Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D-League Notes: Young, Dawkins, Goodwin

February 1st, 2015 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest D-League moves..

The Celtics recalled James Young and Andre Dawkins from their D-League affiliate in Maine on Sunday, the team announced in a press release. Young has played nine games for the Red Claws with a slash line of 23.6/5.3/2.2. Dawkins, who averaged 20 points per game in four contests with Maine, agreed to another 10-day deal with the Celtics today.
The Suns have recalled Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock from the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The trip concludes Goodwin’s third D-League trip of the season and the first of Bullock’s career. Bullock averaged 25.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG in the D-League while Goodwin put up 26.0 and 11.0 RPG in his two games.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Mannix’s Latest: Allen, Lopez, Nuggets, Thunder

January 30th, 2015 at 11:17am CST by Chuck Myron

People around the league increasingly believe that Ray Allen already knows the team he would like to play for this season, and that he’s simply deciding whether he wants to play at all, Chris Mannix of SI.com writes. Allen has hinted within the past two weeks that he’s coming back to the NBA, but another more recent report indicated that he’s enjoying time with his family. Mannix has a ton of noteworthy items in his latest weekly column, many of them with a Thunder-centric theme, and we’ll hit the highlights here.

The Nuggets are still trying to pry Brook Lopez from the Nets with a package centered on JaVale McGee, according to Mannix. Still, Denver doesn’t want to put Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, Jusuf Nurkic or Wilson Chandler into any deal, Mannix cautions.
The Thunder are willing to go deep into the luxury tax this season to acquire Lopez, the SI.com scribe writes. Oklahoma City is unwilling to give up any of its top present-day talent, nor will the team make a move that damages its future as the Thunder look for trade partners who are “desperate,” an opposing GM tells Mannix.
Reggie Jackson turned down an extension offer from Oklahoma City that would have made him the most highly paid backup in the NBA, a source tells Mannix. Just what sort of salary that would have meant is unclear, since Amar’e Stoudemire has made more appearances off the bench than he has starts on a deal that gives him in excess of $23.4MM this season. Some teams believed at the beginning of the season that there was a decent chance that Jackson would command offers of between $13MM and $14MM in restricted free agency this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote in October.
Several executives from around the NBA believe it’s conceivable that a five-year max deal for Kevin Durant will be worth some $200MM when he hits free agency in 2016, according to Mannix. Durant will be eligible for a max worth about 35% of the salary cap as a 10-year veteran that summer. Those execs also believe that Durant likes playing in Oklahoma City, as he’s said, Mannix writes.
Markieff Morris believes he and brother Marcus Morris might have made more money in restricted free agency this summer if they hadn’t signed extensions with the Suns, but Markieff can’t envision ever playing without his twin again, as he tells Mannix.

Suns Notes: McDonough, D-League, Thomas

January 29th, 2015 at 7:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns will have enough cap flexibility to be a player in the free agent market this summer, but GM Ryan McDonough said in an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (hat tip to Matt Petersen of NBA.com), that he prefers to keep the franchise’s focus on the current season, not the offseason. “It’s not something we predetermine,” McDonough said. “We have it set up now where we have a decent amount [of cap space] in the summer of 2015. We have some key free agents this summer in Goran Dragic and Gerald Green that we’d like to re-sign. We’ll see how it goes.”

Here’s more from Phoenix:

McDonough also relayed that he expects the Suns to be a draw for free agents, Petersen notes. “Jerry Colangelo was able to get Tom Chambers [in 1988],” McDonough said. “[Managing Partner] Robert Sarver and company and Jerry and that group got Steve Nash. There have been some very good players, if you look at the Suns relative to other NBA teams. This is a place where people have been able to recruit in the past. I think with all the things that the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona has going for it, we’ll be in the mix when those top free agents come.“
The Suns have assigned Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock to the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports (Twitter link). This will be Goodwin’s third D-League jaunt of the season, and the first of Bullock’s career.
Phoenix’s three point guard lineup has been a key to the Suns’ recent turnaround, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. The success that Isaiah Thomas has had in replacing Ish Smith has been one of the biggest boons to the team this season, Elhassan notes.

