Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Morant, Frank, K. George, Markkanen, Gillespie

December 4th, 2025 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who has been out since November 15 due to a right calf strain, has been participating in drills, though he isn’t going full speed or taking contact yet, head coach Tuomas Iisalo said on Thursday, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

While there are still some hurdles Morant needs to clear before he’s ready to return to the court for the Grizzlies, Iisalo feels good about the progress the 26-year-old has made, noting that Morant is considered day-to-day.

“He’s already moving and able to do some things with the team, so looking positive,” Iisalo said.

As Cole writes, even once Morant is available, the Grizzlies will still be short on point guard depth, with Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe), Ty Jerome (calf), and Javon Small (toe) all still inactive.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

While some sources who spoke to Joe Vardon of The Athletic said that Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and other members of his front office are on track to sign contract extensions, other team sources said that talk of extensions is “premature,” according to Vardon. For what it’s worth, all of those sources stressed that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer values continuity, so there’s no indication that a front office or head coaching change is on the horizon despite the team’s poor start this season, Vardon notes.
Tony Jones of The Athletic provides an interesting, in-depth look at how Keyonte George‘s offseason trip to Lauri Markkanen‘s home country of Finland strengthened the chemistry between the two Jazz teammates and helped set up what has been a breakout season for George so far. Within the story, Markkanen also speaks about his desire to see Utah’s rebuild through. “For me, the journey of getting better and better as a team and then finally breaking through means a lot to me,” the star forward said. “I would love to be a part of the next great Jazz team.”
Suns point guard Collin Gillespie spoke to Mark Medina of RG.org about his increased role, learning from Devin Booker, and his goals for the rest of the season, among other topics. “I just want to continue to play good basketball and shoot the ball well and be efficient,” Gillespie said when asked about his individual goals. “I want to prove that I can be a consistent role player in the NBA. That’s really it. Everything that comes with winning and team success, everything else will come individually.”

Devin Booker Out At Least One Week With Groin Strain

December 3rd, 2025 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Devin Booker will be reevaluated in one week after being diagnosed with a right groin strain, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Booker, who sustained the injury on Monday vs. the Lakers, will miss games against Houston on Friday and Minnesota next Monday, with next Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal in Oklahoma City looking like his earliest possible return date.

Even if Booker isn’t ready to return in seven days, this outcome appears to be a “best case” for the Suns, according to Charania, who suggests the star guard’s injury isn’t a significant one.

Booker, 29, has been the top scorer for a surprisingly competitive Suns team this fall, averaging 25.0 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 34.7 minutes per game through his first 22 outings. Phoenix was expected to take a step back this season after trading Kevin Durant and buying out Bradley Beal over the summer, but the club is off to a 13-9 start, with Booker leading the way.

The Suns’ backcourt depth will be tested with Booker sidelined for multiple games. The team is also still without Jalen Green, who has missed most of the season due to hamstring issues.

However, Phoenix did get Ryan Dunn back on Monday after he missed five games with a sprained wrist. And while Grayson Allen sat out on Monday due to an illness, he had returned to action on Saturday following a seven-game absence due to a quad injury. Assuming they’re healthy, Dunn and Allen figure to play key roles for the Suns in the next week, along with guards Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and perhaps Jamaree Bouyea, who logged a season-high 23 minutes on Monday.

Pacific Notes: Brooks, M. Williams, Hachimura, Sabonis

December 2nd, 2025 at 10:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns forward Dillon Brooks relished beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on Monday as well as the opportunity to trash talk LeBron James, Tim MacMahon writes for ESPN.com.

As MacMahon notes, Brooks infamously got under James’ skin during the first round of the 2023 playoffs with Memphis, only to see the strategy backfire — he struggled for the rest of the series while James dominated, and the Grizzlies were eliminated in six games. Ever the antagonist, Brooks poured in 33 points on Monday — one off his season-high — and “relentlessly” mocked James and the crowd.

“I love playing in this arena,” Brooks said. “They show me a lot of love in here, and I reciprocate it back. I’m a competitor, man. I don’t really like the smiling and the giggling and all that, so just letting them know that I’m here. And I’m still rising.”

Phoenix cruised to an easy victory on Monday despite missing Devin Booker (right groin injury) for the majority of the contest. Brooks was the driving force behind the result.

“Sometimes, I’m trying to tell him to chill out, but I think he just blacks out,” said point guard Collin Gillespie, who scored a career-high 28 points on Monday and whom Brooks has nicknamed “Villain Jr.” due to his tenacity. “That’s Dillon Brooks. It fuels us. Obviously, we love when he gets going. He’s the tone-setter for us. Consistent energy, brings it every night. He’s fearless. Doesn’t back down from anybody, and he will go toe-to-toe with anybody.”

