Latest On Suns, Chris Paul
There are conflicting reports on what the Suns intend to do with future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul.
Although Chris Haynes recently reported that the Suns plan to waive Paul’s partially guaranteed contract, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic hears from sources who say Phoenix is still evaluating its options with the veteran point guard. Paul remains on the roster for now.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Suns spoke to Paul’s agent on Wednesday and let him know they want to find a mutually beneficial resolution. Charania reports that a trade, waiving and stretching Paul’s contract, and waiving Paul outright and possibly re-signing him are among the options being considered.
One notable option that Charania did not mention is fully guaranteeing Paul’s $30.8MM contract for 2023/24, which is currently partially guaranteed for $15.8MM (it’s non-guaranteed for $30MM in ’24/25). The 38-year-old’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 28, but that doesn’t sound like it’s on the table for the Suns.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Suns intend to explore trade possibilities for Paul and Deandre Ayton, which could obviously have a profound impact on the team’s roster.
As of now, sources tell Wojnarowski that Paul wants to return to Phoenix and play with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. However, Paul and his representatives would like the Suns to find a quick solution, particularly if he’s waived, even though they’re technically under no obligation to do so.
There’s an expectation that the Suns will use the stretch provision on Paul’s deal if he does end up getting cut, Wojnarowski writes. That would spread his $15.8MM cap hit over five seasons, for annual charge of $3.16MM. Paul would be ineligible to re-sign with Phoenix in that scenario.
Plugged-in local radio host John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM also disputes Haynes’ report, tweeting that the Suns haven’t yet decided what they’re going to do with Paul.
Suns Reportedly Plan To Waive Chris Paul
The Suns plan to waive point guard Chris Paul, whose $30.8MM contract for 2023/24 is partially guaranteed at $15.8MM, sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link).
In a recent podcast appearance with Zach Lowe, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested the Suns might waive Paul instead of guaranteeing the remainder of his salary. He also predicted Paul would still be on the roster next season (YouTube link).
“Stretch Chris Paul?” asked Lowe (hat tip to RealGM)
“There are other things that can be done,” said Windhorst.
“I might be dumb, but I think Chris Paul is still good,” replied Lowe.
“I think Chris Paul will be a Sun next year, but what if he’s a Sun and they don’t have to pay him $30 million,” said Windhorst.
As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets, the Suns could stretch Paul’s $15.8MM cap hit over five years, which would equal $3.16MM annually. However, if they go that route, they would be ineligible to re-sign Paul over that same time frame.
If they simply release his contract and he clears waivers, Paul will become an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team, including Phoenix. In a thin free agent market, he will be one of the best players available, despite his advancing age (he turned 38 last month).
As we noted in our Offseason Preview, if the Suns were to guarantee Paul’s salary, they would have been in danger of exceeding the second tax apron, which is a pseudo-hard cap in the new CBA. Waiving (or waiving and stretching) Paul would make it easier to stay below that threshold and give Phoenix more options to work with, but the team would also risk losing him for nothing.
The 12-time All-Star plans to play “several” more seasons and is enthusiastic about helping a team contend for a title, according to Haynes (Twitter link). Haynes reported last month that the Suns were considered likely to guarantee the remainder of Paul’s contract, but obviously there was a change of plans.
Paul is coming off another disappointing playoff exit that was related to injuries. This time, he suffered a left groin strain in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Nuggets that sidelined him for the rest of the series.
Paul, who has led the league in steals six times and assists five times, is widely considered one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, as well as one of the best players to have never won a championship. In his first season with Phoenix back in ’20/21, he helped the team reach the Finals, ultimately falling to the Bucks in six games.
In 59 regular season games (32.0 minutes) in ’22/23, he averaged 13.9 points, 8.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals on .440/.375/.831 shooting. He holds career averages of 17.9 points, 9.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals on .472/.369/.870 shooting in 1214 games (34.4 MPG).
