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Suns Notes: Ayton, Paul, Coaching Search, Front Office Changes

May 14th, 2023 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the end of the Suns‘ season, center Deandre Ayton, point guard Chris Paul, and head coach Monty Williams were the three names that came up most frequently in speculation about major changes, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

The Suns have already parted ways with one of those three, announcing late on Saturday that that Williams had been let go from his position. While Ayton or Paul could be next, neither player suggested during Friday’s end-of-season exit interviews with the media that he’s seeking an exit ramp out of Phoenix.

“I love Phoenix, man,” Ayton said, per Rankin. “I’m going to continue playing hard for Phoenix and keep representing. I don’t listen to the outside noise. I’m here, I’m happy. We didn’t finish how we wanted to, but there’s always next year. This summer is just more work.”

Ayton is under contract for three more seasons, but is considered a possible trade candidate. Paul has a $30.8MM salary for 2023/24, but it’s only partially guaranteed for $15.8MM.

“My contract is not up,” Paul said when asked if he expected to remain with the Suns. “Unfortunately, I’m not the GM or anything like that. We’ll see.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

Doug Haller of The Athletic takes a closer look at why Mat Ishbia and the Suns decided to move on from Williams, discussing the coach’s lineup and rotation decisions and his shaky relationship with Ayton, among other factors. Within his story, Haller observes that Ishbia’s involvement in the Williams’ dismissal signals that the new owner intends to be very involved in basketball operations and personnel decisions.
Before firing Williams, the Suns had already started to make some organizational changes, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team fired a front office executive and a pair of scouts on Friday.
Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports profiles a handful of contenders to replace Williams on the Suns’ bench, including previously reported head coaching candidates like Mike Budenholzer, Nick Nurse, and Kevin Young. Bourguet thinks the team would be wise to consider Frank Vogel too, but views Tyronn Lue as the best fit if he’s attainable.

Monty Williams Out As Suns’ Head Coach

May 14th, 2023 at 6:55am CST by Arthur Hill

MAY 14: The Suns made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Williams. Jones issued a statement accepting responsibility for the decision, despite reporting indicating that it was Ishbia’s call (as detailed below).

“Monty has been foundational to our success over the past four seasons,” Jones said in a statement. “We are filled with gratitude for everything Monty has contributed to the Suns and to the Valley community. While it was difficult for me to make this decision, I look forward to continuing the work to build a championship team.”

Williams could become a “prominent candidate” in the Raptors‘ coaching search, Wojnarowski writes in a full story.

MAY 13: The Suns have decided to make a coaching change after their second-round loss to Denver, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The team has dismissed Monty Williams, who had served as head coach since 2019.

New owner Mat Ishbia made the decision to fire Williams, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As first reported by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 and confirmed by Wojnarowski, Williams still had three years and more than $20MM left on his contract.

Williams compiled a 194-115 record in his four years in Phoenix and took the team to the 2021 NBA Finals. He also earned Coach of the Year honors in 2022.

However, Ishbia opted to go in a different direction after the team was eliminated from the playoffs in embarrassing fashion in back-to-back second rounds. The Suns lost their last game of the season at home by 25 points this spring and by 33 points last year.

With Kevin Durant and Devin Booker under long-term contracts, Charania believes the Suns’ vacancy instantly becomes the most attractive in the league (Twitter link). Ishbia and general manager James Jones are focused on building a championship roster this summer, and they want to find the right leader to guide it.

The Suns will explore whether it’s possible to land current Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, tweets Marc Stein. Lue stated that he wants to return as the team’s head coach after L.A. was knocked out of the playoffs last month, and the organization hasn’t indicated that it’s considering a change. Lue signed a five-year deal when he joined the Clippers in 2020, so he’s under contract for two more years.

One potential candidate to replace Williams is Mike Budenholzer, who was dismissed by the Bucks earlier this month after his team’s first-round loss, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. A report on Friday from Jake Fischer indicated that Milwaukee was closely monitoring Williams’ status in Phoenix, so it’s possible that the two NBA Finals coaches from 2021 will end up exchanging teams.

Toronto and Detroit are the other franchises currently in the market for a head coach, and Williams may emerge as a candidate for those jobs as well. The Pistons reportedly scheduled interviews with their three finalists this week, but James L. Edwards of The Athletic suggests that the team may reach out to Williams before making a decision (Twitter link).

