Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Jerome, Finney-Smith, Turner, Russell, T. Jones, Paul

June 30th, 2025 at 8:49am CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies appear to be the leaders in the race to sign free agent guard Ty Jerome, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Jerome is coming off a breakout season, but his salary demands are too high for a Cleveland team on the brink of the second apron, so he’s considered a “lock” to leave in free agency. Stein previously mentioned Charlotte and Utah as other teams to watch for Jerome, but Memphis might be separating itself from the pack.

The main question, according to the authors, is how much the Grizzlies are willing to pay Jerome, who is believed to be seeking a deal starting around the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception to Jerome. Memphis has been operating recently with the goal of creating enough financial flexibility to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr. while matching any offers for restricted free agent forward Santi Aldama, so any offer for Jerome couldn’t get in the way of those goals.

League sources tell Stein and Fischer that the Grizzlies tried to find a taker for Cole Anthony over the weekend. Sending out Anthony’s $13.1MM contract could enable Memphis to acquire Jerome via sign-and-trade.

There’s more inside information from Stein and Fischer:

As reported on Sunday, the Rockets appear to be the top threat to sign Dorian Finney-Smith away from the Lakers. Houston has the $14.1MM MLE available, but the authors hear that its offer may cover four years at a little less than the full amount. L.A. is still hoping to re-sign the 32-year-old forward, who was a part-time starter after being acquired from Brooklyn in December. Finney-Smith turned down a $15.4MM player option on Sunday, and Stein and Fischer report surprise throughout the league that his announcement wasn’t accompanied by a new deal with the Lakers.
There’s “no tangible expectation” that Myles Turner will leave the Pacers in free agency, according to Stein and Fischer. There was some speculation that Indiana might reconsider a new deal with its starting center in the wake of Tyrese Haliburton‘s Achilles injury, but coach Rick Carlisle seemed to squash that when he said on a radio interview last week that re-signing Turner remains the team’s “No. 1 priority.”
The Mavericks are expected to use their $5.7MM taxpayer MLE to sign Nets guard D’Angelo Russell to a two-year deal, Stein and Fischer add. Even with that addition, which would be the team’s 15th standard contract, they state that Dallas still hopes to open a roster spot to re-sign Dante Exum. The authors expect the Mavs to search for a team willing to take on Olivier-Maxence Prosper‘s $3MM contract for next season. The 2023 first-round pick has a $5.3MM team option for 2026/27, so it’s potentially a one-year commitment.
The Magic‘s decision on Sunday to decline an $11MM option on Moritz Wagner and a $2.1MM option on Caleb Houstan could create an opportunity to sign free agent point guard Tyus Jones. If Jones leaves Phoenix, Stein and Fischer speculate it could lead to Chris Paul returning to the Suns, as they first reported on Sunday.

Blazers Buy Out Deandre Ayton

June 30th, 2025 at 6:53am CST by Eli Cohen

JUNE 30: The Trail Blazers put out a press release officially confirming that Ayton has been bought out and placed on waivers. He’s on track to become a free agent on Wednesday evening.

According to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Twitter link), the big man gave up enough money in the buyout that Portland should be able to use the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM) without going into luxury tax territory.

Meanwhile, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter) that the Blazers had trade talks about Ayton with a number of teams, but they didn’t want to take back multiyear salary in any deal, which made it difficult to find a match that made sense for both sides.

JUNE 29: The Trail Blazers have reached an agreement on a contract buyout with veteran center Deandre Ayton, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).

Ayton had been about to enter the final season of a four-year, maximum-salary contract, which was set to pay him $35.5MM in 2025/26. The amount he’s giving up in the buyout has not yet been reported.

The Blazers have drafted centers in the first round of both 2024 (Donovan Clingan) and 2025 (Hansen Yang) and will use this opportunity to clear rotation minutes for their young big men. Portland also still has Robert Williams and Duop Reath under contract, though Williams has only played 61 games over the last three seasons due to health issues.

