Suns Rumors

Western Notes: Wolves, Murphy, Brown

February 11th, 2015 at 8:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite having desirable veteran trade assets in Thaddeus Young and Kevin Martin, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders isn’t actively looking to make more deals before the February 19th trade deadline, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes. Saunders is willing to listen to offers, but he said that the team now has plenty of competition for playing time at every position, and the Wolves are focused on trying to get their current roster settled, Zgoda adds.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Kevin Murphy, who was in training camp with the Jazz this season, is considering returning to the Idaho Stampede, Utah’s D-League affiliate, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Murphy had been playing in China for Zhejiang Guangsha, whose regular season has just concluded.
The Suns are expected to discuss a deal with Alec Brown, their 2014 second round draft pick, to join the team for the 2015/16 campaign, Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports. Brown has been rehabilitating a dislocated shoulder that he suffered during summer league play in Las Vegas. The big man is set to join the Bakersfield Jam, Phoenix’s D-League affiliate, next week, Charania notes.
Bernard James, who was recently inked to a 10-day deal with the Mavericks, believes that his time spent with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association made him a better player, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “It was huge,” James said of playing overseas. “It kind of got me back to feeling like myself again. I’m not hesitating. I’m believing in my game. It was good to play major minutes and having a team really rely on me.“
Some NBA executives aren’t dismissing the idea of George Karl retaining Tyrone Corbin as an assistant on his coaching staff with the Kings, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times reports (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Allen, Warriors, Thomas, Corbin

February 9th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors are among a group of several teams that have remained in contact with Ray Allen, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Golden State appeared to have dropped out of the Allen sweepstakes after GM Bob Myers said in December that they had reached out to him, but the Warriors are still in the mix, according to Windhorst, who adds that they felt they were close to a deal with him earlier this season. The Wizards, Cavs, Spurs, Heat and Hawks are others who’ve kept in touch with the all-time leading three-point shot-maker, Windhorst writes, adding that Allen plans to make a decision on his future after All-Star Weekend. There’s more on the Warriors amid the latest from around the Pacific Division:

Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk indicated that the team is hesitant to make even the slightest of moves between now and the trade deadline, as Matt Steinmetz of 95.7 The Game observes after Schlenk spoke with Steinmetz and John Dickinson on “The NBA Show.” “We’ve been good for the past couple years,” Schlenk said. Maybe not championship quality but we’ve been playoff caliber. I tell [GM] Bob [Myers] all the time ‘Our job now is not to screw it up.’ When you’re sitting with the record we have, and the year we’ve had, you’d like to tinker but you don’t want to mess it up. Chemistry is such a big thing, and our group of guys has such great chemistry. We’d hate to do a move just to do a move and have it mess up our chemistry. I don’t know we’ll do anything. We’re certainly active. … But at the same time, we’ve got to be cautious as well.”
Isaiah Thomas has chosen Excel Sports Management’s Sam Goldfeder as his new agent, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (on Twitter). The Suns guard dropped Andy Miller of ASM Sports earlier this season.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee share the sentiment that the Kings should show Tyrone Corbin respect by coming to a speedy resolution on his future (Twitter links). Sacramento is deep into talks with George Karl after GM Pete D’Alessandro earlier said that Corbin would remain the team’s head coach until season’s end.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Scott, Suns

February 7th, 2015 at 8:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

An easy schedule is good news unless you’re better off losing, which is where the Lakers find themselves, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles has dropped 11 of its last 12 games to move into fourth place in the Hoops Rumors Reverse Standings, which carries an 11.9% shot at the top pick. However, Bresnahan has analyzed the remaining schedule and notes that 17 of L.A.’s last 32 games are against teams with losing records. The Lakers’ pick will go to the Suns if it slips out of the top five.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers coach Byron Scott understands what it’s like to be fired, but he isn’t worried about being ousted by team executives, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. “Sometimes the ownership gets a little antsy. They tell you it’s a four-year plan; all of the sudden it’s a two-year plan and you’re on the outs,” Scott said. “But to me it wasn’t a question. Because my feelings for this organization, I was more than willing to say, OK, give me two years, three years, whatever the case may be, because I’m in it for the long haul.”
The Suns have assigned Reggie Bullock and Archie Goodwin to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, according to the team’s twitter feed. This will be Bullock’s second assignment and Goodwin’s fourth assignment on the season. Bullock scored 51 points during his earlier two-game stint, while Goodwin has averaged 21.1 points while shooting 45.2% from the field during his first three D-League assignments.
The Suns have also recalled Tyler Ennis and T.J. Warren from the Bakersfield Jam, according to the team’s website. During his two games for the Jam, Ennis averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 38.7% from the field. Warren averaged 27.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during his two games in Bakersfield.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 2/1/15-2/7/15

February 7th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“With Hassan Whiteside tearing it up in Miami, do the Heat still look to try and acquire Brook Lopez?” — Robert R.