Fischer’s Latest: Bucks, M. Williams, Lue, Ayton, Suns

May 12th, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Monty Williams‘ name has been “gaining steam” when rival personnel discuss possible candidates for the Bucks‘ head coaching vacancy, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. League sources tell Fischer that Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is also on Milwaukee’s radar.

Previous reporting from Adrian Wojnarowski and Eric Nehm indicated that the Bucks are keeping an eye on coaches currently employed by rival franchises, a point which Fischer reiterates. This is the first time we’ve heard which specific targets Milwaukee may be eyeing.

Williams remains under contract with the Suns for multiple seasons and Lue isn’t a free agent either, so if the Bucks hope to get an opportunity to hire one of those coaches without sending out some form of compensation, they’ll have to hope they part ways with their respective clubs this spring.

Here’s more from Fischer, with a focus on the Suns:

In a look at Deandre Ayton‘s possible market, Fischer names the Mavericks as a team that’s frequently mentioned as a potential suitor for the Suns center. While the Pacers, who signed Ayton an offer sheet last summer, have since extended center Myles Turner, Turner’s new contract is considered one of the more movable deals in the NBA due to its declining salary structure, Fischer observes.
Even before they acquired Kevin Durant at the in-season trade deadline, the Suns gave rival teams the impression they were seeking a long-term replacement for Chris Paul at point guard, per Fischer, who adds that Phoenix has been linked to veterans like Fred VanVleet and Terry Rozier.
One rival team strategist is skeptical that the Suns have a path to make major roster upgrades this offseason, given their cap position and lack of valuable trade assets. “I think they’ll have to leverage veteran minimums and hope they can get something good in return for Ayton,” the strategist told Fischer.
Suns associate head coach Kevin Young is viewed as a strong candidate to get a head coaching job with an NBA team sooner or later, according to Fischer, who notes that Young has received consideration from Houston and Toronto this spring.

Suns Considered Likely To Shop Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul

May 12th, 2023 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Center Deandre Ayton (ribs) and point guard Chris Paul (groin) were inactive for the final game of Phoenix’s season on Thursday night, and it’s possible they’ve played in a Suns uniform for the last time, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.

According to MacMahon, who cites league sources, the Suns are expected to “aggressively” explore Ayton’s trade market this offseason. Sources tell ESPN that the former No. 1 overall pick would be excited by the opportunity to get a fresh start with another team.

Ayton reached restricted free agency last summer after he logged a playoff-low 17 minutes and had a sideline confrontation with head coach Monty Williams during the Suns’ final game of the postseason, a 33-point home loss to Dallas. The big man signed a four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet with the Pacers, and was said to be keen on the idea of teaming up with Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana, but the Suns quickly matched that offer in order to retain him.

Sources tell MacMahon that Williams and some Suns players have been frustrated at times with “what they perceive to be inconsistent effort and aggression” from Ayton. Sean Deveney of Heavy.com has also heard that the center will likely be on the trade block this offseason.

“It’s almost certain they will look into trading him,” one general manager told Deveney. “I think they feel like they can do all right with a mishmash of decent centers and changing their focus on getting better talent around those two star guys. That’s been true for the past couple of years, really. Deandre has butted heads with Monty. But he can be a great player, still, it just needs to be somewhere else.”

Executives who spoke to Heavy.com speculated that the Bulls, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Hornets could be potential Ayton suitors.

The belief is that the Suns would be targeting ball-handlers, shooters, and/or three-and-D type players in any Ayton deal, rather than another big-money center, Deveney adds. MacMahon conveys a similar sentiment, writing that Phoenix would like to lessen the burden on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker by adding role players who complement them rather than a third star.

According to MacMahon, there’s also an expectation that Paul will be shopped before the Suns have to make a decision on his contract for 2023/24. Currently, only $15.8MM of the veteran’s $30.8MM salary is guaranteed.

In addition to mentioning this possibility in his ESPN.com story, MacMahon stated in stronger terms on the Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst that he expects Paul’s name to pop up in trade rumors.

“I certainly would anticipate they aggressively shop Chris Paul before that June 28 (salary guarantee) deadline,” MacMahon said. “I think it’s pretty likely that Chris Paul is elsewhere next year.”