Ayton averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds, both of which were below his career rates, in 30.2 minutes per night this past season. He only made 40 appearances while dealing with a calf strain that kept him out of the lineup for much of the second half of the season.

Once he clears waivers, Ayton will become an unrestricted free agent and will have the ability to sign with any NBA team. The Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a rule prohibiting teams operating above either tax apron from signing a waived player who had been earning more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, but that restriction only applies during the regular season.

Ayton joins a free agent center group headlined by Myles Turner, Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, and Al Horford. The Lakers are the team most consistently linked to free agent centers and will likely become a top team to monitor for Ayton.

One team that will not be pursuing a partnership with Ayton is Phoenix, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Bourguet reports, via Twitter, that the Suns have no interest in a reunion with their 2018 first overall pick, who helped them reach the 2021 NBA Finals.

Point Guard Rumors: Paul, Suns, Clippers, Hornets, Ty. Jones, Magic

June 29th, 2025 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

A return to the Suns is a possible outcome for Chris Paul in free agency, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

As Stein and Fischer explain, the Suns are likely to be in the market for point guard help if Tyus Jones exits in free agency. Paul, meanwhile, is known to prefer to play closer to his family in Los Angeles. While an earlier report suggested the veteran point guard would like to play in L.A., it sounds like he’ll consider other options out west as well.

That doesn’t mean that playing with a Los Angeles team is off the table for Paul, however. According to Stein and Fischer, the Clippers are “weighing” a reunion with Paul, who played for the organization for six seasons from 2011-17. Even with James Harden expected to return, the Clips are known to be in the market for another guard, having been linked to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, among others.

While the Mavericks‘ interest in Paul has been reported for weeks, it doesn’t sound like CP3 is enthusiastic about spending another year in Texas, away his family, after playing in San Antonio in 2024/25. As Stein and Fischer note, there’s also a sense that the Mavs might be headed for a deal with D’Angelo Russell to address the point guard hole created by Kyrie Irving‘s ACL tear.

The Hornets had been mulling a run at Paul, a North Carolina native, but recognized that he was unlikely to have interest in playing for a rebuilding team so far away from his home, per Stein and Fischer. Charlotte pivoted to another veteran guard, having made a deal with Utah this afternoon to acquire Collin Sexton.

Meanwhile, with Jones seemingly headed for a split with the Suns, one of the teams with interest in him is the Magic, according to The Stein Line’s duo. While Jones wasn’t an ideal fit in Phoenix, the 29-year-old still put up solid offensive numbers, including 10.2 points and 5.3 assists per game with a 41.4% mark on three-point attempts.

Suns To Guarantee Nick Richards’ $5MM Salary

June 29th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns are expected to guarantee Nick Richards’ $5MM salary for next season, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets.

Phoenix had to decide by today whether to make that guarantee or waive him. Richards was acquired from Charlotte in mid-season and wound up making 34 starts in 36 appearances with the Suns, averaging 9.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 22 minutes per game.

Where Richards fits into the Suns’ plans remains to be seen. The Suns are acquiring Richards’ former Hornets teammate, Mark Williams, in a deal that is not yet official. Phoenix also used a lottery pick acquired from Houston in the Kevin Durant deal on Duke big man Khaman Maluach. Additionally, the Suns have another young big in Oso Ighodaro.

Richards’ salary could be useful as part of another trade down the road. In any case, he’ll get the final year of his three-year, $15MM contract he signed with Charlotte guaranteed.

Lakers’ Goodwin, Kings’ Jones Have Team Options Exercised

June 29th, 2025 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have exercised their minimum-salary team option for the 2025/26 season on guard Jordan Goodwin, while the Kings have done the same for forward/center Isaac Jones, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter links).

Goodwin, 26, signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after the trade deadline in February and played well for the team in the second half of the season, earning a promotion to the standard roster in late March. In 29 total appearances (five starts), he averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steal in 18.7 minutes per game, posting a solid shooting line of .438/.382/.818.