Well Robert, first off, there has been conflicting information regarding the Heat’s interest in trading for Lopez. Pat Riley had come out last week and denied reports of a proposed deal that would have sent Chris Andersen, Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts to the Nets for Lopez. Granted, Riley publicly denying a trade proposal doesn’t mean it didn’t occur, and both Cole and McRoberts have been mentioned as trade candidates, so there is probably some level of truth to Miami taking a shot at Lopez.

As for Whiteside, he is certainly making a name for himself lately, and he’s become the main reason to watch the Heat play this season. I’m still not 100% sold on Whiteside being a long-term dominant big man in the league. His sample size this season is far too small to accurately predict his future performance, and it seems unlikely that he would be able to maintain the same energy and momentum that he is currently providing. But Whiteside is certainly stating his case to factor into the Heat’s future plans with performances like his 24 point, 20 rebound explosion versus Minnesota on Wednesday night.

But if the price was reasonable, then sure, I could see the Heat pulling the trigger on a deal to nab Lopez. But with Whiteside performing as well as he is, and his non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 only $981,348, it would be unlikely that Miami would still actively pursue Lopez. I like what Lopez can bring to a team, but his limited defense, ball-stopping ways on offense, and his injury history make Lopez too big a risk at this point. Plus, there’s no guarantee that he would remain with the Heat past this season if they acquired him. Lopez hasn’t publicly stated his intentions regarding his $16,744,218 player option for 2015/16. If I’m the Heat, I avoid Lopez and stick with Whiteside. But keep in mind that Whiteside could be rather expensive to keep after next season when he hits free agency. As thankful as he may be to the Heat for giving him the opportunity to show his stuff, I would be very surprised if he gave Miami a discount on his next deal. Whiteside’s path to the NBA is a true journeyman’s tale, and he’ll likely look to cash in big when he has the opportunity.

“The Suns seem to have taken a step back since last season. Do they hold onto their three point guards (Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, and Goran Dragic)? If not, who is the most likely to be traded?” — Bradley

Technically, the Suns have four point guards on their roster. Don’t forget about Tyler Ennis, whose potential I’m still rather high on. But on to your question. I don’t see Phoenix moving Thomas, Dragic, or Bledsoe before the deadline. Phoenix seems to be rather fond of its three point guard set, and there isn’t a major demand for big money point men currently. There are a number of teams in need of help at the one spot right now thanks to injuries, but I don’t see any of them making a serious play for Phoenix’s guys. Most of the teams needing a floor general are seeking backup-type players on team-friendly contracts, which doesn’t quite describe the Suns’ trio.

However, the one major caveat here is if GM Ryan McDonough gets the sense that Dragic isn’t going to re-sign with the team, then it’s entirely possible that he gets moved for the right return. There will be quite a few teams that will take a run at signing Dragic this summer, and since he can also play shooting guard full-time, that increases the potential market for the player. My gut feeling is that Phoenix will hold onto him, as well as Thomas and Bledsoe, for the remainder of the season. I do believe that the Suns will try and make some significant changes this offseason, and I can’t shake the feeling that Dragic will head elsewhere this summer. But for now, unless McDonough is blown away by an offer, which would likely require a star-caliber player to be included, I don’t see Phoenix making a major deal in the next two weeks.

“Where does Greg Monroe end up next season? Any chance he could return to Detroit?” — Kyle M.

There’s always a chance that Monroe could return to Detroit, but it’s unlikely. If he wanted to remain in Motown he would have simply signed an extension with the team instead of playing for Detroit’s $5.48MM qualifying offer and risking an injury that could harm his future earnings. With the team’s improved play since jettisoning Josh Smith, things may have changed, but I still don’t see Monroe wearing a Pistons jersey next season.

As for where Monroe is likely to end up, my money is on him going to the Knicks. New York will have plenty of cap space to throw around, and Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are unlikely to leave their current teams, which will leave Phil Jackson desperate to make an impact move with his wealth of available cap space. Monroe would immediately upgrade the Knicks’ roster, as well as be a nice complement to Carmelo Anthony. Plus, the Knicks are one of the teams likely to overpay for Monroe, which never hurts a franchise’s chances of landing a player. If New York doesn’t nab Monroe, my second choice for his destination would be the Rockets.

