Knicks Rumors

New York Notes: M. Brown, Brogdon, Hart, KAT, C. Thomas, Powell

Knicks head coach Mike Brown made it clear on Tuesday that his philosophy regarding his minutes distribution for starters and rotation players won’t look the same as what the team got accustomed to under former coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required).

“The biggest thing is trying to make sure you watch everybody’s minutes instead of trying to chase games,” Brown said. “There might be some games where maybe you throw the towel in early. It’s important to win, but you also have to understand, ‘Hey, I want to keep this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, instead of trying to extend everybody’s minutes.’ Because if the season is long, we don’t want anybody worn out by the end.”

As Bondy observes, Thibodeau’s approach often felt like the exact opposite of the one laid out by Brown. The former Knicks coach frequently faced criticism due to the perception that he overextended his top players, particularly by leaving them on the court late in games in which the team held a big lead.

Brown, who worked as a Warriors assistant from 2016-22, pointed to the 2015/16 Golden State team that chased – and achieved – a regular season record of 73 wins but seemed to run out of gas at the end of that season. That prompted the Warriors to more closely monitor their stars’ workloads in subsequent years.

“It kind of caught up to them [in 2016]. And from that point on, that’s when [head coach Steve Kerr] was like, ‘I’m not going to chase it anymore,'” Brown said. “If we get it, we get it, but I got to make sure for Steph [Curry], if we want him to only play 35 minutes or average 35 minutes a game, then that’s what he’s going to average.”

Three Knicks players – Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby – placed among the NBA’s top six in minutes per game last season, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns also in the top 25.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

  • Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon doesn’t just expect to make the Knicks‘ regular season roster — he believes he’ll earn a spot in the rotation as well, he tells Bondy (subscription required). “I view myself as having a skill set and being a versatile enough player to crack any rotation in the league,” Brogdon told Bondy. “So I expect to do that here as well.” A report from The Athletic indicated that New York is leaning toward keeping both Brogdon and Landry Shamet for the regular season, which would require the team to trade a player.
  • Hart referred to it as “stupidity” to blame Towns for the Knicks‘ Eastern Conference Finals loss to Indiana last spring, according to Bondy (subscription required). As Bondy notes, Towns received some criticism due to his defense, but Hart doesn’t view that criticism as warranted. “I thought [Towns] played well in the playoffs. I mean, hey, I think the only one who should get blamed is me,” Hart said. “I had a terrible — I think I played well in Detroit, played well in Boston. With Indiana, I just didn’t have nothing left.”
  • Nets guard Cam Thomas reported to camp looking leaner this fall, but he said the work he did on his body this offseason wasn’t related to his recurring hamstring issues last season, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). “No, it’s just something I want to do. Just me being me,” Thomas said. “Not really related to the hammies. … If I have the weight on or not, I’ll still be doing the same thing. It doesn’t really change how you play, really. At the end of the day, it’s how you look and how you feel. I feel good. Feel good, look good and you play good.”
  • Rookie wing Drake Powell, one of the Nets‘ five first-round picks, has been cleared for full-contact work earlier this week, Lewis writes in a separate story. Powell, selected with the No. 22 pick, missed Summer League due to a left knee injury that surfaced during the pre-draft process.

Knicks Have Spoken To Teams About Pacome Dadiet

The Knicks appear to be leaning toward hanging onto two of their veteran camp invitees for the regular season, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who hears from league sources that guards Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are the frontrunners to make the team.

Due to their lack of flexibility below a second-apron hard cap, the Knicks would have to make a trade in order to retain both Brogdon and Shamet. According to Edwards, the front office has had conversations with rival teams about second-year forward Pacome Dadiet, who would be one of the team’s prime trade candidates in that scenario.

Dadiet has had a good offseason behind the scenes, Edwards writes, which has perhaps made the Knicks less inclined to trade the Frenchman, who was the 25th overall pick in the 2024 draft.

However, his salary ($2.85MM) makes him a more logical trade candidate than fellow 2024 draftee Tyler Kolek ($2.19MM), given the slim margins New York is working with. Edwards also believes Dadiet is more likely than Kolek to warrant a worthwhile return on the trade market, though he cautions it probably wouldn’t be more than a second-round pick or two.

