a possible concussion, head coach Mike Budenholzer said after Saturday’s loss to Detroit (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). “We’ll see how he is in the morning,” Budenholzer said of Allen, who took a Simone Fontecchio elbow to the head while battling the Pistons forward under the basket in the third quarter (video link).
  • Budenholzer and Kevin Durant engaged in a heated discussion during a timeout in the third quarter of Saturday’s loss, with the head coach appearing to call out Durant for a defensive mistake and the Suns star firing back. Both men downplayed the dispute after the game. “We know we got the microscope on us, so any little spat like that may be taken the wrong way, but coach respects my perspective,” Durant said (Twitter video link via PHNX Sports). “… When you look at it from the outside, the chemistry may look off, but I just think that’s part of great chemistry actually, when you can have those conversations in the heat of the moment and move on.” Budenholzer agreed with Durant’s assessment, as Bourguet relays (Twitter video link). “He’s a pro, he’s coachable,” Budenholzer said. “If you don’t have a few of those, there’s probably something wrong with your team. KD’s the best. He wants to be coached, and I love being around him.”
  • After starting six games in a row, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench on Thursday in Memphis and Saturday in Minnesota. However, head coach Steve Kerr said that the experiment of having Kuminga in the starting five isn’t over, explaining that he started Kyle Anderson on Saturday because he liked how the former Timberwolf matched up against his old team (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). It was Anderson’s first start of the season.
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Western Notes: Wembanyama, Thompson, Booker, Reddish, Russell

November 12th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Victor Wembanyama enjoyed his best game of the season against Sacramento on Monday. The second-year Spurs star racked up 34 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. He knocked down half of his 12 three-point attempts and the team’s interim coach wants him to keep hunting shots after a slow offensive start to the season.

“He makes shots every day,” Mitch Johnson said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “He missed really good shots to start the year, and I understand why it’s a talking point. But I don’t think we ever wavered on him not making shots. I think it is just the percentages evening out at this point.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Klay Thompson feels even better now about his decision to move on from the Warriors and join the Mavericks, he told Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Thompson says it was a necessary move mentally as well as career-wise. “Honestly, it’s rejuvenated me and done something I needed bad just for my mental and my career,” Thompson said. “So, I really feel the love here, and I feel highly valued that I can do great things.” Thompson is averaging 13.8 points in 3o.1 minutes per night while starting 10 games.
  • Devin Booker is still adjusting to Mike Budenholzer‘s rotation patterns. With past coaches, Booker often played the entire first quarter. That hasn’t happened this season — Budenholzer prefers to utilize his players in shorter bursts, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic notes. “Probably the last eight years of my career, I played the first 12 minutes,” the Suns star guard said. “Trying to find a rhythm, but at the same time, set guys up. It’ll come.”
  • The Lakers are off to a 6-4 start and the Orange County Register’s Khobi Price offers 10 observations through the team’s first 10 games. He notes Cam Reddish has made the most of his increased playing time since being added to the rotation last week and that bench scoring has jumped since D’Angelo Russell was moved to the second unit.
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NBA GMs High On Thunder’s Offseason Moves, Celtics’ Title Chances

October 8th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder made the best roster moves during the 2024 offseason, according to the NBA’s general managers. Within his annual survey of the league’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 37% of his respondents picked Oklahoma City as having the best summer, with the Sixers coming in second place at 33%. The Knicks got 20% of the vote share, while no other club received more than a single vote.

It was one of many favorable outcomes in the survey for the Thunder, who were overwhelmingly selected as the team with the best young core — 60% of GMs selected OKC, compared to 20% for the second-place Magic.

New Thunder guard Alex Caruso was chosen by general managers as the most underrated offseason acquisition, receiving 23% of that vote share, while last year’s Most Valuable Player runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was picked as this year’s MVP favorite (40%), narrowly edging Mavericks star Luka Doncic (30%).

