Shaquille Harrison Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Rumors: Nash, Morris, Connelly, Point Guards

October 8th, 2018 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Suns guard and Hall of Famer Steve Nash has no interest in replacing GM Ryan McDonough, who was abruptly dismissed on Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Though Nash is a favorite of owner Robert Sarver, Nash does not want the time-consuming responsibility of running a front office, Wojnarowski adds. Nash is currently a Warriors consultant. Vice president of basketball operations James Jones and assistant GM Trevor Bukstein have taken over GM duties in Phoenix on an interim basis.

We have more from Phoenix:

Former Suns Markieff Morris and Mike James voiced their distaste for McDonough on social media, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. McDonough infuriated Morris, currently with the Wizards, and his brother Marcus Morris by trading Marcus to the Pistons in the summer of 2015 after they signed team-friendly contracts with Phoenix. “Bout time lol,” Morris tweeted after learning of McDonough’s dismissal. James, who was waived last December after signing a contract two weeks earlier, tweeted, “I don’t think he was the right person for that job.”
Suns assistant GM Pat Connelly and director of scouting Courtney Witte were also fired on Monday, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. Connelly was the Wizards’ director of player personnel before he was hired by Phoenix in 2013. More front office changes could be on the horizon, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link).
Isaiah Canaan, Shaquille Harrison and rookies De’Anthony Melton and Elie Okobo continue to compete for point guard duties and none has emerged, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. First-year coach Igor Kokoskov admits that he needs to see much more from all of them. “A lot of mistakes,” he told Rankin and other media members. “There’s a lot of room for improvement.”
The timing of McDonough’s firing is an example of how Sarver has made a mess of the franchise, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. The Suns will probably never reach their potential with Sarver heading the organization, Bontemps adds.

Pacific Notes: Ball, James, Canaan, Marjanovic

October 6th, 2018 at 9:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lonzo Ball is expected to make his preseason debut Wednesday, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, which will also mark his first time on the court with LeBron James as a teammate. The Lakers have been careful with Ball as he recovers from offseason knee surgery, even as they have raved about his progress. Ball and James were both held out of tonight’s contest against the Clippers, but coach Luke Walton plans to use them in the next game against the Warriors.

“That’s one of the things I still need to see that we haven’t had is what lineups look like when both of those guys are playing,” Walton said. “I’m excited and hopeful, but again, we’re going to take it day by day. If any setbacks or whatnot, then we won’t rush it, again. But I would expect Wednesday that happens.”

Ball has received medical clearance to play and participated in full-court, four-on-four matchups with contact this week. The Lakers have been resting James, playing him about 15 minutes in the first half of each of their first three games.

There’s more tonight from the Pacific Division:

The Suns‘ inexperience at point guard has been on display through the preseason, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. With no established veterans at the position, coach Igor Kokoskov has been using a committee approach, giving playing time to Shaquille Harrison, Isaiah Canaan and rookies Elie Okobo and De’Anthony Melton. The results have been ugly as Phoenix is averaging more than 20 turnovers per game and had power forward Ryan Anderson handling the ball for part of Friday’s contest.
Canaan was on the court Friday for the first time since fracturing his ankle in January, writes Cody Cunningham of NBA.com. Canaan, who had 11 points for the Suns in 32 minutes and drilled three 3-pointers, was grateful to be back in action. “I could barely sleep last night just knowing that I would have the chance to play again,” he said. “It just means a lot to me personally and I just give a lot of credit to this organization and to this training staff for doing an unbelievable job getting me, not only back on my feet, but also competing at a high level.”
It shouldn’t be hard for Boban Marjanovic to increase his playing time with the Clippers this season, tweets Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Marjanovic averaged 8.3 minutes in 20 games after coming to L.A. in a January trade, but coach Doc Rivers said all he has to do for more court time is “Just keep being big.”

Suns Plan To Retain Davon Reed, Shaq Harrison

July 20th, 2018 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns intend to retain Davon Reed and Shaquille Harrison, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links). Reed is on a partially guaranteed contract, while Harrison’s salary is non-guaranteed.