The Knicks are currently carrying 12 players on standard contracts, plus Brogdon, Shamet, Garrison Mathews, Alex Len, Matt Ryan, and Mohamed Diawara on non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 and/or Exhibit 10 deals. If New York retains Diawara (who is on a rookie minimum deal) and one of those vets, the team’s salary for its regular season roster would be about $148K below its hard cap.

If the Knicks were to trade Dadiet without taking back any salary, then kept two non-guaranteed vets alongside Diawara, that breathing room below the hard cap would increase to roughly $700K. If the club were to trade Kolek instead of Diawara and hung onto two vets and Diawara, the distance from the hard cap would shrink to just $44K. Trading Ariel Hukporti in order to keep both Brogdon and Shamet wouldn’t be an option, since Hukporti’s cap hit isn’t big enough to swap it out for an extra veteran minimum deal.

Unless the Knicks are inclined to make a much more significant deal, which seems unlikely, Miles McBride would be the only other trade candidate on the bench, but Edwards would be surprised if the front office makes a move involving McBride, who is expected to play a regular rotation role.

If the Knicks don’t find a trade they like ahead of the regular season, they’d only be able to carry one of Brogdon or Shamet into opening night, but the front office could continue exploring trades during the season in order to create some additional back-end roster flexibility and re-sign one of those players (or another free agent).

Knicks To Add Donovan Williams On Camp Deal

The Knicks and guard Donovan Williams have agreed to a training camp deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Williams averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for New York’s G League team, the Westchester Knicks, last season. He also had stints in Canada and China, joining the Shanghai Sharks in February and then suiting up for the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League this summer.

Williams appeared in two NBA games with the Hawks during the 2022/23 season. He was also with the Warriors ahead of the 2023/24 season, but was a training camp cut.

He’ll likely be waived and then would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he rejoins Westchester and stays with the team at least 60 days.

And-Ones: NBC, Amazon, Gay, Jackson, CBA, Darlan, More

With the regular season now just weeks away, the NBA’s new broadcast partners continue to fill out their coverage rosters. NBC Sports issued a press release on Monday announcing that veteran reporter Chris Mannix – who had been writing for SI.com – is joining the network as a digital insider and will appear on NBC’s and Peacock’s studio show to report on and discuss breaking news.

Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video is hiring NBA reporter Chris Haynes as a league insider and has tabbed Marcus Thompson of The Athletic to report feature stories, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Haynes has been working independently this offseason ahead of his stint with Amazon, while Thompson will continue in his role at The Athletic while pulling double duty for Prime Video.

Amazon also recently added former NBA players Rudy Gay and Jim Jackson to its list of analysts, Glasspiegel notes. They join Kyle Lowry, Dell Curry, Brent Barry, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and Steve Nash as current and former players who will have game or studio analyst roles with Prime Video.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Within a look at how the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and tax apron system have diminished free agency, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) reports that multiple teams have lobbied the league to implement some sort of discount for homegrown players — for instance, if a player drafted by a team goes on to become a maximum-salary player for that club, perhaps his cap hit could be 30% of the cap instead of the 35% salary he’s actually earning. However, the NBA hasn’t seriously weighed that possibility to this point, Fischer writes.
  • Thierry Darlan has spent the past two seasons in the G League but was ruled eligible by the NCAA to spend the 2025/26 season at Santa Clara, agent Todd Ramasar tells ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. The 6’8″ guard will enter college as a junior, with two years of eligibility available. Michael McCann of Sportico digs into the decision, writing that it’s the latest defeat for “amateurism,” as the NCAA becomes increasingly open to welcoming players who have already played professionally.
  • ESPN’s NBA insiders take a look at the biggest question facing each of the league’s 30 teams this fall, including where Jaden Ivey‘s fits in for the new-look Pistons, whether the Timberwolves‘ young players are ready to step up, and whether the Spurs can overcome a lack of three-point shooting around Victor Wembanyama
  • The Knicks (53.5 wins), Celtics (42.5), and Trail Blazers (34.5) are among the teams that John Hollinger of The Athletic believes will fall short of their projected win totals this season.

