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Suns Notes: Nurkic, Plumlee, Ighodaro, T. Jones, Dunn, Beal

January 11th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns center Jusuf Nurkic received his second straight DNP-CD in today’s win over Utah, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Nurkic started the first 23 games he appeared in, but he lost that job when coach Mike Budenholzer decided to shake up his starting lineup earlier this week. He played 14 and 19 minutes in the next two games, but now appears to be out of the rotation entirely in favor of Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro.

“He’s a pro,” Budenholzer said about Nurkic following the game. “He’s got to be ready. Everybody is earning their minutes. Everybody is earning their opportunities. We’re going to need everybody as we go through the season.”

The minutes at center were split almost evenly on Saturday, with Plumlee posting six points and 10 rebounds and Ighodaro producing nine points, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Rankin notes that Nurkic is the best rebounder of the group, and Utah collected 21 offensive rebounds without him in the game. However, Plumlee and Ighodaro provide increased mobility on both ends of the court and are more likely to keep the ball moving.

Devin Booker told reporters that Ighodaro is “bringing energy and that’s something we’ve been lacking the past couple of weeks.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

  • Booker has been running the offense more frequently, which means Tyus Jones is often being used in an off-ball role, Rankin states in the same piece. That’s an unexpected twist for the offseason addition, who appealed to Phoenix because of his elite assist-to-turnover ratio. Rankin notes that Jones’ minutes have declined since he returned from a recent one-game absence due to illness, and he’s no longer in the team’s closing lineup. The Suns have been successful with the new approach, so Rankin expects it to continue.
  • After falling to the 28th pick in last year’s draft, Ryan Dunn never expected to be a starter so soon, Rankin adds. Dunn’s defensive skills bring balance to a lineup loaded with scorers. “I didn’t, you now, as much with me being in a starting lineup in getting a lot of minutes, I didn’t expect that for myself,” Dunn said. “I didn’t come here with a lot of expectations. I was coming to work and doing whatever I had to do to play.”
  • Bradley Beal, who was also moved to the bench this week, is excelling in his new role as a sixth man, Rankin notes in a separate story. Beal can be more aggressive in providing instant offense as he no longer has to settle for being the third option. “When you look at the whole game, he’s playing a lot of minutes, still getting his shots up,” Kevin Durant said. “So now coming into the games, I feel like he’s just comfortable understanding where his shots are going to come from. Sometimes that’s a struggle not understanding exactly what the role is at that point.”
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Bradley Beal Discusses Move To Bench, Trade Rumors

January 7th, 2025 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Coming off the bench on Monday for the first time in nearly nine years, Bradley Beal led the Suns to their first victory since Christmas Day, scoring a team-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting in 30 minutes of action vs. Philadelphia.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Beal said he doesn’t consider himself a bench player, but made it clear he doesn’t intend to make waves by pushing back against head coach Mike Budenholzer‘s decision to make lineup changes.

“I’m a starter in the league. I firmly believe that,” Beal said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “No disrespect to anybody, but I’m a starter and that’s what I firmly believe, but Coach made his decision. I’m not going to sit there and argue with him. I’m not going to sit here and be a distraction. I’m not going to sit here and be an a–hole. He made his decision. Got to live with it.”

Despite coming off the bench, Beal logged the third-most minutes among Suns players on Monday, behind only Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, which suggests that his workload may not change significantly even if he’s not one of Phoenix’s first five players on the court.

Ryan Dunn, the Suns’ talented rookie wing defender, stepped into the lineup in Beal’s place, and was lauded by his veteran teammate for how he handled the promotion, notes Rankin (Twitter video link).

“My first thought process was him,” Beal said. “He’s thrown in the fire and the mix of everything. He doesn’t really get to enjoy starting as a young rookie in the league. That’s big. Everybody is so caught up in my s–t and whatever is going on (with me). … I told him before the game, ‘Just lock in. Just be you. Keep playing the way you’ve been playing. You ain’t doing nothing wrong. Stay locked in and be you.’ And he did that and I’m so proud of him.”

Beal’s comment about the media focusing on “my s–t and whatever is going on” with him was presumably a reference not only to the fact that he came off the bench for the first time since March of 2016, but also to the trade rumors swirling around him.