As our team option tracker shows, the move doesn’t assure Goodwin of his full $2.35MM salary for next season — only about $25K is guaranteed as a result of the option pick-up. He would have to remain under contract through January 7 in order to be guaranteed the full amount, so his roster spot could still be up in the air depending on how the rest of Los Angeles’ offseason plays out.

As for Jones, the undrafted rookie out of Washington State had a promising debut season for Sacramento in 2024/25, averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game across 40 outings. He made 65.1% of his field goal attempts and was promoted to the 15-man roster in March when he reached his limit of 50 active games.

There have been conflicting reports on whether or not Jones’ $1.96MM salary for 2025/26 will be fully guaranteed as a result of the Kings’ option pick-up.

In other team option news, the Suns have officially picked up guard Vasilije Micic‘s $8.1MM option for next season, Smith notes (via Twitter). That was a required procedural move in order for Micic to be included in the Mark Williams trade with Charlotte.

Suns’ Gillepsie, Lakers’ Koloko Among Two-Way Players Receiving QOs

June 29th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

A series of players who finished the 2024/25 season on two-way contracts have received qualifying offers from their respective teams, making them free agents, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. Those players are as follows (all links go to Twitter):

Isaiah Crawford, Kings (link)
Collin Gillespie, Suns link)
Harrison Ingram, Spurs (link)
Daniss Jenkins, Pistons (link)
Spencer Jones, Nuggets (link)
Christian Koloko, Lakers (link)
Riley Minix, Spurs (link)
Jacob Toppin, Hawks (link)
Luke Travers, Cavaliers (link)
Tristan Vukcevic, Wizards (link)
Keaton Wallace, Hawks (link)

In each case, the player’s qualifying offer is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal, with a small portion (approximately $85K) guaranteed.

While a rival team could technically sign any of these players to an offer sheet during free agency, we essentially never see that happen with two-way free agents. Most of them end up either accepting their two-way QOs or agreeing to new standard contracts with their current teams.

Gillespie, who turned 26 on Wednesday, is among the players who made a strong case for a promotion to a standard contract this past season. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game for Phoenix across 33 appearances (nine starts) and made 43.3% of his three-point tries.

Koloko (2.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 37 games), Vukcevic (9.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and .496/.373/.776 shooting in 35 games), and Wallace (5.4 PPG and 2.6 APG in 31 games) also played rotation minutes for their respective clubs in 2024/25.

Sunday is the deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to players who are eligible for restricted free agency.

Suns’ Booker Considered Likely To Sign Two-Year Extension

June 27th, 2025 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

After predicting during ESPN’s draft broadcast on Thursday that Devin Booker and the Suns would come to an agreement on a contract extension this offseason, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reiterated that point in stronger terms during a Friday appearance on Get Up (YouTube link).

“We have big positive news potentially coming here for the Suns,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “Devin Booker is in position to sign a two-year, $150MM extension. … He is expected to get that offer and to sign it.

“The Suns have some work to do on this roster, but Booker has been highly engaged with them this offseason on their coaching search and their Kevin Durant trade.”

While there was some speculation from outside the organization that the Suns might consider the idea of trading Booker this offseason, it doesn’t sound like that was an option the front office ever considered. The Suns stressed both publicly and privately that they planned to continue building around the four-time All-Star guard going forward.

As Windhorst notes, reporting at the time of Jordan Ott‘s hiring as Phoenix’s new head coach indicated that Booker was heavily involved in the process and gave the former Cavaliers assistant his stamp of approval.

Booker still has three years and $171MM left on his current super-max contract, but he’s eligible to sign another extension as of July 6, since it will have been three years since he finalized that previous deal. A new contract would begin at a projected $72MM in 2029/30, based on 10% annual cap increases, with an 8% raise to $77.8MM in ’30/31. It would cover his age-32 and age-33 seasons.

Asked about his contract situation in April, Booker didn’t explicitly state he would sign that extension if it were put on the table, but certainly suggested he’d welcome it. He told reporters it’s “nice to be up for an extension” and that it’s “always a pleasure” to be wanted for more years.