Northwest Notes: Higgins, Finch, Edwards, Jazz Offseason
The Jazz are hiring Rick Higgins as an assistant coach, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets. Higgins has been a member of Stephen Silas‘ staff with the Rockets since 2020. It’s part of a retooling of Will Hardy‘s coaching staff. Former Salt Lake City Stars head coach Scott Morrison was recently added to the staff.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Chris Finch maintains strong support from the Timberwolves front office and key players, including Anthony Edwards, according to Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Finch and his staff have done a good job developing the team’s young players, but he will be under pressure in his third season as head coach. He must find ways to generate more offense and improve the team’s rebounding, among other issues.
- Speaking of Edwards, the Timberwolves star is expected to sign with global entertainment agency WME, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT tweets. Edwards has reportedly committed to playing for Team USA this summer.
- The Jazz will continue to focus on player development next season but their primary focus this offseason will be working on extensions for Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype writes in his offseason primer. Clarkson holds a player option on his contract for next season, so he may be on track for free agency. The extension rules in the new CBA will make Markkanen eligible for a three-year, $81.9MM deal.
Draft Notes: Henderson, Miller, Thompsons, Hendricks, Livingston, Bates
The Hornets hold the No. 2 pick and the top contenders to be chosen at that spot are visiting Charlotte soon, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer reports.
G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson is scheduled to come in on Sunday, while Alabama forward Brandon Miller will visit on Tuesday. A trio of prospects also rated among the top 10 on most draft boards are also working out for the Hornets in the near future. Twins brothers Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson of Overtime Elite will work out on Friday. Villanova forward Cam Whitmore is scheduled to come in on June 17.
We have more draft-related notes:
- Speaking of the Thompson twins, they worked out for the Trail Blazers last week, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. They are ranked No. 4 and No. 5 in ESPN’s rankings.
- Another projected Top 10 pick, UCF’s Taylor Hendricks, revealed some of his future workouts while visiting the Pacers on Wednesday, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files reports. He has workouts lined up with the Pistons, Mavericks, Jazz and Thunder. He previously worked out for the Magic. The power forward is ranked No. 9 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- The Cavaliers will work out Akron native and Kentucky forward Chris Livingston next week, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Eastern Michigan guard Emoni Bates will also visit soon. They could fall in the range of Cleveland’s second-round pick (No. 49 overall).
Bucks Notes: Griffin, Dragic, Draft
Adrian Griffin said that he’s honored to be taking over a Bucks team that won the championship two years ago, Steve Megargee of The Associated Press writes.
“Let’s be real,” he said. “What first-time head coach gets to coach the Milwaukee Bucks, with all the special talent on this team? I’m extremely humbled.”
Griffin was assistant with the Raptors the past five seasons. All other recent coaching vacancies around the league have been filled by former head coaches.
“(Assistant GM) Milt Newton said throughout this process after we met with Adrian, ‘Adrian’s a head coach. He just hasn’t gotten the opportunity yet,’” GM Jon Horst said.
We have more on the Bucks:
- Griffin got the job after making a strong impression on everyone he met in the organization, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “…We interview him, and he blew us away in the interview. And then we bring him back for a second interview, and we get to the chalk talk and get on the board and watch the film, and he blows us away again,” Horst said. “Then he meets with our staff: the front-office staff, the medical staff and the business side. Players. Ownership. And he blows them away again. And then he’s in the big moment. You’re the guy that needs to go for the final interview with the owners. Like, don’t mess it up, right? And he did it again.”
- Goran Dragic, who is headed into free agency, doesn’t plan to play for the Slovenian national team this summer in the FIBA World Cup, Sportando relays. Dragic, 37, could be contemplating retirement. “I’ll be at home (laughs). I’m not going to play, it was enough, 16 years, plus the NBA and everything else,” he told MozzartSport. “Maybe I will go to Japan to support the national team, but I will hardly play.”
- The last pick of this year’s draft belongs to the Bucks (No. 58 overall). JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel takes a look at nine prospects they might consider at that spot.
Atlantic Notes: Scariolo, Bridges, Knicks, Cassell
Sergio Scariolo, the head coach of Virtus Bologna in Italy, has interviewed for the Raptors’ head coaching opening a second time, according to Repubblica-Bologna (hat tip to BasketNews.com). The interview reportedly took place via Skype on Monday.