Reports have continually linked Heat forward Jimmy Butler to the Suns, with Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) citing executives who say that Butler’s camp has been strongly signaling that Phoenix is his “one desired destination.” Beal would almost certainly have to be included in any deal for Butler due to the Suns’ second-apron restrictions. Crucially, he’d also have to approve the deal, since he holds a no-trade clause.

“(The Suns) absolutely are trying to trade Bradley Beal,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a First Take appearance on Tuesday (YouTube link). “… So they put him on the bench. Now you may say, ‘Why would you do that? If you’re trying to trade a player, why would you put him on the bench?’ And that’s because…the only way they can trade him is if he says, ‘I’m OK to be traded.’ So instead of trying to build him up, they have to violate the cardinal rule (of boosting a player’s trade value) and put him on the bench.

“Now I know that there were schematic reasons why they did it, and Mike Budenholzer tried to explain. But they’re basically trying to make him feel unwelcome in Phoenix so that he will waive that no-trade clause.”

While there’s a belief that Beal would sign off on a trade to Miami, the Heat reportedly have no interest in acquiring him due to his no-trade clause and the two years and $111MM left on his deal beyond this season. That means if the Suns want to land Butler, they’ll have to find a third team willing to take on Beal and his massive contract.

Asked after Monday’s game if he believes the demotion to the bench is related to a potential trade, Beal reminded reporters that he’ll have a say in that process.

“If so, I need to be addressed because I hold the cards,” Beal said, according to Rankin. “Until I’m addressed and somebody says something different, then I’ll be a Sun.”

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Pacific Notes: Beal, Nurkic, Finney-Smith, Vanderbilt, Batum, Leonard

January 6th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Speaking to reporters prior to Phoenix’s game against Philadelphia on Monday, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer discussed his reasons for benching Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic, saying he needed to shake things up for his slumping team, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.

“Feel like we needed to make a change,” he said. “Throughout a 48-minute game, you got to figure out your best combinations, your best ways to try to have success. They’re two important players to us, two very good players.”

Beal said he was “100 percent” surprised by the move, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic tweets.

Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee moved into the lineup and Phoenix posted a 10-point win over the Joel Embiid-less Sixers. Beal wound up leading the team in scoring with 25 points in 30 minutes while Nurkic had five points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Lakers‘ four-point loss to Houston on Sunday displayed the athleticism and physicality gap between the clubs, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. It could result in another lineup change. Recently acquired Dorian Finney-Smith could be moved into Rui Hachimura’s spot, Buha suggests, noting that Finney-Smith has outplayed Hachimura and provides better two-way balance.
  • Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is nearing his season debut after an extensive rehab from offseason foot surgery. He has participated in non-contact portions of practice. “He continues to progress and ramping up to on-court activities,” coach JJ Redick said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “And hopefully we have a firm update on the timetable soon. But his progress is real right now.”
  • Clippers forward Nicolas Batum said Kawhi Leonard‘s return to action, in which Leonard scored 12 points against Atlanta on Saturday, unfolded as expected. “Nothing crazy. He didn’t force anything. He’s too good for that,” Batum said to Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. “He’s going to let the game come to him. Then he’ll see the right opportunity to attack. He did that. It’s the first game. I wasn’t expecting him to get 30 [points]. But with the way he played and the way he took his shots and he attacked and he played defense, we’ll be fine.” Leonard was limited to eight points in 21 minutes in a loss to Minnesota on Monday.
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Suns Making Major Changes To Starting Lineup

January 6th, 2025 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will remove Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic from their starting lineup, beginning with tonight’s game at Philadelphia, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link). Rookie Ryan Dunn and backup big man Mason Plumlee will take their spots.

The move comes amid a four-game losing streak that has seen Phoenix drop into the 12th spot in the Western Conference at 15-18. The veteran roster has been vastly underperforming since starting the season at 9-2.

The downturn has led to dissension behind the scenes, according to Haynes.

“There is also tension in that locker room,” he said. “I’m told certain players are unsure of their roles and frustrated with how they’re being used. The coaching staff, they’re still trying to figure things out.”