Lakers Notes: Kupchak, Bryant, Scott

January 29th, 2015 at 5:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Kobe Bryant expected to miss nine months of action after undergoing shoulder surgery, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said that he had no regrets about signing Bryant to a two year, $48MM extension, as he told reporters, including Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Kupchak said that Kobe was worth “every penny of it,” Medina adds.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

Kupchak also went on to defend Lakers coach Byron Scott‘s usage of Bryant. The GM said that Scott playing the veteran for more minutes than the team had anticipated had no impact on Bryant’s latest injury, Medina tweets.
The nine month timetable given for Bryant’s surgical recovery would have the swingman returning to action toward the end of training camp. But Kupchak is anticipating that Bryant will beat prognostications and be ready to join the Lakers when training camp begins, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times notes (Twitter link).
Kupchak scoffs at any suggestion that the Lakers would be better served to tank for a better shot at retaining their 2015 first round draft pick, which is owed to the Suns if it falls out of the top five, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. “Our coaches and players have been instructed to win games,” Kupchak said. But the GM did add, “A top-five pick is always a good thing.“
The Lakers coaching staff has been directed to focus their efforts on developing and evaluating players for the future, Holmes notes. “We want Byron [Scott] to establish and maintain a culture that he’s comfortable with,” Kupchak said. “And the players have to adhere to that culture, which [is], clearly, play hard, play to win, work before practice, work after practice, work before games, show high character under adverse conditions. That’s what we’re going to look at going forward.“
Though the Lakers possess a number of tradeable assets, Kupchak stressed that the franchise wouldn’t sacrifice its future cap flexibility to make any trades, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes. “If we make a move, we have to make sure it’s the right move and not give away hard-earned flexibility,” Kupchak said. “One of the primary things in this league that you do have to protect is your flexibility. It gives you a lot of options.”

Pacific Notes: Green, Barron, Clippers

January 27th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The last time the Warriors won the Pacific Division was the 1975/76 season, the year after they won their only championship since moving west. Golden State has a seven-game lead in the loss column for this year’s Pacific Division title, so it’s not surprising that there’s plenty of optimism about what lies ahead for the team, as we detail amid the latest on the Warriors and their division rivals:

Coach Steve Kerr told KNBR-AM radio Monday that Draymond Green will be a part of the Warriors “for the next eight, 10 years,” notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). That’s seemingly a hint that Golden State intends to match offers for the soon-to-be restricted free agent. All signs point to the Warriors indeed matching any offer for Green, even if it costs them more than they’d like to pay and takes them into tax territory next season, as Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today wrote recently.
Suns camp invitee Earl Barron is signing with the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons of China, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Monday that Barron had drawn an offer from China that was “too good to pass” on (Twitter link). Barron, who’s been playing for Phoenix’s D-League affiliate, is still holding out hope of hooking on with an NBA team after the season ends for the Dragons, Spears tweets, though the Chinese playoffs could last until mid-March
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers remains intent on waiting to sign players until “buyout season,” he said Monday, regardless of whether Matt Barnes has to miss any time with a strained abdominal muscle, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). That clarifies a report from Markazi last week that indicated that Rivers expected to use the club’s pair of open roster spots on veterans next month. “Buyout season” takes place between the February 19th trade deadline and March 1st, the last day players can hit waivers and remain eligible to play with a new team in the postseason.
We rounded up the latest on the Lakers earlier today.

And-Ones: Hummel, Bullock, Celtics, Draft

January 26th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

There’s been a run of tough luck over the past few days, with Kobe Bryant, Brandon Jennings, Tony Wroten and Mirza Teletovic all likely having been knocked out for the season. There’s news on another injury this morning as the NBA hopes inclement weather in the Northeast won’t interfere with a seven-game night:

The Wolves have lost Robbie Hummel to a broken right (shooting) hand, the team announced (on Twitter), and Hummel said he’ll be out four to six weeks, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Hummel has started four of the last five games for Minnesota, which has a full 15-man roster, including Miroslav Raduljica, who’s on a 10-day contract.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek believes new acquisition Reggie Bullock will fit into Phoenix’s plans for the future, as he told reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bullock engaged in what he calls a “great conversation” with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers when he found out that Rivers had pulled the trigger on the deal that sent him to Phoenix, Markazi observes.
The original plan was for Andre Dawkins to remain on D-League assignment for the duration of his 10-day contract with the Celtics, but coach Brad Stevens indicated there’s a decent chance that will change, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. In any case, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest examines the reasons why NBA teams would sign a player to a 10-day deal and immediately send him to the D-League, as Boston did with Dawkins.
Tyler Harris said the idea that he intends to enter this year’s NBA draft didn’t come from him, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. A report last week indicated that the Providence junior small forward planned to declare for early entry.