As for a possible head coaching change or front office shakeup in Phoenix, there’s no solid reporting yet suggesting either will happen, but sources with other teams have speculated about the idea, MacMahon writes, noting that one scout told him when the Suns were down by 30 points at halftime on Thursday, “Some heads are going to roll for this one.”

Williams and GM James Jones have strong résumés and have helped rebuild the culture in Phoenix following several years in the lottery, but the team has now had two embarrassing playoff exits in a row and has a new owner (Mat Ishbia) who may be looking to put his stamp on the franchise.

Suns Notes: Durant, Booker, Williams, CP3, More

May 12th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

A year after losing by 33 points to the Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals in Phoenix, the Suns exited the 2023 postseason on Thursday in a similar fashion, suffering a 25-point Game 6 home loss to Denver.

Star forward Kevin Durant, who was acquired at February’s trade deadline to help push the Suns over the top, referred to the season-ending defeat as “embarrassing,” according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Devin Booker, the team’s leading playoff scorer, had just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting in the loss and left the arena without speaking to the media, which MacMahon suggests is an “extremely uncharacteristic move” for the superstar guard.

As disappointing as the loss was, Durant expressed some optimism that the Suns will benefit from a full offseason together, noting that the team has a strong core to build around. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (via Twitter video), Durant acknowledged that some roster “tweaks” may be around the corner, but didn’t necessarily agree with the idea that major changes are necessary.

“We just got to be better next year,” Durant said, per MacMahon. “It’s hard right now to see what the future will hold for our team, but we got a good foundation, good infrastructure. We can build on and move on from this and learn from it and get better from it. I’m sure as the summer and offseason starts, we’ll figure that out a little bit more.”

Here’s more on the Suns as their offseason begins:

Given the discouraging way the season ended and the presence of a new, deep-pocketed owner (Mat Ishbia), Greg Moore of The Arizona Republic expects significant changes in Phoenix this offseason. In Moore’s view, head coach Monty Williams, general manager James Jones, and center Deandre Ayton are among those who share blame for the Suns’ disappointing finish and whose long-term futures in Phoenix aren’t assured.
Williams took responsibility for the Suns’ poor start on Thursday after the team fell behind by 30 points before halftime. “I take (this) personally, not having our team ready to play in the biggest game of the year,” Williams said, according to Doug Haller of The Athletic. “That’s something that I pride myself on. It just didn’t happen tonight. That’s something that I have to really take a look at, everything I’m doing to allow us be successful on these days.”
While the exact details of Williams’ contract with the Suns aren’t known, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links) believes that the deal has at least three years and $21MM left on it, so making a coaching change may not be prudent from a financial perspective even if the club wanted to consider the idea.
Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype look ahead to the difficult offseason decisions facing the Suns. As Marks and Gozlan outline, Phoenix will be hamstrung going forward by the introduction of a second tax apron and has a decision to make on Chris Paul, whose $30.8MM salary for 2023/24 is only partially guaranteed for $15.8MM.
The Suns’ tentative media deal with Gray TV and streamer Kiswe, which we explained here, has been voided by a federal bankruptcy judge following a lawsuit from Diamond Sports Group, reports Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic. According to Rankin at The Arizona Republic, the Suns issued a statement indicating that they’re seeking a “fair resolution” to the dispute with the parent company of their previous broadcaster, Bally Sports Southwest.

Suns Notes: Paul, Shamet, Ayton, Jokic, Durant, Williams, Ishbia

May 8th, 2023 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns have ruled out Chris Paul for Game 5 of the team’s second-round series against the Nuggets on Tuesday, ESPN’s news services relay. Paul has already missed the last two games after suffering a groin injury in Game 2.

Although these types of injuries normally take weeks to heal, there’s a possibility that Paul will return for the Suns in Game 6, Shams Charania said on Fan Duel TV (Twitter link). “I think the window for him to return from that groin strain is Game 6, potentially,” Charania said.