We have more from the Pacific:

Now a member of the Suns, center Mark Williams admitted he’d have a “little extra” motivation facing the Lakers on Monday after L.A. traded for him in February — only to rescind the deal over to what the team said was a failed physical (story via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). Williams said he was never told exactly why the Lakers nixed the trade with Charlotte. “Not in real detail,” said Williams, who is averaging 12.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals through 18 games (25.4 minutes per contest). “I’m kind of past it now. Just moved on from it.” The ex-Duke center will be a restricted free agent in 2026.
Entering Monday, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura had scored in double figures in 14 of his 18 appearances. The 27-year-old had his worst outing of the season in Monday’s loss, going scoreless — he missed his lone shot attempt — and pulling down one rebound in 23 minutes. “I don’t remember when I had the ball this whole game,” Hachimura said, per Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation (Twitter link). “I mean, that’s happened. Playing with these guys, I signed up for that. I understand it… But with this, I think the whole team, everyone knows and understands, that’s not how we’re gonna win. Those games that we’ve been winning, we’ve been passing to each other, we’ve been trusting each other and playing for each other to win those games. So it’s a tough one for me, but it is what it is. It’s one of those games where I gotta just [forget it] and move on to the next game.”
Kings center Domantas Sabonis is likely at least a couple weeks away — if not more — from returning from a partially torn meniscus, but his injured left knee is progressing well and he’s traveling with the team on its three-game road trip, which will conclude next Tuesday at Indiana, as Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento relays (via Twitter). The Kings clarified that Sabonis is not yet practicing, which was expected given his initial return timeline. The Lithuanian big man has popped up in trade rumors this fall amid Sacramento’s poor start to the season.

Devin Booker, Jamal Murray Exit Monday’s Games With Injuries

December 1st, 2025 at 10:26pm CST by Rory Maher

A pair of star players were injured during separate games on Monday, with Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray exiting an eventual loss to Dallas with a right ankle sprain, while Suns shooting guard Devin Booker sustained a right groin injury in the road contest at the Lakers (Twitter links via the Nuggets and Dave McMenamin of ESPN).

Murray, who is a candidate to make his first All-Star appearance this season, was deemed questionable to return Monday but didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were up two points entering the final frame and wound up losing by 10 without their second-leading scorer.

It’s unclear if Murray will miss additional time with his ankle injury. Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. will likely receive more minutes if the Canadian guard is ruled out of future games.

Denver is fairly banged up right now, with starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun out multiple weeks due to their own injuries and third-year wing Julian Strawther continuing to miss time with a back issue.

As for Booker, he was ruled out at halftime of the game in Los Angeles. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), all the Suns know so far is the four-time All-Star experienced soreness in his groin.

Phoenix’s all-time leading scorer has yet to miss a game in 2025/26 after making 75 appearances last season. Through 21 games, the 29-year-old is averaging team highs of 25.7 points and 6.9 assists while also contributing 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal per night.

Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Jamaree Bouyea are among the Suns who could take on additional play-making duties with Booker out at least the remainder of Monday’s game.

The Suns are also shorthanded, as Jalen Green continues to be sidelined with a hamstring strain he has aggravated multiple times. Second-year forward Ryan Dunn did return to action on Monday after missing the past five games with a sprained right wrist, though Grayson Allen was ruled out with an illness.

Can The Suns Maintain Their Early Success?

November 30th, 2025 at 10:43pm CST by Rory Maher

On the other end of the spectrum, the Suns have been one of the most surprising teams in a positive way through the first quarter of the season. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, Phoenix was widely projected to miss the playoffs in 2025/26, and those predictions looked accurate after the team started out 1-4. However, the Suns have gone 11-5 since and are currently 12-9, making them the No. 7 seed in the West. Whether the team’s success is sustainable remains to be seen, but Phoenix has dealt with its share of injuries as well and continues to find ways to remain competitive with players out.

Injury Notes: Sasser, LeBron, Smart, M. Williams, Dunn, Butler

November 30th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Marcus Sasser, who has yet to play in 2025/26 after sustaining a right hip impingement during the preseason, has been assigned to the G League to practice with the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons announced today (Twitter link via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic).

Just over three weeks ago, Detroit said Sasser would be reevaluated in about four weeks, so that exam should come in the near future. Given that he’s getting some practice reps in with the Cruise, Sasser’s season debut may not be far off either.