“The East seems to be wide open right now as far as the playoffs are concerned. Which Eastern Conference team do you think will make the biggest splash on the trade market before the deadline?” — Zeke

This has been an odd season in relation to roster moves thus far, which makes the next two weeks extremely difficult to predict. With the East as open as it is regarding the playoffs, there should be quite a few teams that will be looking to add an impact player or two before the deadline with the hopes of snagging a playoff spot. The two Eastern Conference teams that are poised to have the biggest potential impact on the trade front are Brooklyn and Charlotte.

The Hornets will still likely look to trade Lance Stephenson, and I believe they will do everything within their power to cut ties with the mercurial swingman. The problem for Charlotte is that teams around the league are leery about adding Stephenson to their respective locker rooms, which is something that the Hornets should have considered prior to signing him. Sometimes you get exactly what you expect, and Stephenson has lived up to the reputation he made for himself in Indiana thus far. On the right team, Stephenson could be the missing piece for a playoff run. But only a team with a strong locker room could maximize what Stephenson has to offer, while avoiding the pitfalls his attitude and personality bring with him.

But it’s the Nets who could make the biggest splash prior to the deadline. With the team reportedly looking to deal Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Lopez, that is a significant amount of talent and salary in play. While it’s doubtful that Brooklyn would nab a true star player in return, dealing any one of those players would not only change the identity of the Nets. Each of those players, if healthy, could be game-changing acquisitions for teams willing to take on cap hits of that magnitude.

That’s all the space that I have for this week. Thanks to all those who sent in their questions. I’ll be back next Saturday to answer a whole new batch. So fire away and keep filling up my inbox with your inquiries.

Eastern Notes: Gibson, Prigioni, Muscala

February 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls have made no calls to other teams about trading Taj Gibson , a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who indicates that the team is especially reluctant to part with Gibson given health concerns surrounding Joakim Noah. The Raptors, Suns, Pistons and Trail Blazers are reportedly interested in the sixth-year veteran.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni, whom the team has reportedly been trying to trade for a second round draft pick, says that he is extremely focused on staying in New York, and doesn’t wish to be dealt, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports (Twitter link). Prigioni also revealed that he recently injured his hip during a workout, Berman notes. The full extent of his injury, nor its impact on the Knicks’ efforts to find a taker for Prigioni, isn’t yet known.
Steve Kerr was Knicks team president Phil Jackson‘s first choice to replace Mike Woodson as head coach this past offseason, but Kerr accepted the coaching job in Golden State instead. Kerr’s Warriors currently possess the NBA’s second best record, while the Knicks have floundered to a 10-40 mark. When asked if he has thought about what might have been if he had come to New York instead of heading to Oakland, Kerr said, “Sometimes I lie when I say I haven’t thought about stuff. But I’m not lying this time. I haven’t thought about the Knicks at all,” Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link).
The Hawks have assigned Mike Muscala to the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Muscala’s fourth trek of the season to Iowa.
Marcus Thornton knows that his expiring contract makes him a likely candidate to be dealt by the Celtics, but the veteran would love to remain in Beantown, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 FM writes. “No, I’m not thinking about that,” Thornton said regarding the February 19th trade deadline. “Whatever happens, happens. I would like to stay here. Who wouldn’t? We’ve got a good thing going, but like I said, it’s not controllable. I can’t control it, so whatever happens, happens.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Trade Candidate: Goran Dragic

February 6th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns stuck with Goran Dragic at the beginning of the 2013/14 season, when Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote that there was a “growing expectation” around the league that Phoenix would try to unload Dragic in a move similar to their acquisition of a first-round pick for Marcin Gortat. Holding on to Dragic then proved wise, as he had a career year and nearly lifted the team into the playoffs in spite of the prolonged absence of Eric Bledsoe, who was supposed to supplant Dragic as the team’s No. 1 point guard. The Suns instead used them alongside each other when Bledsoe was healthy, and it worked well enough for GM Ryan McDonough and his staff to make a radical bet on the long-term feasibility of a roster heavy on point guards.