The Thunder also received a handful of votes from the league’s GMs as the team that will win the 2025 NBA Finals, but at 13%, they finished a distant second to the Celtics, who earned a whopping 83% of the vote. Besides those two clubs, only the Mavericks (3%) received a vote to become this season’s champions.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

  • New Sixers forward Paul George got 60% of the vote as the offseason acquisition who will have the biggest impact in 2024/25, followed by new Knicks Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns at 13% apiece. The Towns trade, meanwhile, was named the most surprising offseason move, eking out George leaving Los Angeles for Philadelphia (27% to 23%).
  • Unsurprisingly, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming choice (77%) for which player the GMs would most want to start a franchise with. Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic each earned three votes in that category, while Doncic got one.
  • The league’s general managers are high on No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard — the Rockets‘ guard is their pick to win the Rookie of the Year award (50%) ahead of betting favorite Zach Edey of the Grizzlies (30%). Sheppard also comfortably received the largest vote share (43%) when the GMs were asked which rookie will be the best player in five years. Spurs guard Stephon Castle (17%) and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (13%) were the runners-up in that category.
  • There was no consensus among the GMs on which 2024 draftee was the biggest steal. Wizards guard Carlton Carrington, Kings guard Devin Carter, Pacers wing Johnny Furphy, Lakers forward Dalton Knecht, Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon, and Thunder guard Nikola Topic each received three votes to lead the way.
  • Among newly hired head coaches, Mike Budenholzer of the Suns is the one GMs feel will have the biggest impact on his new club. Budenholzer received 40% of the vote, beating out Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons (20% apiece). Meanwhile, Spurs guard Chris Paul (30%) and Raptors guard Garrett Temple (20%) are the active players that GMs feel would make the best head coaches down the road.
  • Asked what they’d change about the NBA, 20% of GMs said the rules related to the tax aprons, trades, and roster construction are too restrictive and/or should be “indexed to (a) team’s market,” per Schuhmann, making it the top response.
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Suns Notes: Budenholzer, Defense, Jones, Nurkic, Lee

October 1st, 2024 at 9:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mike Budenholzer was hired as head coach of the Suns in part to shore up a defense that allowed too many easy baskets and ranked in the bottom 10 in turnovers forced. Overall, Phoenix ranked 13th in defensive rating last season.

That’s exactly what the Suns focused on during the first two days of camp, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes.

“Establish a defensive identity,” Budenholzer said. “Establish how important being great defensively is. We’ve had a great month of September with open gym, but understandably, it’s mostly offense and just hooping and playing. (Tuesday) was a lot more of a defensive emphasis and putting in our basic, whether it’s our shell defense. Pick-and-roll defense, transition defense.”

We have more on the Suns:

  • Both Rankin and Gerard Bourguet of GoPHNX.com shared the biggest takeaways from Monday’s media day. Among the topics that Rankin highlighted was Phoenix’s belief it got a huge free agent bargain with the addition of Tyus Jones. “We can say how it is, we got him for a steal,” Devin Booker said. “I remember the news being broke while we were at USA (Basketball), all the guys in the locker room where like, ‘Man, how did y’all get that done?’” Bourguet noted that big man Jusuf Nurkic and his teammates will be seeking out more 3-point attempts.
  • Speaking of Jones, The Athletic’s Doug Haller explores how the veteran point guard will impact the offense. The Suns tried to win without a pure point guard last season and it didn’t work despite the efforts of Booker and Bradley Beal. Phoenix averaged 14.9 turnovers per game and looked disorganized during key moments. Jones’ knack for playing under control and getting the ball in the right spots should change all that.
  • Damion Lee was re-signed on a one-year deal despite missing last season due to a meniscus tear in his right knee. Lee told Bourguet (Twitter links) why his recovery took  so long. “It’s been a journey. Oct. 10 will be a year out of surgery, and like I explained before, I initially went in for a regular meniscus injury. Come to find out it was a root tear, then come to find out both roots were off,” Lee explained. The injury wore on him mentally, too. He fought depression and sought out therapy. “I’ve been through ‘it,’ and I’m still standing tall. That’s perseverance, that’s resilience, that’s faith,” Lee said.
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Suns Notes: Trischan, Bell, Budenholzer, More

September 11th, 2024 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

A former Suns employee is seeking $60MM in damages from the team, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, who reports that the individual, Andrea Trischan, filed a complaint claiming discrimination and wrongful termination. Trischan’s attorney Sheree Wright told ESPN that her client “endured overt racist comments and a hostile work environment that went unaddressed despite being reported to HR and executive leadership.”