We have more from the Suns:

Guard Landry Shamet and center Deandre Ayton shrugged off criticism and made major contributions in Game 4, Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com notes. Shamet had 19 points in 30 minutes off the bench, more points than the Nuggets’ entire bench produced. Shamet had only 14 points in the first seven playoff games. Ayton’s numbers were modest but he found ways to impact the game. “I thought he came out in that fourth quarter and made some huge defensive plays for us,” Kevin Durant said of Ayton.
How do the Suns feel about Nikola Jokic only getting fined after his sideline incident with new owner Mat Ishbia? Durant is happy that a potential suspension didn’t overshadow a pivotal contest, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “Glad none of that can get in the way,” he said. “We can just focus on basketball.” Coach Monty Williams feels the same way. “I just heard about the decision and that’s that,” he said. “I’m focused on us playing better, making the adjustments that we need to make. Being better at things we need to be better in. That’s my mindset. I don’t want to give energy and time to something that I can’t control. I’m good with it.”
Regarding the same incident, Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler wonders why Ishbia didn’t receive some disciplinary action from the league for holding the ball away from Jokic. Keeler suggests Ishbia should pay Jokic’s fine or that he also should get docked $25K.

Raptors Notes: P. Mutombo, Stackhouse, Nurse, Offseason

April 22nd, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Reporting in the wake of Nick Nurse‘s dismissal on Friday indicated that Ime Udoka would be one of the candidates the Raptors seriously consider to become their next head coach. Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms Toronto’s interest in Udoka and adds a couple more names to the team’s possible list of targets, writing that Patrick Mutombo and Jerry Stackhouse may receive consideration.

Mutombo, currently an assistant on Monty Williams‘ staff in Phoenix, was on the Raptors’ coaching staff from 2016-20 and coached the team’s G League affiliate (Raptors 905) from 2020-22 before joining the Suns last offseason.

Stackhouse also has an existing relationship with the Raptors, having been an assistant with the team in 2015/16 and the Raptors 905 head coach from 2016-18. He spent a season as an assistant coach with the Grizzlies in 2018/19 and has been the head coach at Vanderbilt since 2019. Stackhouse has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Pistons’ head coaching vacancy, though there has been no indication that he’ll interview for that position.

Here’s more on the Raptors and their newly opened head coaching job:

Some people in the Raptors organization were surprised by Friday’s news on Nurse, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says Nurse and team president Masai Ujiri met four teams in the nine days after Toronto’s season ended. That level of communication is unusual for a team about to let go of a head coach, but Ujiri felt the Raptors needed a new voice and Nurse “welcomed the change,” says Lewenberg.
Raptors management had some questions about Nurse’s style of communication, Lewenberg writes, noting that the head coach had a habit of calling out players publicly without talking to them privately first. Following a bad loss in December, Nurse held closed-door meetings with some players and staffers that Lewenberg hears were “intense” and “confrontational.” Nurse also had a “tense” relationship with one assistant coach after telling him not to accompany the team on a road trip in January, Lewenberg adds.
Observing that several Raptors players improved individually, but not collectively, Ujiri said on Friday that he expects to make changes in Toronto this offseason beyond hiring a new coach, per Lewenberg. “I think changes are going to be made on all fronts,” Ujiri said. “We’re going to address that with the team. We saw how different players on our team would rise, would do well, but we never did it collectively. Maybe that could be fit. Maybe that could be system, sometimes role orientation, sometimes accountability – all the things we are going to really look at it how our roster is built. We believe in the players we have. Whether it’s tweaks or major changes, we’re definitely going to look at everything.”

Suns’ Monty Williams Fined For Criticizing Officiating

March 24th, 2023 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has fined Suns head coach Monty Williams $20K for his comments criticizing the officiating after a loss to the Lakers on Wednesday, the league announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Williams made the statements in question to reporters in a post-game press conference after the Lakers shot 46 free throws – compared to 20 for the Suns – in a game L.A. won by 11 points.

“I can sit here and rant and rave about what I feel like is not a fair whistle. It’s just not,” Williams said (Twitter video link via Mark Medina of NBA.com). “46 free throws. We’re attacking the rim. I’m getting explanations about (how) we’re taking too many jump shots, mid-range jump shots. We’re playing a physical game.

“They had 27 free throws in the first half, they end up with 46. When do you see a game with 46 free throws for one team? That’s just not right. I don’t care how you slice it, it’s happening to us too much. Other teams are reaching, other teams are hitting, and we’re not getting the same calls, and I’m getting tired of it.”