If Booker finalizes that two-year extension this offseason, it would set a new NBA record for the highest annual salary of any single contract, though the exact value would remain up in the air until the ’29/30 cap is officially set in four years.

Suns Sign App State’s CJ Huntley To Two-Way Deal

June 26th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Earnest Marshall

July 3: Huntley’s two-way contract is official, the Suns announced today in a press release.

June 26: The Suns were quick to add an undrafted rookie from the 2025 class, agreeing to sign Appalachian State forward CJ Huntley to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

Huntley played all five collegiate seasons at App State, improving almost every year. In 2024/25, he averaged 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and shot 49.3% from the field and 35.6% from three. He’s a 6’10” forward, giving Phoenix a potential developmental stretch big.

As Givony notes, Huntley gained fans during the pre-draft process, which was highlighted by a standout performance at the Portsmouth Invitational.

Phoenix has no players currently signed to two-way deals, so they’ll have two more spots to fill if they so choose. Collin Gillespie, Jalen Bridges and TyTy Washington closed the 2024/25 season on two-way deals with Phoenix, but will all be free agents.

Suns To Acquire No. 31 Pick Rasheer Fleming From Timberwolves

June 26th, 2025 at 7:20pm CST by Luke Adams

7:20 pm: Fleming has officially been drafted at No. 31, using the pick the Suns agreed to acquire from Minnesota. Charania reported on ESPN’s draft broadcast (Twitter video link) that the Celtics were believed to be eyeing Fleming at No. 32, so Phoenix moved ahead of Boston in order to be able to select him.

6:01 pm: The Suns have reached their third trade agreement of the day, having struck a deal with the Timberwolves for the No. 31 overall pick, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, in exchange for the first pick of the second round, Minnesota will receive No. 36 and a pair of future second-rounders from Phoenix. Those future second-rounders are the least favorable of the Nuggets’ and Warriors’ 2026 picks and the most favorable of the Suns’ and Rockets’ 2032 picks, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming is the top target for the Suns at No. 31, Charania adds (via Twitter). Fleming is coming off an impressive junior season in which he averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 35 appearances (31.1 minutes). He posted a shooting slash line of .531/.390/.743 for the Hawks.

According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Fleming was a top-20 prospect on the Suns’ board entering the draft.

Phoenix came into the day with the 52nd and 59th overall picks in the second round, but was clearly intent on moving up. The Suns initially agreed to acquire No. 36 from Brooklyn for two future second-rounders before trading up from there to No. 31. The club also made a separate deal with the Warriors, sending Golden State No. 52 and No. 59 in exchange for No. 41.

For now then, the Suns appear poised to use the 31st overall pick on Fleming, then would be on the board 10 picks later at No. 41 — if they haven’t traded it before then.

None of these deals will be made official yet, since they involve picks the Suns are acquiring from Kevin Durant trade, which can’t be formally completed until July for salary-cap reasons.

Warriors Trading No. 41 Pick To Suns For Nos. 52, 59

June 26th, 2025 at 5:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns are acquiring another pick in the top half of the second round, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Warriors have agreed to send the No. 41 overall selection to Phoenix in exchange for No. 52 and No. 59.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported earlier in the day that the Suns were looking to package their late second-rounders to move up, with Golden State viewed as a potential trade partner.

The Suns entered Thursday armed with the 52nd and 59th overall picks in the second round, but now control Nos. 36 and 41 after reaching an agreement this afternoon to send Brooklyn a pair of future second-rounders for the Nets’ lone 2025 second-rounder at No. 36.

It’s unclear whether the Suns plan to use both of those 36th and 41th overall picks or whether there could be more deals to come.

[UPDATE: Suns Moving Up From No. 36 To No. 31]

As for the Warriors, their decision to trade down to pick up an extra second-rounder suggests there’s no one specific they had their eye on at No. 41.

This trade won’t be officially finalized until July, since the No. 59 pick is technically still controlled by Houston — it’s heading to the Suns in the Kevin Durant trade, which can’t be completed until after the July moratorium for salary-cap reasons.