Scariolo has a contract with Virtus until the end of the 2023/24 season. He initially interviewed with the Raptors in Italy last month. He was an assistant with the Raptors for three seasons and is also the head coach of the Spanish national team.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- In response to a fan’s proposal of trading Mikal Bridges to the Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons or Shaedon Sharpe and the No. 3 overall pick, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic said the Nets aren’t interested in dealing the top player they received in Kevin Durant blockbuster with Phoenix. Schiffer notes the Nets turned down a proposal of four first-rounders from the Grizzlies for Bridges. If they considered trading Bridges, they’d want more than two assets for him, especially since they owe their 2024 first-round pick to Houston.
- Jalen Brunson turned into a star after signing with the Knicks, justifying his four-year, $104MM contract. Now the Knicks need to pursue another star, Fred Katz of The Athletic argues. Brunson can thrive in any system, so the Knicks can cast a wide net and they have enough quality young players and extra draft picks to dangle in trade talks for an All-Star talent.
- The Sixers are losing top assistant Sam Cassell to the Celtics and it’s a big blow, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com writes. Cassell was the only member of his coaching staff to sit in for coaching meetings on offense and defense. He was also instrumental in player development and was a highly respected leader.
Draft Notes: Black, Whitehead, Henderson, Hornets, Porter
In an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Arkansas guard Anthony Black describes himself as an unselfish player who’s willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win. Black displayed impressive passing skills during his freshman year with the Razorbacks, but he said he can defend, rebound and score as well.
Black, who grew up admiring Gilbert Arenas and Kobe Bryant, compares himself to Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey among current players. Like Giddey, Black is exceptionally tall for a point guard and he uses his 6’7″ height to his advantage.
“I think it helps in my reads,” Black said. “I watch a lot of film, so I’m watching some of the film from the season and some of my reads I’m making just looking straight. There’s a defender, but he’s not tall enough to block it. I can read the back line of the defense a lot easier, I feel like, than a smaller guard who could be guarded by someone with some length and disrupt the passing lane.”
There’s more on the draft:
- The second surgery needed by Duke forward Dariq Whitehead wasn’t caused by a re-fracture of his right foot, tweets Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. A source tells Wasserman that Whitehead has met with several teams picking late in the lottery as well as teams with multiple first-round selections. He hasn’t been able to work out, but he’s gone through film sessions and met with head coaches, executives and medical personnel.
- The Hornets haven’t set a date for their workout with Scoot Henderson, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The G League Ignite guard visited the Trail Blazers over the weekend and indicated that he will only work out for Portland and Charlotte. Boone notes that workout days usually aren’t publicized far in advance, and Henderson lives in Georgia so it wouldn’t take him long to get to the Hornets’ facility.
- The Hornets are hosting a workout today with Texas’ Timmy Allen, Baylor’s Adam Flagler, Florida’s Alex Fudge, Michigan State’s Joey Hauser, Southern Utah’s Tevian Jones and North Carolina State’s Terquavion Smith (Twitter link).
- Craig Porter Jr. has already conducted workouts with the Mavericks, Warriors, Celtics, Pistons, Magic and Cavaliers, and he has upcoming sessions with the Clippers, Wizards, Nuggets and Knicks, according to a tweet from Global Scouting. The Wichita State guard is a potential late second-round pick.
Heat Notes: Vincent, Lillard, Robinson, Undrafted Players
Gabe Vincent showed Heat teammate Bam Adebayo that he could handle a starring role during an exhibition game in the summer of 2021, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. In what was expected to be an easy tune-up for Team USA as it prepared for the Olympics, Vincent scored 21 points as Nigeria surprised the Americans.
“Man, when he torched us in the Olympics, in the exhibition game facing Nigeria,” Adebayo said. “He came out with that type of energy, that type of voracity and that type of anger. I felt like, from there, he’s one of us.”
It took a while for Vincent to make his breakthrough in Miami, but it happened when Kyle Lowry was sidelined for a few games with knee soreness earlier this season. Vincent stepped into the starting point guard role and has kept it through the NBA Finals.