Beal, 31, is averaging 17.8 points per game in his second season in Phoenix, but his shooting numbers have declined from .513/.430/.813 last year to .480/.392/.760 through 23 games. He has missed time with various physical ailments and hasn’t turned into the dependable scorer the Suns were hoping when they acquired him in a trade with Washington during the summer of 2023.

It’s possible the demotion might make Beal more likely to waive his no-trade clause for a fresh start somewhere else. His $50.2MM salary could theoretically be useful in bringing Jimmy Butler to Phoenix if he’s willing to change teams again, but the Heat reportedly aren’t interested in taking on Beal’s contract, which will pay him $53.6MM next season with a $57.1MM player option for 2026/27.

Nurkic, 30, has started all 23 games he has played this season, but he’s averaging just 8.8 points per night — his lowest mark in eight years — along with 9.5 rebounds. He’s making $18.1MM and has one more year left on his contract at $19.4MM.

The Suns may prefer to part with both players before the February 6 trade deadline in hopes of creating a younger roster, but their options are limited because of second-apron restrictions. They can’t take back more salary than they send out or aggregate contracts in a potential deal.

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Pacific Notes: Leonard, Lakers, Beal, Dunn

December 7th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard was able to work out and do some shooting at the Clippers‘ practice facility on Saturday, but there’s still no word on when he might be able to start playing, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Bill Simmons of The Ringer recently stated that Leonard is expected to be available by Christmas, but coach Tyronn Lue refused to offer a specific timeframe.

“(He’s) just doing all the things he’s supposed to. … He’s got to check all the boxes and do all the right things, not skip any steps,” Lue said. “So, when he completes that, then we’ll move on. … He’s getting better. He’s on the floor, he’s doing stuff, but he’s not ready to play.” 

Leonard has been plagued by inflammation in his right knee dating back to spring. He was limited to two games in last season’s playoffs, then was sent home from the U.S. Olympic team because of concerns about his ability to play. The Clippers have managed to remain competitive without him — getting off to a 14-10 start that has them sixth in the West — but Leonard’s teammates are as eager as anyone else to see him playing again.

“I know everybody is excited for him to be back,” Amir Coffey said. “We see him getting on the court, going through drills, it’s a good sign.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Lakers could use some reinforcements after ending a road trip with three straight losses, but help may not be coming for a while, notes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Austin Reaves missed the last four games with a bruised left pelvis and is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s contest against Portland. Jaxson Hayes has only played in one of the last 13 games due to right ankle injuries, and he’s expected to be reevaluated this week. Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood are still recovering from offseason surgery — Vanderbilt is expected to return sometime in early January, while Wood’s timeline is less clear. “There’s no cavalry. No one [feels] sorry for us,” Anthony Davis said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Just gotta continue to put our head down and grind and work.”
  • Suns guard Bradley Beal believes he has overcome the left calf strain that has caused him to be in and out of the lineup recently, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal played his second straight game tonight and logged more than 34 minutes. “Feel good, really good,” he said. “Progressing the right way. Minutes have been fine. Body is reacting fine postgame. Feel great.”
  • Suns rookie Ryan Dunn missed his second straight game with soreness in his left ankle, but coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t believe it’s a long-term issue (Twitter video link from Rankin).
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Pacific Notes: Harden, Nurkic, Durant, Ighodaro, Dunn, Green, Monk

December 2nd, 2024 at 9:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers re-signed James Harden on a two-year deal over the summer. It has turned into a wise move, as Harden has dominated games in Kawhi Leonard‘s absence.

Harden had 39 points in a 126-122 win against the Nuggets on Sunday. Last week, he erupted for a season-high 43 points in a road win against the Wizards.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Harden told The Athletic’s Law Murray. “My role has changed. You know, I haven’t had this role in, four or five years. So it just took me some time to get there. But you guys can see us, game by game, I continue to get better.”