McDonough began the offseason with the selection of Tyler Ennis, a point guard from Syracuse who drew top-ten buzz last season, at No. 18 overall in the draft. He ended it with a five-year, $70MM commitment to Bledsoe. In between, he made a pair of moves that serve as mixed signals about Dragic’s long-term future in Phoenix. McDonough and the Suns signed-and-traded for Isaiah Thomas, giving him a four-year deal worth slightly more than $27MM. They also signed Zoran Dragic, Goran’s brother, to a pact with two seasons of fully guaranteed salary. The Pacers and Kings were seemingly Phoenix’s strongest competitors among the several who gave chase for Zoran, but the 25-year-old shooting guard isn’t regarded as a future NBA star, and he’s made it off the bench for a total of 12 minutes all season. Goran insists that he didn’t push the Suns to sign his brother, but it’s clear that Goran was the impetus for the move, even if only unwittingly so. Zoran’s presence on the roster seems an enticement for Goran to re-sign when the All-NBA Third Teamer turns down his $7.5MM player option for next season, as he plans to do.

Still, Thomas is quite possibly the third starting-caliber point guard on the roster behind Goran Dragic and Bledsoe, and Ennis looms as a potential fourth. That, put together with Dragic’s looming free agency, apparently convinced the Suns to become willing to trade Dragic earlier this season. Yet another report indicated that McDonough and company would be more willing to part with Thomas or Bledsoe than Dragic. The Suns, it seems, continue to confound.

Dragic surprised last season enough to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, but his numbers are off this year. Still, his 16.3 points per game this season would be a career high if not for last season’s 20.3 PPG. His assists are somewhat predictably down to 4.0 per game, and a career-low 4.4 per 36 minutes, as he contends for control of the ball with Bledsoe, Thomas and others. His PER has dipped to 16.7, his lowest mark since he became a full-time starter, and another advanced metric, ESPN’s real plus-minus, shows him with a negative rating and at No. 29 among the league’s shooting guards, the position at which Dragic has seen the most time this season. The Suns are nonetheless 4.0 points per 100 possessions better with Dragic on the floor this season versus when he sits, according to NBA.com.

The conflicting numbers hint that Phoenix might not be the most fertile ground for his game, given the backcourt crowding, and surely Dragic and agent Rade Filipovich know that he could be putting up better numbers elsewhere. Dragic reportedly intends to take a broad look at free agency and isn’t committing himself to the Suns, so Phoenix will have to sell him on the idea of returning when they pitch the long-term deal they’ve apparently been planning for him. McDonough has said he’ll take care of Dragic when the time comes, but Dragic has seemingly hinted that he’s not so willing to tether himself to the Suns for the long term. Still, a source recently told Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype that Dragic feels more comfortable in Phoenix this year than he did last year, and that he’s nonetheless confident that he’ll see strong offers in free agency this summer.

The Rockets and Lakers have already been linked to Dragic as potential free agent suitors, and reports since then have suggested that those teams would also like to trade for him. The Lakers have a glaring hole at point guard, where only 2014 second-round pick Jordan Clarkson is signed past this season, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News wrote this week that the team lacks the assets necessary to swing a deal for Dragic. The Lakers already owe the Suns their first-round pick this year as long as it’s not in the top five, and unless the team was willing to part with Julius Randle, L.A’s lottery pick from this past year, it’s tough to see how the Lakers could wind up with Dragic by the deadline.

The Rockets’ cupboard is more well-stocked, but they’ve come up short in previous attempts to trade for Dragic this season, as Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today wrote earlier this year. Houston’s front office is familiar with Dragic from his year and a half with the team in between his stints in Phoenix. Yet unless the Suns are deeply concerned that they’ll lose him to Houston in free agency, it seems logical that McDonough would have reservations about trading him to another Western Conference playoff contender without receiving strong value in return. Houston has a pair of former first-round picks at power forward in Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones, the position Josh Smith also occupies. The Rockets could toss in Kostas Papanikolaou and a few minimum-salaried players for salary-matching purposes to send one of them off to Phoenix, should the Suns have interest. However, the loss of Dwight Howard for at least a month complicates any move involving Houston’s frontcourt.

There are no guarantees that Dragic will play for any team beyond the end of the season, so it’s possible his status as a rental lowers his trade value. Surely any team that comes close to trading for him will try to gather intel about whether he’d like to re-sign with them this summer, even though they wouldn’t be able to speak with him directly before a trade became official. Much is unknown regarding Dragic and Phoenix’s experiment with multiple point guards, and Phoenix is just a game in front of New Orleans and a game and a half up on Oklahoma City for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The deadline will be a key pivot point in the short term and long term for McDonough, and what he does with Dragic between now and February 19th will say plenty about where the team heads next.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Burke, Smith, Pelicans

February 5th, 2015 at 6:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Trey Burke has embraced his new role of coming off of the bench for the Jazz, and the change has benefited both the player and the team, Chad Mobley of NBA.com writes. “There’s this fixation with the bench and starting and to me what Trey has embraced is not so much the bench. I don’t want him to embrace the bench, I don’t want him to embrace starting, I want him to do what’s best for our team,” coach Quin Snyder said. “He’s embraced becoming a better player. I don’t want it to be about the bench for him. If he starts again I want him to keep getting better.”