An ESPN report from 2021 detailed a toxic work environment under former team owner Robert Sarver, who was accused of using racially inappropriate language and engaging in inappropriate and misogynistic behavior. Trischan was hired by the organization in September 2022, about a week after Sarver was suspended by the NBA and a few months before he reached an agreement to sell the team to Mat Ishbia. Holmes notes that Trischan’s role was specifically related to addressing the issues described in ESPN’s investigative report.

Trischan asserts that she received push-back from the team when she attempted to look into claims of misconduct against certain Suns executives, some of whom were named to a “diversity council” that was created without consulting her a couple months after she was hired. According to Holmes, she described facing “harassment, discrimination and retaliation from colleagues and superiors” for attempting to investigate and address the misconduct described in ESPN’s story. The team strongly disputed her claims.

“A former employee who last worked for the organization in 2023 was terminated after less than 10 months due to repeated failure to perform her job duties,” Suns VP of communications Stacey Mitch told Holmes. “This individual filed a baseless charge with a state agency and is now trying to use ESPN reporting from 2022, specific to previous ownership, to make egregious claims in order to support her ridiculous demand for $60 million from the Suns organization.

“To be clear, this individual is making false claims in an attempt to gain tens of millions of dollars. We are confident the courts will find no merit to these claims and quickly resolve this matter.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

  • Former NBA guard Charlie Bell, who played alongside Ishbia at Michigan State for two years from 1999 to 2001, has joined the Valley Suns – Phoenix’s new G League affiliate – as a personnel evaluator, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Bell had worked for Ishbia’s United Wholesale Mortgage since 2019, per Rankin.
  • Although he’s entering his first season with the Suns, Mike Budenholzer will face plenty of pressure and significant expectations in 2024/25 as he looks to lead the team to a better finish than head coach Frank Vogel did in his first and only season in Phoenix, Rankin writes in a separate story, relaying analysis from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
  • Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports outlines five reasons why he expects the Suns to be better in ’24/25 than they were last season, including the head coaching change and the improved bench depth.
  • In case you missed it, we recapped the Suns’ summer moves in our Offseason Check-In series earlier this week.
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Suns CEO Bartelstein Talks Durant, Jones, Budenholzer, More

August 15th, 2024 at 8:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during an extensive interview with PHNX Sports about Kevin Durant‘s future with the Suns, team CEO Josh Bartelstein reiterated the same message that he delivered to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic two weeks ago. While Bartelstein offered no guarantees that Durant will sign a contract extension before the season begins, he stressed that the relationship between the franchise and its star forward is in a very good place.

“He loves it here. We talk to Rich Kleiman, who’s his partner, all the time about the vision and what we’re building, and everyone’s really happy, and I think we’re gonna have a really really good year,” Bartelstein said. “And Kevin’s part of all the discussions about the vision for the team, all the stuff we’re doing on the court, off the court. So the fact that we have all that dialogue, there’s equity built into it. If you do those things, everything else will take care of itself.”

Bartelstein’s conversation with PHNX Sports covered a wide range of additional topics, including his day-to-day duties for the organization, his expectations for the Suns’ new G League affiliate, navigating the second apron, and much more.

The interview is worth checking out in full, especially for Suns fans, but here are a few of Bartelstein’s most noteworthy comments:

On unexpectedly landing Tyus Jones on a minimum-salary deal late in free agency:

“We pulled it out of the back pocket. I think it’s why relationships matter so much. His agent, Kevin Bradbury, and I are friendly, and there’s a balance of just checking in and knowing what’s going on. And (Suns general manager) James (Jones) and I would talk all the time about, ‘Hey, if we could get Tyus, it would be a home run.’ But the first 10 days of free agency, you’re kind of just sitting there and seeing how the market plays out. I think with the new rules and, like, the cap space, a lot of people got squeezed.