We have more from around the Pacific:

We have more from the Pacific Division:
  • Suns center Jusuf Nurkic has been ruled out for at least a week due to a right thigh contusion, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Nurkic has appeared in 16 games this season, averaging 8.9 points and 9.9 rebounds. Nurkic has a four-year, $70MM contract that runs through next season.
  • Suns forward Kevin Durant has been impressed with the contributions of rookies Oso Ighodaro and Ryan Dunn, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets. Dunn only attempted two shots in 20 minutes in a win over Golden State on Saturday but contributed four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Ighodaro played 31 minutes off the bench and added six points and eight rebounds. “We expect that out of them. I think that’s what they bring to our team is that energy, that aggressiveness on defense, that physicality on defense….They’re setting a high standard for themselves every night,” Durant said.
  • Warriors forward Draymond Green didn’t practice Monday in Denver due to left calf tightness, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. He’s doubtful to play against the Nuggets on Tuesday, according to coach Steve Kerr, Slater tweets. Green hasn’t missed a game yet this season after appearing in just 55 regular season contests last season.
  • Malik Monk, one of the league’s top sixth men, made his first start since joining the Kings on Sunday. He played 37 minutes and supplied 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists but the Kings fell to San Antonio. Monk hadn’t started since he was in the Lakers’ lineup 37 times in 2021/22.
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Pacific Notes: Melton, Reddish, Bronny, Suns

November 9th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton said it felt “amazing” to be back on the court Friday night after missing five games due to a back strain, writes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. He was able to play 18 minutes, contributing 10 points, two rebounds and three assists as he moved right back into coach Steve Kerr‘s expanded rotation.

“Aggravation and they wanted to be cautious about it,” Melton said of the injury. “They just want to make sure I’m staying strong right now. Staying solid in terms of everything. Not worrying about necessarily being out there all the time, but the long haul.”

Melton experienced back pain while playing for Philadelphia last season and was unavailable for 40 of the final 45 regular season games. Golden State was aware of his physical issues when it signed him in free agency this summer, and the team’s medical staff is being careful in how it’s handling him.

“I’ve got a lot of trust in what they do,” Melton said, “and they’ve gotten me this far, so I’m in it.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Lakers coach J.J. Redick considers his starting lineup to be “fluid,” per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register, so any changes like Friday’s move to replace D’Angelo Russell with Cam Reddish may not be permanent. Reddish put up modest stats with three points and five rebounds, but he impacted the game on defense, particularly in his matchups with Paul George. “Every team is different, every coach is different,” Reddish said. “I just go out there and do what (Redick) tells me to do. In my past life, I was going out there doing what I wanted to do. That doesn’t necessarily work all the time.”
  • Several members of the Lakers showed up Saturday night to support Bronny James in his first G League game, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The group included Redick, general manager Rob Pelinka, Russell, Anthony Davis and of course Bronny’s father, LeBron James. He posted six points, three rebounds and four assists for South Bay.
  • Rookie Ryan Dunn could be coach Mike Budenholzer‘s choice to replace Kevin Durant in the Suns‘ starting lineup while he’s recovering from a calf strain, suggests Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Royce O’Neale is a more experienced option, Rankin adds, but Budenholzer seems to prefer using him off the bench. Rankin states that the injury could also result in more playing time for Josh Okogie, who made his season debut on Friday, and Bol Bol, who has yet to play this season.
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Suns Notes: Nurkic, Durant, Dunn, Allen

October 28th, 2024 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Jusuf Nurkic could be the most important variable for the Suns this season, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. With so many reliable pieces in place, the veteran center’s performance on a night-to-night basis might determine how successful Phoenix can be.

Bourguet notes that Nurkic had trouble staying on the court in the first two games, scoring 15 combined points with six assists and eight turnovers. But the big man was much better Saturday against Dallas, posting 18 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 7-of-12 from the field.

“He was great,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “His physicality in the paint, his rebounding, defense, everything. So it was good, I think. He’s a great teammate, he’s a competitor. I think he wanted to come back tonight and have that kind of positive impact for us, and he did it in a big way.”

Saturday’s game included a stretch where Nurkic scored 12 straight points in the second quarter. He was more determined to carve out space for post-ups and took advantage of opportunities around the basket.