New York Notes: Brown, Shamet, Clowney, MPJ, Muoka

New Knicks head coach Mike Brown wants to empower his players to let loose from long range, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.

As Winfield notes, only one expected rotation player — center Mitchell Robinson — won’t be able to connect on at least an NBA-average three-point conversion rate, provided both Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are on the club’s standard roster come the regular season.

“I mean if we get 40 [threes] I’m cool with it,” Brown said following a team practice on Friday. “We’ve got a couple of guys that we’ll allow to dance with it and let it go, and they know who they are. But if we play like we’re capable of — with pace, especially spacing, and the paint touches — we should generate a lot of catch-and-shoot threes.”

There’s more out of New York:

  • During his media day session, Brown spoke positively about Landry Shamet‘s two-way upside. Shamet was rostered with the Knicks last year, but for now is signed to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 training camp deal. “Offensively, his pace in the full court, he does a great job sprinting the floor, and he’ll sprint to the corner every single possession,” Brown said when asked about Shamet by Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link via New York Basketball). “And when you do that with the ability he has to shoot the ball from deep, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and also flattens the defense, because you gotta go with him. And if the defense gets flattened by a shooter, that means the driving lanes [expand].… And then defensively, he’s not afraid, he’ll stick his nose in it and guard whoever he has to guard.”
  • Nets big man Noah Clowney took the offseason to bulk up, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 6’9″ big man has packed on added muscle to improve his abilities as a driver, but is hoping not to sacrifice any of his explosiveness. “Yeah, [Clowney] looks great,” coach Jordi Fernández said of the change. “Credit to him and the work he’s put in the whole summer. He looks like a grown man at just 21… His ability to shoot, his size and getting better at playing off two feet in the paint, limiting turnovers and fishing better at the rim. So those things are important for him.”
  • After dealing with major health issues earlier in his career, new Nets wing Michael Porter Jr. admitted he can’t necessarily count on a lengthy stint in the NBA. “Because of the injuries and stuff, I don’t know how much longer I really want to play,” Porter told Justin Laboy on the Respectfully The Justin Laboy Podcast (YouTube video link; hat tip to Lewis for the transcription). “Like, I want to play as long as I can, but people don’t understand the things I’ve got to go through on a daily basis just to get out on the court and play with the best athletes in the world.” Porter had already undergone three back surgeries by the end of his first three pro seasons and has since dealt with lingering nerve damage even as other health issues pop up. He is owed $78MM across the next two seasons. “I decided all I’m going to do is take it a year at a time,” Porter said. “So I’m committed to basketball and putting my all into it for the next year and then after that, I’m gonna reevaluate.”
  • The Nets‘ NBAGL affiliate, the Long Island Nets, obtained center David Muoka‘s returning player rights from the Windy City Bulls, Lewis tweets. Long Island surrendered a 2025 G League first-round draft pick and a 2026 second to Windy City, Chicago’s G League affiliate. Muoka was signed and waived earlier this month by Brooklyn and is now on track to join Long Island for the NBAGL season.

Malcolm Brogdon On Decision To Compete For Knicks Roster Spot

Malcolm Brogdon, who joined the Knicks on a non-guaranteed deal, is confident in his ability to win a regular season roster spot in training camp, writes Kristian Winfield for the New York Daily News. That confidence showed in Brogdon’s claims that he turned down other chances with NBA teams in order to join New York.

I come here with the expectation I’m going to make the team,” Brogdon said today. “I feel what I bring to the table and have to offer, I can help this team. The decision is out of my control but I feel like I have what it takes to help this team.”

Brogdon, a nine-year NBA veteran, holds career averages of 15.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on .463/.388/.874shooting splits, but three of the last four years have been beset by injuries. He appeared in a career-low 24 games in 2024/25.

However, he spent last season, as well as ’23/24, on teams that were not in win-now positions, and Brogdon said he’s feeling good about the chance to be back on a team with loftier ambitions.