“So our first real meeting with Tyus and his agent Kevin was in Vegas during Summer League, and we had a nice drink and kind of talked about the role and vision, how it could be a perfect fit, but also just that they were gonna take their time and see how things played out. And from there, then we said, like, ‘Let’s go all in and recruit him, and the worst thing they can do is say no to us.’ But we went all in on recruiting him, from little gift bags to videos for their kids, to all the small details and showing the care factor.

“… Obviously if someone offers you way more money, like, that matters. But if it’s close or it’s on the margins, we think the community we have here, the relationships we have here, the concierge service we have here, we can really give ourselves an advantage, and it’s worked in getting some of these guys to pick us.”

On the impact he expects new head coach Mike Budenholzer to have on the team:

“He is awesome. I mean, he’s the real deal. We’ve become very, very close over the three months. It’s crazy it’s been that fast. He’s so detail-oriented. He thinks Phoenix Suns all day, every day, from the biggest things of where is Kevin gonna get the ball to the smallest things of how do we maximize our two-way guys’ days? Like, he’s just always thinking Suns basketball, and he’s a basketball savant. The way he uses players, the success he’s had, the wins, you’re talking about one of the best coaches in the NBA.

“And he’s a great person too. I think he’ll be great in the community. He’s so happy to be here that he can’t wait to get started. So just seeing how he thinks has been cool, about the things he values, how we want to play. We’ve had so many discussions. He was a huge part of the recruiting. I mean, Tyus Jones said it, Bud was a big part of why Tyus picked here. How Bud has gotten players paid, how Bud uses guys, how he optimizes them, so all of our free agents, all of our guys, Bud has a say in it, ’cause he’s the head coach and we’re really, really lucky to have him.”

On why the Suns are excited about 2024 draftees Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro:

“As good of a basketball player as (Dunn) is, he’s an amazing person. Like, he’s a really, really good young man, and he works his tail off. He’s always, always in the gym. And I think for us, that athleticism, size, defensive versatility — that’s what we need, right? Like, if you checked the box of what we’re missing, it’s him. It’s a lot to ask him to go play 20 minutes a game in year one, but we’re gonna develop him. He’ll have a lot of opportunities to play.

“And Oso is someone that came here twice to work out and we loved him. His passing, his play-making, incredibly high IQ. He’s today’s NBA big, and I think with Nurk (Jusuf Nurkic) and Mason (Plumlee), he’ll learn a ton too, ’cause they have a similar archetype player-wise.”

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Western Notes: Conley, Wolves, Mavs, Suns, Billups, Warriors

May 22nd, 2024 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

The calf/Achilles issue that sidelined Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals hasn’t gone away — he’s listed as questionable for Game 1 of the Western finals. Conley will play on Wednesday, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), but the team will keep a close eye on that injury going forward.

“It honestly depends on if you can get through the game without having any small setback,” Conley said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “You have some movements that really kind of jar it or cause the pain to go up really quickly and kind of stays there for a little while. Some games I get through the whole game and you don’t have any setback and so you just kind of keep building upward and forward. So I’m just trying to stack as many of those days together as I can.”

Keeping Conley healthy will be crucial for the Wolves as they look to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. In the series vs. Denver, the team had a +13.6 net rating in the 196 minutes he played, compared to a -6.7 mark in the 140 minutes he wasn’t on the floor.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

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Suns Notes: Budenholzer, O’Neale, Eubanks, Gordon, Okogie

May 18th, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

New Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer vows to be demanding with the team’s three stars, writes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Among the topics Budenholzer addressed Friday at his introductory press conference is how he plans to get the most out of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in their second season together.

“I think they know that I’m gonna have high expectations of them,” Budenholzer said. “I’m gonna coach ’em, I’m gonna hold ’em accountable. But that’s what I’m gonna do with everybody. And so it’s not any different. That’s kind of been my roadmap for coaching, whether it’s the best players or the entire roster.”