“I felt like they was disrespecting me in a way because I was last game just not as aggressive,” Nurkic said. “I know I can score the ball, especially in the post, and they wanna just let me play. I think that [Devin Booker] and Tyus [Jones] and coach just let me play, so I was taking advantage of my size and try to be just aggressive as I could.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

  • Also Saturday, Kevin Durant became the eighth player in league history to reach 29,000 career points, notes David Brandt of The Associated Press. At age 36, Durant is off to another hot start, averaging 28.7 PPG through three games. “I’ve got to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid,” he said. “Teammates who passed me the ball, set screens for me, coaches who drew up plays for me.”
  • Through the first week of the season, Ryan Dunn has been the biggest surprise in this year’s rookie class, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Dunn fell to the 28th pick because of concerns about his outside shot, but he leads all rookies in made threes and is connecting at 46.2% from beyond the arc. That’s a bonus for the Suns, who drafted Dunn because of his elite defensive skills.
  • After missing two straight games, Grayson Allen isn’t listed on the injury report for tonight’s contest with the Lakers, Bourguet tweets.
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Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Davis, LeBron, Dunn

October 26th, 2024 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

DeMar DeRozan had a strong debut for the Kings on Thursday, scoring 26 points and eight rebounds in nearly 43 minutes of action, with Sacramento outscoring Minnesota by eight points during his time on the court.

Still, the two-point loss to the Timberwolves showed that there will be an adjustment period for the Kings as they get used to DeRozan’s presence, writes Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. After finishing third in the NBA with 39.3 three-point attempts per game last season, Sacramento let it fly from beyond the arc just 29 times in Thursday’s game, well shy of Minnesota’s 50 three-point tries.

“His game is the mid-range,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of DeRozan. “He’s an elite mid-range guy, and so he’s going to take a lot of shots, and that’s going to probably take away from the (three-point shots) some.”

Still, the Kings are confident it won’t take them long to get accustomed to DeRozan’s playing style and believe it will ultimately pay off to have another offensive weapon capable of breaking down defenses and creating his own shot like the 35-year-old can.

“He can run an offense all by himself,” teammate Kevin Huerter said. “There’s times you can just give him the ball and he can go make plays. He doesn’t need plays drawn up for him. As he continues to get more comfortable, we’ll get a lot better. … It’s game one, so we’re early. It’s obviously going to take time. Everybody’s still figuring everything out.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Anthony Davis dominated for a second straight outing in the Lakers‘ Friday win over Phoenix, scoring a game-high 35 points to increase his season total to 71 through two games (both victories). Head coach J.J. Redick‘s plan to make Davis the focus of L.A.’s offense is working as intended so far, according to LeBron James. “It’s very important that he’s the main focal point for us every single night,” James said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We know what he’s going to do defensively, but offensively we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game. And we’ve done that through two games.”
  • Asked during his post-game media session on Friday whether he’ll suit up for the second game of the Lakers‘ back-to-back set on Saturday vs. Sacramento, LeBron told reporters, including McMenamin, that his goal is not to miss a single one of the team’s 82 regular season contests. “I plan on playing every game,” said James, the NBA’s oldest active player.
  • Although the Suns couldn’t pull out a win on Friday vs. the Lakers, they got an encouraging performance from rookie Ryan Dunn. Known as a high-level defender but not much of a shooter during his time at Virginia, Dunn knocked down three-of-five attempts from three-point range and was a plus-8 in his 14 minutes. Dunn’s improvements as a shooter are the result of “a lot of hard work,” he told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda in a wide-ranging interview. “I keep having the confidence to keep shooting it even when some nights it might not fall and some nights that it might fall,” said Dunn, who also spoke to Medina about his first impressions of the NBA, meeting some of his long-time basketball idols, and his goals for his rookie season.
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And-Ones: M. Williams, Rookies, International Prospects, G League Trade

October 20th, 2024 at 7:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Monty Williams will be a head coach after all this season, just not in the pro or college ranks.

Williams has accepted the head coaching job at TMI Episcopal prep school in San Antonio, where he will coach his son Elijah, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. The Pistons fired Williams in June just one season after he signed a six-year, $78.5MM contract.

Williams is replacing former NBA forward Bruce Bowen at the San Antonio prep school, Haynes adds in another tweet.

We have more from around the basketball world:

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