Going into my 10th year, I wanted to be in a good organization that’s competing and trying to win a championship,” he said. “I had that in Milwaukee, Boston, and here I think there’s a real shot.”

Winfield notes that ball-handling around star Jalen Brunson was an area of weakness for the Knicks last season, and that the addition of Brogdon, as well as free agent signing Jordan Clarkson, could go a long way toward addressing that issue. Brogdon also brings a defensive steadiness that could allow him to play alongside Brunson.

Brogdon, for his part, is aware of the potential benefit he could bring in such minutes.

Anything that can take pressure off Jalen is the big goal going forward with this team,” he said. “That’s what I want to do this year: Take pressure off him on both sides of the ball — and everybody else.”

Brogdon elaborated on this topic, and how he sees himself in the context of the team, writes Dan Martin for the New York Post.

This is a roster that in the past has been in need of more ball-handlers and more creators, more versatile players that can handle the ball,” Brogdon said. “I think I bring that. I can help guard. I’m a Swiss Army knife in a lot of ways and have a lot of strengths.”

Brogdon also believes that his experience in the recent phase of his career, as he’s become a bit more of a journeyman, can help him seamlessly integrate into new coach Mike Brown‘s system.

The last three years I’ve had three different systems, different playing styles and different coaches,” Brogdon said. “I do think that gives me an edge on other new guys coming here, being able to adjust fast. I think that’s what this league is all about: Who can adjust fastest.”

Brogdon added that he’d been talking to the Knicks for a while before signing an Exhibit 9 deal with them.

I was really set on being on the Knicks,” he said.

Eastern Notes: C. White, Porzingis, Knicks, Anthony, Magic

Despite modest projections from experts and outside observers, Coby White believes the Bulls have a chance to be “really good” in 2025/26, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Besides being positive about his team’s outlook, the 25-year-old guard has set a personal goal as he enters his seventh NBA season.

“I want to win and I want to become that All-Star-caliber player,” White said. “That’s the next step for me in my personal game. I’ve had two really good seasons, averaging 20 (points per game) or whatever. The next part is for us to take that leap as a team, and that’s to win and get out of this little play-in (tournament) stage that we are in, take my game to the next level and become an All-Star.”

White is entering the final year of his current contract and will make $12.9MM in 2025/26. Because starting salaries in veteran contract extensions are limited to a percentage of the player’s previous salary (or the average league-wide salary), White has let the Bulls know he doesn’t plan on signing a new deal before reaching free agency in 2026, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Cowley believes it would be in both teams’ best interest for the Bulls and Rockets to work out a trade involving White in the wake of Fred VanVleet‘s ACL tear — Cowley suggests a package of Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason. However, White told Spears that he remains very open to the idea of continuing his career in Chicago, even if he doesn’t sign a new contract until he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

“I love being in Chicago. I love the front office. I love my teammates. I love the staff,” White said. “I built a great relationship with coach Billy Donovan. And for me, if it is meant to be (to) stay a Chicago Bull, then I can’t ask for nothing else.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said on Friday that the team feels good about where Kristaps Porzingis‘ health stands after he was plagued by post-viral syndrome during the final months of the 2024/25 season. “We’re super confident in Kristaps’ health, and him playing a healthy season,” Saleh said (Twitter link via Malik Brown of ClutchPoints). “We wouldn’t have made the trade if we didn’t think that. There was no hesitation there from us. We felt comfortable doing that at the time. We feel great about it now, and we’re excited for him to play a bunch of games this season.”
  • James L. Edwards III of The Athletic takes a closer look at Mike Brown‘s plan to better maximize Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on offense, which includes using Brunson off the ball more often and moving Towns around to different areas of the floor.
  • New Bucks guard Cole Anthony said this week that he’s “super excited” to be in Milwaukee and that the change of scenery feels like a “breath of fresh air” after his playing time declined in Orlando in recent years, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays. “Obviously, I loved my time (with the Magic), but this feels like, for me, a stepping stone in my career,” Anthony said. “I just want to come in and help the team win in whichever way I can. I think they’re going to ask me to do what I can do, which is score, pass the ball, guard, whatever, but I’m just really happy to be a part of this team, specifically because it’s been great being here these past couple weeks and being with these guys. The energy is high. There’s a real professional vibe around everybody, and everybody has a chip on their shoulder.”
  • Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) runs through four key questions facing the Magic ahead of the 2025/26 season, including when Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner will be ready to play, what the bench rotation will look like, and who will fill the club’s open two-way contract slot.

