Western Notes: Goodwin, Motiejunas, Thibodeau

One of the toughest decisions the Suns had to make when paring down their roster was to part ways with Archie Goodwin, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic notes. “We told Archie Goodwin and his agent at the end of last season that if there wasn’t going to be an opportunity for him to play going into the last year of his deal, that we would try to help him get to a good spot,” GM Ryan McDonough said. “We explored some trade scenarios throughout the summer and into the fall. We tried to help him get elsewhere in a trade.“

It’s tough for us, for me personally,” McDonough added. “We had him for over three years. He’s improved as a player. He got a lot stronger. His shot has improved. He’s still got some work to do with the shooting. He’s really good in the open court. He’s excellent in transition in getting to the rim. Sometimes, a fresh start for a young guy can be a good thing, especially when he’s somewhat blocked like Archie was here. He’s still so young [22] so I hope that other teams keep that in mind.

Here’s more from out West:

  • There are no updates on Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas at this time, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, who tweets that the NBA’s final restricted free agent of 2016 isn’t exploring overseas opportunities for now.
  • After opting for continuity a year ago, Pelicans GM Dell Demps brought in plenty of new talent this offseason, including Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, and Langston Galloway. As John Reid of The Times-Picayune details, Demps is optimistic that fans in New Orleans will appreciate the “gritty” and “tough” players on the team’s roster.
  • With Tom Thibodeau beginning his first campaign as coach/executive with the Timberwolves, Chris Mannix of The Vertical examines the challenges ahead and the impact Thibs will have on the franchise.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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