Reed, the 32nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, had a partial guarantee of $689K on his $1.38MM salary, per Basketball Insiders. His full salary was initially due to become guaranteed if he remained under contract through June 30, but the Suns pushed that date back to July 20.

Reed missed a significant chunk of his rookie season due to a knee injury, but he played well in five Summer League games in Las Vegas this month. The 23-year-old guard posted 13.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, and a .489 FG% in Vegas, helping to secure his spot on Phoenix’s roster.

As for Harrison, the 24-year-old guard appeared in 23 games for the Suns last season, recording 6.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 2.4 APG. He’ll receive a $50K guarantee if he remains under contract through August 1, but won’t have his full salary guaranteed until January, so the Suns have time to change course on Harrison if they so choose.

Earlier today, the Suns agreed to a trade that will send Jared Dudley and a 2021 second-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange for Darrell Arthur. Phoenix is expected to buy out Arthur, so the club should have 14 players on NBA contracts once those transactions are complete, with Reed and Harrison still in the mix.

Suns Notes: Harrison, Reed, Booker, Cooley

July 14th, 2018 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Shaquille Harrison turned up his defense in Las Vegas in a bid for a roster spot, writes Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. The 24-year-old averaged 2.7 steals per game to go with a 12.2/4.4/6.0 line in five summer league contests.

Harrison is hoping to earn a role as the third point guard behind Brandon Knight and rookie Elie Okobo, and Bordow believes his fate depends on what other moves the team makes this summer. New coach Igor Kokoskov said he puts “a lot” of value on Harrison’s defensive abilities.

Harrison joined the Suns on a pair of 10-day contracts before signing for the rest of the season in mid-March. A $50K guarantee kicks in August 1 on his $1,378,242 salary for 2018/19.

There’s more news out of Phoenix:

Davon Reed, another young guard hoping for a roster spot, also helped his cause in Las Vegas, Bordow adds in the same story. Reed showed no effects of the arthroscopic knee surgery that slowed him last year as he averaged 13.4 PPG and displayed the quickness and athleticism he had before the injury. The Suns have a logjam at shooting guard with Devin Booker established as the starter and Troy Daniels, Mikal Bridges and Josh Jackson all in the mix for backup minutes. Reed has placed himself in a good position to make the roster, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who notes that the Suns extended his guarantee date so they could watch him in summer league.
Booker was happy that the Suns elected to give him a max extension this year instead of waiting until he was a restricted free agent next summer, Bordow writes in a separate story. “Like I said Phoenix, the entire organization has been behind me since day one, starting with the draft,” Booker said. “For a team to draft you and take a chance on you means they believe in you. [Owner] Robert Sarver and [GM] Ryan McDonough, I think those guys truly believe in me and it showed with the contract.”
Although he’s surrounded by big-name prospects, Jack Cooley has become a summer league fan favorite, relays Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports 98.7. The 27-year-old center was part of the Suns’ entry as he tries to get another shot at the NBA. He played seven games with the Kings last season after being out of the NBA for two years. “There’ve been talks with not just only Phoenix, but there have been a couple other teams that have rediscovered interest that wasn’t previously there,” Cooley said.

Suns May Renounce Elfrid Payton, Alex Len, Others

June 23rd, 2018 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns are ready to make aggressive moves in free agency, but not without a little house cleaning first, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic.

Look for Phoenix to maximize its cap room by shedding some unwanted salary, Bordow writes, with free agents Elfrid Payton and Alex Len both likely to be renounced. Payton’s performance was uneven after coming to the Suns in a midseason trade and he carries a $10MM cap hold. Len became expendable with the addition of No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton.

Those moves would give the team about $10MM for the free agent market, but the Suns are thinking bigger. Bordow expects them to cut ties with center Alan Williams, who has a non-guaranteed $5.52MM salary for next season. They may try to re-sign him or trade him to a team that can afford him more easily.