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Brunson, Anunoby, Brown

Although it doesn’t match the sacrifice that Jalen Brunson made by giving up a potential $113MM in his latest contract, it’s still significant that Knicks forward Mikal Bridges accepted $150MM in the four-year extension he signed this summer when he was eligible for roughly $6MM more, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required).

There was speculation that Bridges, who was set to become a free agent in 2026, might not be eager to sign up for a long-term commitment in New York after a difficult first season with the team. But he said at media day that he wants his future to be with the Knicks and he never considered any other options.

“Because I love it here,” he added. “Love the fans, love the culture, love the staff and everybody, front office, everything, teammates. That’s probably the biggest thing. I know, throughout last year, last year was tough throughout the season and playoffs helped a little bit but I think I just appreciate the fans and everybody. I think a lot of people thought I might be upset because everybody was getting on me too hard, but I think I was more mad at myself because everything they want was what I want so it’s not like a ‘why ‘y’all getting on me?’ Some things get a little too crazy, but that’s just life [and] how it is.”

There’s more from New York:

  • Brunson dropped a few pounds over the summer in anticipation of playing at a faster pace under new head coach Mike Brown, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscription required). “It was important for me to be a little lighter just throughout the course of the season,” said Brunson, who refused to divulge his new weight. “Not even being lighter, I’m not that much lighter, definitely more toned and like that. But it’s just important for me to get my body in the best shape possible I can and go from there.” 
  • When he was coaching the Nigerian national team, Brown tried to recruit OG Anunoby for the Tokyo Olympics, Braziller adds in the same piece. Anunoby declined the offer, partially due to COVID concerns, but he’s looking forward to finally playing for Brown. “I was excited (when the Knicks hired Brown),” Anunoby said. “I’ve known Mike for some years now. I was excited when I found out he was the coach. We talked pretty quickly, just about everything, not even basketball, but life stuff.” 
  • Brown is happy to see his players adapting to a new offensive system so quickly, per Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News (subscription required). While former coach Tom Thibodeau preferred a slower approach, Brown is installing the up-tempo, quick-decision attack he used in Sacramento. “Their attentiveness has been great,” Brown said after Friday’s practice. “Today was the first time where we really had a chance to bump heads and scrimmage. So when you go against a different color jersey instead of just going through it 5-on-0 or against the coaches, it’s a little different. But our guys did a good job. It’ll be even more different when we go against Philly in Abu Dhabi. I like our progress so far — but we’ve still got a long way to go.”

Knicks Notes: Robinson, McBride, Brown, Anunoby

As he enters the final year of his contract, which will pay him a little under $13MM, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson says he doesn’t care if he starts or not in 2025/26, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.

Nah. It don’t matter to me at all,” Robinson said on Thursday. “I started before. I came off the bench before. I did great in both. So it’s whatever.”

As Winfield notes, Robinson saw his role reduced after finally returning from ankle surgery last season, but then was moved back into the starting lineup for the last four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. New head coach Mike Brown called Robinson a “monster on the glass” but said he has yet to decide if the 7’0″ big man will start or come off the bench.

Ideally, it would be great to have everybody’s role defined before the first game,” Brown said. “Now, they can change throughout the course of the season, but hopefully going into Game 1, we as coaches — and (new assistant) Billy Lange — get to a point where we have everybody’s role defined. And not only that, but they embrace it so that everybody knows specifically what they need to do.