After a strong rookie year, the 25-year-old point guard was in and out of the rotation out last season. He wound up appearing in 57 games and averaging 6.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 14.2 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .463/.382/.843.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

After initially being listed as questionable, Lakers star LeBron James was subsequently ruled out of Sunday’s matchup vs. New Orleans because of left foot injury management, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. As McMenamin notes, Sunday is the front end of a back-to-back — Los Angeles faces Phoenix on Monday. Marcus Smart will miss his second straight game Sunday due to back spasms, per the NBA’s official injury report. The veteran guard was initially deemed doubtful.
Suns center Mark Williams (right calf soreness) and forward Ryan Dunn were questionable for Saturday’s loss to Denver before being downgraded to out. Head coach Jordan Ott discussed the status of both players prior to the game, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). “The (right) knee was doing well,” Ott said of Williams. “Something independently just popped up (during Friday’s loss at OKC) with the calf. Don’t think it’s too serious. We want to play the long game with him. He’s done a great job of building back up and being available for us.” Dunn, meanwhile, has missed the past five games with a right wrist sprain. “He’s in a good place. He’s only been out six or seven days, however (long) it’s been,” Ott said of the 2024 first-round pick. “It’s just a pain tolerance, flexibility. Of course it’s the shooting wrist. Things are in a good place. We’ll continue to assess, but I would imagine it’s relatively soon (when he returns).”
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler took a hard fall during Saturday’s win over New Orleans but is optimistic he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday against Oklahoma City, as Anthony Slater of ESPN relays (Twitter video link). Through 19 games (31.7 MPG) this season, the six-time All-Star is averaging 20.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.2 APG and 1.6 SPG on .527/.436/.856 shooting.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Doncic, Allen, Kuminga, Payton

November 29th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

The reeling Clippers lost at home for the sixth consecutive time, falling to the Grizzlies, 112-107, on Friday. They’ve dropped 12 of their last 14 overall. The Clippers were up 16 in the first half but couldn’t sustain that momentum.

“Every second half, we don’t come out right,” center Ivica Zubac said, per Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “We’re not playing the right way. It feels a little bit mental. The second half we got to string some wins, man. We got to string some wins.”

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points, but it wasn’t enough to turn around their fortunes.

“That’s a challenge you got to face and I’m up for it and we just got to go out there and tuck in our jerseys and get ready to scrap if we really want to win,” Leonard said. “It can’t be two players, can’t be three. It has to be the whole 15, the unit, even guys on the bench that’s not playing.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Luka Doncic haunted his former team in the Lakers‘ 129-119 win over the Mavericks. Doncic piled up 35 points and 11 assists. “I think he’s done a good job throughout the year of finding balance, whether he’s on or off-ball, of hunting 3s and touching the paint,” coach JJ Redick said, per Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. “When he’s in that mode, he’s just really hard to guard. He’s really been in a groove with that balance, particularly late in games.”
Suns guard Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) didn’t play against the Thunder on Friday but head coach Jordan Ott is optimistic Allen will return soon, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. “Trending in the right way. Yesterday played full court. We’re just continuing to see how he reacts after that. Everything is moving in a good direction,” Ott said. Allen hasn’t played since Nov. 13.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who last suited up on Nov. 12, is listed as questionable to play tonight against the Pelicans, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points tweets. Kuminga is dealing with soreness in both knees. Gary Payton II (ankle) is probable, while Stephen Curry (quad), Al Horford (sciatica) and De’Anthony Melton (knee) remain out.

Field Set For NBA Cup Knockout Round

November 29th, 2025 at 7:41am CST by Dana Gauruder

The group stage of the NBA Cup was completed on Friday, determining the matchups for the knockout round.

In the East, Group B winner — the Magic — captured the No. 1 seed. The Raptors, the Group A victor, snared the No. 2 seed with the Knicks, who emerged from Group C, in the No. 3 slot. The Heat earned the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.

On the West side, the Thunder grabbed the No. 1 seed after taking Group A. The Lakers, who won Group B, got the No. 2 seed with the Spurs, the Group C winner, nailing down the No. 3 seed. The Suns collected the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.

Here is the knockout round schedule, per NBA.com:

Quarterfinals

December 9
- No. 4 Heat at No. 1 Magic (6:00 p.m. ET)
- No. 3 Knicks at No. 2 Raptors (8:30 p.m. ET)
December 10
- No. 4 Suns at No. 1 Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET)
- No. 3 Spurs at No. 2 Lakers (10:00 p.m. ET)

Semifinals

Saturday, Dec. 13 (Las Vegas)

Championship

Tuesday, Dec. 16 (Las Vegas)

Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.

Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league:

December 11:

L.A. Clippers at Houston Rockets
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans
Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings

December 12:

Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets
Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards
Utah Jazz at Memphis Grizzlies
Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks
Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors

December 14:

Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers
Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets
Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers

December 15:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics
New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies at L.A. Clippers

Regular season games for NBA Cup quarterfinalists:

If Toronto and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Miami at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
If Toronto and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Orlando at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
If New York and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Miami game will be played on Dec. 15
If New York and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Orlando game will be played on Dec. 15
If San Antonio and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Phoenix game will be played on Dec. 14
If San Antonio and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City game will be played on Dec. 14
If L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Phoenix at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15
If L.A. Lakers and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Oklahoma City at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15

Should Gillespie Remain A Starter?

November 27th, 2025 at 8:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Amid injuries to Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) and Ryan Dunn (right wrist sprain), Collin Gillespie received his first start of the season on Wednesday and played well, recording 21 points and nine assists in 34 minutes during the victory in Sacramento. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic wonders whether the former Villanova point guard has done enough this season to warrant consideration for a full-time starting role when the Suns are back at full strength. Green, Allen and Dunn will all be sidelined again on Friday at Oklahoma City, Rankin notes (via Twitter).

Six NBA Cup Quarterfinal Spots Up For Grabs On Friday

November 27th, 2025 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

After the NBA takes Thanksgiving off on Thursday, the final group stage games of this year’s NBA Cup take place on Friday, with 22 teams in action (eight teams have already wrapped up their four-game schedules).

Although 49 of the 60 group stage contests have been played so far, we still only know two of the eight clubs that will advance to the knockout round of the in-season tournament — the Raptors have clinched Eastern Conference Group A, while the Lakers have locked up Western Conference Group B.

That leaves six quarterfinal spots up for grabs on Friday, with 12 teams still in the running for them. Here’s a breakdown of how those 12 teams can qualify for the knockout round:

(Note: The first two tiebreakers for teams with the same records are head-to-head results and point differential).

Eastern Conference Group A

Although Toronto has secured its spot atop this group, the Cavaliers (2-1 record, +33 point differential) remain in the hunt for the East’s wild card berth. The Cavs will play in Atlanta on Friday and would be pretty well positioned for that wild card spot if they can pick up a win — especially if they blow out the Hawks in the process and their point differential continues to grow.

Eastern Conference Group B

The Magic (3-0, +61) will visit the Pistons (2-1, +24) on Friday, with the winner of that game claiming Group B. Wild card hopefuls from other Eastern Conference groups will be rooting for Orlando, since the Magic would still be in great shape for a wild card spot with a loss in Detroit — as long as they don’t lose by a ton.

Eastern Conference Group C

Three teams are still alive in Group C, with the Knicks (2-1, +26) and Bucks (2-1, +13) both vying to become the first team to make the quarterfinals in three consecutive NBA Cups. The Heat (3-1, +49) currently sit atop the group though and would win it if Milwaukee beats New York on Friday, since the Heat hold the tiebreaker over the Bucks. The Knicks beat the Heat earlier in group play, however, so a win over Milwaukee would give New York the top spot in Group C.
While the Bucks technically still have a path to the East’s wild card spot, their modest point differential will make it an uphill battle. Milwaukee would need a win in New York and might need both Cleveland and Detroit to lose too.

Western Conference Group A

The Thunder (3-0, +71) will host the Suns (3-0, +35) on Friday, with the winner of that game clinching West Group A. Given the two teams’ strong point differentials, it’s very possible the loser of this game will be the West’s wild card team, though a lopsided loss would hurt Phoenix’s chances. That +71 mark gives Oklahoma City far more breathing room, so it would be a shock if the defending champs don’t advance.

Western Conference Group B

The Lakers have clinched this group, but the Grizzlies (2-1, +9) and Clippers (2-1, -15) haven’t been eliminated from wild card contention yet. They’ll face one another in L.A. on Friday and the winner will finish group play with a 3-1 record. Still, that team could be hard-pressed to surpass the loser of the OKC/Phoenix showdown in overall point differential, so it’s very possible neither the Grizzlies nor the Clippers advance.

Western Conference Group C

The equation is simple in West Group C, where the Spurs (2-1, +23) are visiting the Nuggets (2-1, +26) with the group crown on the line. The winner of that game will make the quarterfinals, while the loser will be eliminated.