Here’s more from the West:

The Benson family’s legal squabble over the control of the Pelicans and Saints threatens to ruin the clan’s sports legacy in New Orleans, Margaret Cronin Fisk and Laurel Brubaker Calkins of Bloomberg News write.
Josh Smith is a big fan of playing for the Rockets, and he views his time in Houston this season as a chance to revitalize his career, Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston tweets. “It [Houston] does have a home feel. I can’t stop smiling because I’m in such a good position with a great opportunity in front of me,” Smith told Berman.
Rookie Andrew Wiggins is the Wolves‘ lone ray of hope for a better future, and he is providing Minnesota with an acceptable return for dealing away Kevin Love to the Cavs, Pat Borzi of USA Today writes.
Suns center Alex Len is essentially a rookie after missing most of the 2013/14 campaign due to an injury, and the big man is starting to feel the effects of logging heavy minutes, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “There is going to be some adjustment for him for playing these big minutes,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “Eighty-two games is a lot of games. You’re traveling and doing all this and you kind of get worn down. You have to get used to playing like that.“

And-Ones: Stoudemire, Nuggets, Kenyon, Bucks

February 5th, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s “quite possible” that Amar’e Stoudemire would return to the Suns when he becomes a free agent this summer, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, who speculates that the Magic might have interest in the native of central Florida. In any case, he’s not looking to buy out his contract and hit free agency at any point this season, since he doesn’t want to uproot his family and would prefer the Knicks retain his Bird rights and the flexibility that comes with them, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The Knicks remain open to trading him, but it’s unlikely that they do, Kyler says, and Stoudemire said Wednesday that he doesn’t anticipate a swap. While we wait to see how it turns out for the big man who’s making more than $23.4MM this year, here’s more from around the league:

The general belief is that the Nuggets are seeking a first-round pick in return for Wilson Chandler, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. The Blazers and Clippers have interest, as Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post reported last month, but I speculated when I examined Chandler’s trade candidacy that it’s unlikely that Denver reaps a first-rounder for him.
Knicks president Phil Jackson confronted Kenyon Martin last month shortly after Martin made public comments indicating that the team didn’t have any interest in re-signing him this past offseason, a Bucks official tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
A key figure in the Wisconsin state legislature said Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal for $220MM worth of public funding for a new Bucks arena has “no chance” to receive legislative approval unless the city and county pony up funds, too, reports Scott Bauer of The Associated Press. The NBA can take over the Bucks in 2017 if no arena is in place.

Tony Mitchell To Play In Puerto Rico

February 5th, 2015 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Pistons and Suns power forward Tony Mitchell will play for Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico, agent Christian Santaella tweets (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Suns released Mitchell last month to accommodate their trade for Brandan Wright a little more than two weeks after acquiring him from the Pistons in a one-for-one swap for Anthony Tolliver. Mitchell, a 22-year-old who was the 37th overall pick in 2013 out of North Texas, is not to be confused with the undrafted small forward by the same name who signed a 10-day contract with the Bucks in April.

The Mitchell who’s headed to Puerto Rico didn’t appear in an NBA game this season with either Detroit or Phoenix in spite of a guaranteed minimum salary. He saw just 3.8 minutes per game as a rookie in the NBA last year, spread over 21 appearances. The Pistons assigned him to the D-League on four occasions this season, but he put up modest numbers with Detroit’s affiliate, averaging 8.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game.

It’s unclear if his arrangement to play in Puerto Rico would allow him to return to the NBA this season. Mitchell had been drawing offers from European teams shortly after his release from the Suns, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported last month.

D-League Notes: Johnson, Suns, Kuzmic

February 4th, 2015 at 11:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The D-League has become an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”

Here are the latest D-League moves:

The Rockets have assigned Nick Johnson to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston reports (Twitter link). This will be Johnson’s third trek of the season to the D-League.
The Suns have assigned T.J. Warren and Tyler Ennis to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, the team has announced. This will be the fourth sojourn of the season to the D-League for both players. Ennis is averaging 19.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 33.7 minutes in seven games with the Jam, while Warren is averaging 26.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 34.9 minutes in seven contests.
The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to Santa Cruz, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. In six previous trips to the D-League, Kuzmic has averaged 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.20 blocks and 1.6 assists in 29.7 minutes per contest for Santa Cruz this season.

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