“Our stars, Jimmy (Butler), Kyle, Bam, they have just been in my ear and telling me just to play, play basketball,” he said. “They trust my IQ of the game, and they want me just to go out there and play hard.”
There’s more from Miami:
- In an appearance on Showtime’s “The Last Stand,” Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard names the Heat as one of the teams he would consider if he ever decides to ask for a trade, relays Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “Miami obviously,” Lillard said. “Miami is the obvious one. And Bam is my dog. Bam is my dog for real. Miami is the obvious one. Brooklyn is another obvious one, because Mikal Bridges is my dog too.”
- Duncan Robinson has been able to salvage his season after falling out of the rotation for a while, notes William Guillory of The Athletic. Robinson said he had to focus on incremental improvement every day as he tried to regain coach Erik Spoelstra’s trust. He provided a huge momentum shift in Miami’s Game 2 win with 10 points in a little over two minutes at the start of the fourth quarter. “We knew they were a really good team and we just needed to come out with a sense of urgency in that fourth,” Robinson said. “It was kind of like a now or never sort of thing.”
- John Hollinger of The Athletic is the latest analyst to examine the Heat’s penchant for finding productive undrafted players. He notes that many of Miami’s G League finds began their careers with other organizations, adding that team president Pat Riley showed the same ability to uncover undrafted gems in New York.
Dariq Whitehead Has Second Foot Surgery
Projected first-round pick Dariq Whitehead underwent a second surgical procedure on his right foot this week, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who adds that the Duke forward is expected to be ready when training camps open in late September.
Whitehead’s first foot surgery was performed last August, and Dr. Martin O’Malley of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York called the latest procedure a “revision operation with bone grafting for a fifth metatarsal Jones fracture,” according to Wojnarowski.
“He will begin his rehab process in two weeks and should be ready for full participation at the start of NBA training camp,” O’Malley told ESPN.
Whitehead was considered a 10-top draft prospect when he committed to Duke, and he was able to recover from the first surgery to play 28 games. He averaged 8.3 PPG and shot 43% from three-point range as a freshman with the Blue Devils.
Whitehead, who is projected at No. 26 in ESPN’s latest mock draft, has met with several teams during the pre-draft process, including some in the lottery, sources tell Wojnarowski.
Damian Lillard: “I Want To Have An Opportunity To Win”
Damian Lillard talked more about whether he wants to finish his career in Portland in an interview with Erick Savage on Showtime’s “The Last Stand” (video link).
Lillard has said numerous times that he prefers to remain with the Trail Blazers, but only if the team is able to compete for a title. He noted the good fortune that the organization received by landing the No. 3 pick in this year’s lottery and seemed to send a message to Blazers management to use it wisely.
“I want to have an opportunity to win in Portland,” Lillard said. “… We got an opportunity, asset-wise, to build a team that can compete. If we can’t do that … then it’s a separate conversation we would have to have.”
Lillard made a statement after the end of the regular season that he’s “not interested” in rebuilding and wants the front office to seek out veterans rather than add more young talent in the draft. The Blazers are widely reported to be doing just that, shopping their first-rounder to see what they can get in return.
While Lillard has never directly asked Portland’s management for a trade, rumors that’s he’s unhappy with the direction of the organization have persisted for a long time. The team has missed the playoffs the past two years, even though Lillard is coming off the highest-scoring season of his career.
In the interview, Savage asks Lillard if it’s time for the Blazers to move him to a contender.
“I think that’s a loaded question,” Lillard responded, “because they could trade me to somewhere that we all say, you know, ‘This is a contender.’ But what is it going to cost for me to get there? What is it going to cost that team that we’re saying is a contender for me to get there? And how is it a guarantee that we’re gonna be playing in June when I get there? How do we know if everybody’s gonna be healthy? How do we know if it’s gonna work out?”
Lillard stated that he doesn’t want to end up in a situation like Russell Westbrook did with the Lakers. Although there was optimism when Westbrook arrived, he quickly became an outcast in L.A. and Lillard said the team “had him coming off the bench like he’s not a Hall of Famer.”
Lillard admits nothing is guaranteed no matter where he goes, but added that he has made his wishes clear to Blazers management.