It wasn’t the first time Williams has complained about the whistle the Suns have been getting. He also griped about the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo went to the line 24 times last Tuesday and that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 19 free throws on Sunday. The Suns attempted a total of 40 free throws in those losses to Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, compared to 73 for their opponents.

Pacific Notes: Reaves, M. Williams, Lue, Kings

March 20th, 2023 at 9:56am CST by Arthur Hill

He’s unlikely to get any votes, but Austin Reaves still appreciated the “MVP” chants from Lakers fans Sunday night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Reaves came off the bench to deliver 35 points in a narrow win over Orlando that lifted L.A. into a tie for ninth place in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

“For them to recognize what I do — obviously not an MVP-caliber player, those guys are really good — but for them to do that for me is special, it means a lot to me,” he said.

It was a career-high scoring night for Reaves, but it wasn’t out of character. Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times points out that Reaves has become a dependable part of the offense since LeBron James was sidelined by a foot injury three weeks ago. He has failed to reach 13 points just once since James got hurt, and he has helped the Lakers post a 6-5 record without their star.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Suns coach Monty Williams indicated that rotation changes may be coming after Sunday’s loss at Oklahoma City, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Williams was frustrated after watching a double-digit lead slip away in the fourth quarter. “This one’s on me,” he said. “I’ve got to get guys in the game that can create a rhythm, especially on defense. We’re giving up way too many 30-point quarters, consecutively. That’s on me. I have to figure out the guys who can play together defensively as opposed to the starters to increase the momentum from an offensive and defensive standpoint.”
Associate head coach Dan Craig picked up his first win guiding the Clippers Sunday night, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Craig was filling in for head coach Tyronn Lue, who was able to coach the team on Saturday, but didn’t make the flight to Portland because of a non-COVID illness. Craig said Lue is expected “back soon.”
The Kings didn’t have shooting guard Kevin Huerter and forward Trey Lyles in Saturday’s win over Washington, and both are listed as questionable for tonight’s contest at Utah, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Huerter has a strain in his right knee area, while Lyles is experiencing soreness in his right shoulder.

Suns Owner Ishbia: Durant Trade Involved “No Risk”

February 21st, 2023 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia believes the Kevin Durant blockbuster deal wasn’t risky at all, he told Chris Mannis of Sports Illustrated.

Ishbia made a big splash and acquired of one of the league’s biggest stars right after being approved by the league’s owners to take control of the franchise.

“I don’t look at it like a risk at all. I know what the vision is,” he said. “I’m going to own this team for 50 years, so like zero [risk]. I don’t need to come in and win in the first year. But at the same time, there’s nothing in my life that I don’t want to win at. We’re going to try to win everything we do.”

The fact that Durant is in the first season of a four-year extension played into the decision to make the deal with the Nets. The Suns gave up Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and several first-rounders in the deal, which turned into a four-team swap.

“It wasn’t a tough decision. We really didn’t want to give up some of the guys, because we love those guys,” Ishbia said. “They were winners and we didn’t want to give them up. But at the end of the day the right decision was, what do we do to maximize our team for today and for the next three to four years? This is going to be what the Phoenix Suns are about.”

Ishbia touched on a number of topics with Mannix:

Potential luxury tax penalties didn’t factor into the decision to make the trade. Ishbia is also unfazed by any future tax issues: “The financial piece was five seconds. They know I’m ready. That doesn’t bother me.”
Ishbia won’t meddle with GM James Jones and head coach Monty Williams in their jobs: “James will pick the best player. And that’s his job. I’m not calling Monty Williams to ask him why we played someone. That’s not my thing. I’ll watch the game like a fan and cheer the team on. That’s what my job is to do, is to be the biggest supporter, to give Monty Williams all the support he needs, to give James Jones all the support they need, to give the players all the support they need.”
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was the only owner who abstained from approving him as Phoenix’s owner. Gilbert and Ishbia both own major mortgage companies based in Michigan, but Ishbia says there’s no bad blood between them. “If I saw Dan today, we’d shake hands and say hello. We’re normal people. But we’re not giving each other advice and being friendly in the business side. I have no negativity towards him. He’s probably not one of the first owners I’ll call for advice on ticket sales or sponsorships, but I’m friendly to everybody. But I’m fine talking with him.”