The Suns were criticized this season for not having a traditional point guard to create easier scoring opportunities for their Big Three. Budenholzer told reporters that’s an area that needs to be looked at this summer as part of the larger picture of creating a more versatile team.

“We need to be able to play different ways, bigger, smaller,” he said. “But I think the point guard position has a place, and we’re gonna talk about it and figure it out. But I just know we’re gonna need to be able to play lots of different ways, including without a point guard.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

  • The competitive nature that Budenholzer showed during his interview helped him land the job as the Suns moved quickly to find a replacement after dismissing Frank Vogel, Bourguet adds in the same piece. “I’m a competitive guy, and we talk about this too: Throughout that process, Bud must have said ‘compete’ 95 times in two minutes,” general manager James Jones said at the press conference. “Compete at everything, compete in practice, compete with each other, against each other. Compete against your opponent, but more importantly, compete with yourself.”
  • Because the Suns are subject to second apron provisions, they might benefit from re-signing free agent forward Royce O’Neale to more than his market value, Keith Smith of Spotrac suggests in his offseason financial look at the team. Phoenix is prohibited from taking back more than it sends out in a trade. Smith states that if O’Neale’s actual value is around $10MM per year, the Suns can increase their trade options by paying around $15MM or by giving him the exact amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which currently projects to be $12.9MM for 2024/25.
  • Drew Eubanks, Eric Gordon and Josh Okogie are all good bets to decline their player options for next season, according to Smith, who recommends trying to re-sign Eubanks and Gordon to veterans’ minimum contracts this summer with a new player option for the following season. Phoenix holds Early Bird rights on Okogie, so Smith sees a new contract in the $5-8MM range as another way to create tradable salary.
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Suns Notes: Budenholzer, Tellem, Big Three

May 17th, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Mike Budenholzer spoke for the first time since taking over as head coach of the Suns on Friday in his intro presser. According to ESPN, Budenholzer was emotional when talking about his childhood in Arizona.

“It’s mind-boggling to me, like mind-blowing, to think that I’m going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” Budenholzer said.

A former NBA champion as coach of the Bucks, Budenholzer is tasked with leading a franchise with three super-max players in Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. That group went 49-33 last season and was swept in the playoffs under former head coach Frank Vogel.

“I’m excited about working with this roster and these players,” Budenholzer said. “We have great players. And with great players come great expectations. I think we embrace that.”

Budenholzer didn’t coach last year after being dismissed by the Bucks. He has a 484-317 record over a 10-season coaching career.

“This year, for me, was really healthy,” Budenholzer said. “I kind of had a list of priorities, diving into my kids and my family, super important. We’ve been through a lot. So really, the time with my kids was just amazing. My son’s a senior in high school — going to every one of his games — driving home you’re like, ‘Wow, I got a gift.”

We have more from the Suns:

  • With the Suns maintaining a “championship or bust” mentality, Budenholzer isn’t necessarily safe for the long run despite the hefty five-year, $50MM contract he signed, Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic writes. Rankin lists eight conversations Budenholzer needs to have with Phoenix brass, including why he needs to have more say in the team’s roster construction than his predecessors.
  • The Suns are closing in on hiring Nets executive Matt Tellem to the team’s front office, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). Tellem began as a basketball information coordinator in 2011 and was promoted to vice president of strategy for Brooklyn in 2023. He also served as general manager of the Long Island Nets from 2019-23.
  • Appearing on The Burns & Gambo Show, Suns general manager James Jones said there is no scenario in which Beal, Durant or Booker are traded this summer (Twitter video link). “Those guys aren’t going anywhere. Those guys are part of the solution,” Jones said. With Phoenix lacking flexibility and draft assets to make major upgrades to a roster that was swept out of the first round of the playoffs, there has been some speculation about the futures of Phoenix’s star players. However, Jones’ comments this week echo a recent report from ESPN suggesting that the big three aren’t going anywhere.
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