Other non-guaranteed contracts that might get discarded belong to Tyler Ulis ($1.54MM) and Shaquille Harrison ($1.38MM), while Davon Reed has a $1.38MM deal with a $689,212 guarantee. The deadline to decide on Ulis’ deal is tomorrow.

With up to $20MM available to chase free agents, Phoenix will focus on finding a point guard and a power forward who can defend and shoot from the outside.

Bordow lists the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley, the Celtics’ Marcus Smart, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Raptors’ Fred VanVleet and the Jazz’ Dante Exum as potential backcourt targets, while Utah’s Derrick Favors, Houston’s Trevor Ariza or Luc Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee’s Jabari Parker, Indiana’s Thaddeus Young, San Antonio’s Rudy Gay or Philadelphia’s Ersan Ilyasova could fit the four spot. If the Suns find a power forward, Bordow expects them to explore trading either Dragan Bender or Marquese Chriss.

Pacific Notes: Teodosic, Harrison, Suns, Warriors

March 15th, 2018 at 8:00pm CST by marksuleymanov

Milos Teodosic granted reporters, including Elliott Teaford of The Orange County Register, a rare interview to discuss his decision to leave Europe and join the Clippers this past offseason. Prior to this season, Teodosic was regarded by many as the best basketball talent not signed to an NBA deal.

Injuries have slowed Teodosic this year but the 30-year-old has shown more than a few glimpses of his creative passing ability. In 37 games (30 starts), the Serbian point guard is averaging 9.3 PPG and 5.0 APG. While he wishes he came to the NBA earlier in his career, Teodosic said he would have retired with regrets if he didn’t join the Clippers.

“This is the best league in the world with the best players. I’m real happy that right now I’m here playing with these great players right next to me,” Teodosic said. “I believe I came a little bit late. I’m 30 or 31, so I wish I came when I was 25 or 26, so I can work on my body and my game. At least I came here. If I didn’t come, I for sure would be sorry.”

Check out other Pacific Division notes below:

A pair of historic performances earned Suns guard Shaquille Harrison a pair of 10-day contracts that turned into a multi-year pact. NBA.com’s Cody Cunningham looks at Harrison’s journey from undrafted prospect to being tasked with defending Damian Lillard in his second NBA game. “His confidence in me brings out my confidence,” Harrison said of coach Jay Triano giving him the assignment. “It’s an honor to be out there with him trusting me. It makes me play even harder because I know I’ve got the trust and he believes in my abilities. It’s easy to go out there and have fun and do what I do.”
Teams purposely tanking to secure better draft lottery positioning has become a major talking point in the NBA. The Suns‘ poor play and resting veterans could be seen as a possible tanking attempt, but if it were the case, Devin Booker would not be playing nearly 40 MPG since the break, Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports notes.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said the team will conduct a “wide-ranging” search for a head coach this offseason, Bordow writes in a separate story. Interim head coach Jay Triano will be among those considered, along with current and former NBA head coaches and possibly college coaches.
The Warriors have been mostly universally praised for their roster construction, which has led to two NBA championships in three seasons. However, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic (subscription required and recommended) delves into Golden State’s offseason moves to see if the team made any missteps when assembling its roster for the 2017/18 campaign.

Suns Sign Shaquille Harrison To Multi-Year Deal

March 13th, 2018 at 12:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 13: The Suns have officially announced their new deal with Harrison, confirming the signing in a press release.

MARCH 12: The Suns have decided to retain Shaquille Harrison and are working on a multi-year contract that will be guaranteed through the rest of this season, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Harrison’s second 10-day deal expires today and Phoenix has been impressed enough to give the Tulsa product a standard contract. The 6’4” guard has appeared in nine games and is averaging 4.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.3 SPG in 13.4 MPG. He had his biggest output against the Hornets on Saturday, contributing 14 points and four assists in 21 minutes as a starter with Devin Booker sidelined by a triceps strain.