We’ve got a lot of guys and we’re a new staff. So if we get a little behind, maybe it doesn’t happen until after the first or second game. I don’t know. But ideally, I’d like to have all that done before game one.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Robinson, who said he added muscle and lost weight over the offseason after starting an organic farm in Nashville, isn’t sure if he’ll be cleared to play back-to-backs to open the season, according to Winfield. One of the NBA’s premier offensive rebounders, Robinson added that he isn’t concerned about potentially being involved in trade rumors ahead of 2026 free agency — he will remain extension-eligible throughout the season. “I’m gonna come out here and play hard still regardless, whether it’s my last (year) or my first (year), just come out here and play hard,” Robinson said. “But at the same time I’m gonna let my agent handle that part of it. I’m just gonna play basketball.”
  • Guard Miles McBride has been floated as a possible trade candidate because New York reportedly wants to keep Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet, both of whom are signed to non-guaranteed training camp deals. McBride expressed appreciation for former coach Tom Thibodeau but is looking forward to playing under Brown, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “Honestly it was crazy. It was unexpected. All my four years were with Thibs. He did a great job with me and team,” McBride said. “… Coming in with Mike, I’m excited. … He’s been communicating with a lot of guys, allowing people to talk.”
  • Forward OG Anunoby just missed out on making the All-Defensive Second Team last season, finishing with the most votes among players who didn’t make the cut. He has loftier goals for ’25/26, as Steve Popper of Newsday writes (subscription required). “For sure, defense, that’s what wins games, championships,” Anunoby said. “So it’s very important to me. Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Defense, those are always my goals.” Brown praised Anunoby’s defensive work, Popper adds. “First-team All-Defense,” Brown said. “He is more than capable. Really it’s up to him. That’s how good he is on that end of the floor. He’s a first-team — and I’ve been around those guys. Bruce Bowen. Tim Duncan. I’ve been around a few of them, and he’s right there.”

Suns Notes: Williams, Booker, Baugh, Duke

Mark Williams is entering training camp with a new team for the first time in his career after being sent from the Hornets to the Suns this offseason. According to Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic, he’s looking to prove that Charlotte shouldn’t have traded him.

Just to be where you’re wanted is always great,” Williams said at the Suns media day “To be here is exciting. Charlotte was ultimately where I was drafted to. There was a belief in me at some point, but once you trade me the first time, it was only a matter of time before I was gone. So I knew that was coming. I just intend to make them regret that decision every time I’m on the court.

It initially looked like Williams would be traded to the Lakers at last year’s deadline in exchange for Dalton Knecht and a pick, but that deal fell through due to concerns about the big man’s physical. After averaging 12.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in his first three seasons, Williams is excited for his new opportunity in the final year of his rookie contract.

He’s been with us every day since July 1,” Suns general manager Brian Gregory said. “His strength gains in the lower body have been off the charts. His work ethic on a daily basis, off the chart. His attitude, he understood where he was at and where he needed to get to and he’s worked every single day on that.

Rankin writes that Williams is expected to start at center but will battle with rookie Khaman Maluach, Oso Ighodaro and Nick Richards in camp.

We have more from the Suns:

  • At Phoenix’s media day on Sept. 24, star guard Devin Booker told Suns insider John Gambadoro (Twitter link) that there was a “disconnect” on last year’s squad. “I don’t think there was any hatred in our last group amongst the guys I just think when you are all on a different plan and don’t have the same common goal or same objective than that’s what it turns into,” Booker said. According to Gambadoro, Booker also said the last two years were the toughest of his career.
  • Booker recognizes that his leadership is going to be of the utmost importance for this squad, Rankin writes for The Arizona Republic. With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal no longer on the team, Booker is going to be relied on to be more vocal. “I’m going to use my voice always,” Booker said. “I feel something is going to be beneficial for the team, especially with this team now for the growth for any young player. I’ve been around these guys a lot. They’re already hitting me with the right questions. It was tough not getting where we wanted to with [Durant] and [Beal], two guys I have high respect for and always will.
  • The Suns’ G League team acquired the rights to Damion Baugh and David Duke Jr., whom Phoenix previously signed to training camp deals, according to Rankin (Twitter link). That indicates the plan is for both players to suit up for Phoenix’s NBAGL affiliate this season. In exchange, the Valley Suns sent the Westchester Knicks the returning rights to all of Cassius Stanley, Moses Wood, Mamadi Diakite, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Didi Louzada, along with a first- and second-round pick.