Harrison, 24, went undrafted in 2016 and participated in the Suns’ training camp that year. The last two seasons, Harrison has played with the organization’s G League affiliate Northern Arizona. In 36 games with Northern Arizona, he averaged 11.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.9 SPG.

Suns Sign Shaquille Harrison To Second 10-Day Contract

March 3rd, 2018 at 11:16am CST by marksuleymanov

The Suns have signed guard Shaquille Harrison to a second 10-day contract, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports.

Harrison, 24, went undrafted out of Tulsa in 2016 and was part of the Suns’ training camp that year. The last two seasons, Harrison has played with the organization’s G League affiliate Northern Arizona. In 36 games with Northern Arizona, he averaged 11.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.9 SPG.

In five games with Phoenix this season, Harrison has averaged 1.8 PPG and 1.4 APG in limited playing time. Harrison contributed seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes as part of the Suns’ February 28 win over the Grizzlies.

Suns Notes: Tanking, Triano, Len, Harrison

February 21st, 2018 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns GM Ryan McDonough promises there won’t be a repeat of the “strategic resting” that saw Eric Bledsoe and Tyson Chandler held out of the lineup late last season, relays Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix reached the All-Star break tied with the Hawks for the top spot in our Reverse Standings, but McDonough said the team won’t make any changes to try to improve its odds for the No. 1 pick.

“We’re planning on doing what we have been doing, that’s playing our young players. For us, that’s not a change,” he said. “… We want to continue to have them improve and get minutes and try to win as many games as we can.”

Interim coach Jay Triano echoed those sentiments and recalled that Bledsoe was angry about being forced to sit out the final 15 games last season, which played a part in his request to be traded. “I think we learned from last year with guys sitting out,” Triano said. “I don’t think that was real productive for us.”

There’s more tonight out of Phoenix:

Triano, who has served as interim coach since Earl Watson was fired in October, would like to be considered for the full-time job after the season ends, Bordow adds in the same story. “Listen, I love coaching, I love it here, I love the relationship I’m starting to develop with these players, so I’d like to keep it going and be a part of their development because I see a lot of positives,” Triano said. … “So there’s no reason I would not want to be [the coach].”
Fifth-year center Alex Len no longer seems to be in the Suns’ plans for the future, Bordow notes in a separate story. The plan for the final 23 games of the season is to start Chandler at center with Dragan Bender as the primary backup as Marquese Chriss gets another shot at the starting lineup. Len will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after agreeing to the Suns’ qualifying offer last year. He is averaging 8.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in 49 games, but the organization doesn’t seem to think his future will be in Phoenix.
Shaquille Harrison is thrilled to make his NBA debut after spending two seasons with the Suns’ G League affiliate in Northern Arizona, relays Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports. “I’m just trying to seize the opportunity,” said Harrison, whose 10-day deal became official today. “I’m very grateful to be here. It’s a great organization, that’s why I stuck with them the past year-and-a-half, two years. I’m loving it and enjoying the process.”

Suns Sign Shaquille Harrison To 10-Day Deal

February 21st, 2018 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 21: The Suns have officially signed Harrison to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. As expected, Gray has been waived.

FEBRUARY 20: The Suns will make a change to their roster this week, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who tweets that the team is signing guard Shaquille Harrison to a 10-day contract. Phoenix will waive Josh Gray to create a roster spot, per Gambadoro.

Harrison, 24, went undrafted out of Tulsa in 2016 and caught on with the Suns for training camp later that year. He was cut before the regular season began, but landed with Phoenix’s G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns.

Harrison has spent the last two years with Northern Arizona, averaging 11.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.9 SPG in 36 G League games this season.

Gray had been on a 10-day contract of his own with the Suns — actually, it was technically a 12-day contract. Even though he signed that deal on February 12, Gray was on track to remain under contract through Friday, since 10-day pacts must cover at least three NBA games. Assuming he’s waived before his deal expires, Gray will still be paid for the full 12 days.