And-Ones: Dragic, Whiteside, World Peace, Kobe

January 25th, 2015 at 4:59pm CST by Charlie Adams

Goran Dragic reportedly feels better about his situation with Phoenix now than he did during the 2013/14 campaign, but he admits that there’s no guarantee he’ll return to the Suns once he becomes a free agent this summer, as he tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “Every team in the NBA is an option to me, because it is a privilege to play for any team in the NBA,” Dragic said. “When the time comes I’m going to sit down with my family and my agent and try to make the best decision for myself.” We’ll round up more from around the NBA below:

Hassan Whiteside is opening eyes with the Heat, having posted a triple-double today with 14 points, 13 boards, and 12 blocks. The Knicks had some interest in the big man last year but eventually signed Lamar Odom instead, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.
Metta World Peace‘s stint in China has come to an end, as the veteran forward passed along on Twitter. The Clippers were rumored to have interest in inking World Peace to a late season deal.
Kobe Bryant spoke and said he would be a major part of the Lakers’ recruiting efforts this upcoming summer, observes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s a pretty simple message. It’s the best organization in the world, best brand in the world,” Bryant said of the Lakers. “We win championships. That’s what we do. It would be much more than … X’s and O’s and style of play, things of that nature. There’s no place like winning in Los Angeles, man.”
Jonathan Givony of Draft Express released his latest prospect rankings, with Jahlil Okafor unsurprisingly still topping out the list.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Terry, Mavericks

January 24th, 2015 at 8:33pm CST by Charlie Adams

What are the Rockets‘ chances of luring free-agent-to-be Goran Dragic? As good as anyone’s, the Suns’ guard tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “Every team in the NBA is an option to me, because it is a privilege to play for any team in the NBA,” Dragic said. “When the time comes I’m going to sit down with my family and my agent and try to make the best decision for myself.” Dragic, who is expected to opt out of a $7.5MM player option and become an unrestricted free agent this summer, insists he has no resentment toward the Rockets for letting him go in 2012.

There’s much more from the Southwest Division:

At age 37, Rockets guard Jason Terry has no thoughts of retirement, Feigen reports. “I think I can play until the age 40,” Terry said. “That’s my goal, something that I set out to do when I first came into the league. My idol is Gary Payton. He played 20 years. Hopefully I can do the same.” Terry is making nearly $6MM this season and will become a free agent in July.
The uncertainty currently surrounding the Pelicans‘ ownership is just the latest example of the instability that has plagued the franchise, Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune writes. The intra-family dispute regarding who will be in charge of the team could potentially scare off prospective free agents from signing long-term deals, Smith opines. With the franchise bereft of draft choices for the immediate future, New Orleans’ growth as a team could be severely hampered as a result, Smith adds.
Forbes valued the Mavericks franchise at $1.15 billion, good for 10th highest of any NBA team, but Mark Cuban thinks the figure is off by “about 150%,” as Corbett Smith of the Dallas Morning News details. Still, Cuban adds that any valuation is irrelevant since the team isn’t for sale.
Cuban said former Maverick Shawn Marion can have a job with the team when his playing days are over, Smith reports in a separate story. Marion, now with the Cavaliers, said Wednesday he will retire when this season is over.

Charlie Adams contributed to this report.

Latest On Goran Dragic

January 23rd, 2015 at 7:43am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 7:43am: Dragic feels better about his situation in Phoenix this year than he did last, a source tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. He’s happy where he isn’t thinking much about free agency, but he’s confident that he’ll attract strong offers this summer, the source also said.

MONDAY, 1:09pm: The Rockets have tried to trade for Goran Dragic this season, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick. It’s unclear how recently GM Daryl Morey has sought the Suns guard, and whether it came before or after Houston’s trade for Corey Brewer and signing of Josh Smith, but the Rockets’ interest in Dragic appears to be longstanding. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported in September that Houston was considering a free agent run at Dragic next summer, when the seventh-year veteran has said he plans to turn down his $7.5MM player option for 2015/16. Dragic reiterated recently to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that he intends to opt out, and he wouldn’t rule out playing with any team, including the Lakers, who are known to be interested in pairing Dragic with Kobe Bryant, as Zillgitt and Amick write.

“Any player that is one of the best players in the league would be cool to play with. Kobe is a legend,” Dragic said to Medina. “I know how awesome it is to be around those superstars. If you’re patient enough and you listen, you learn a lot.”

Dragic has had similar praise for the Knicks, as it seems the point guard doesn’t want to close off any potential avenues in free agency, which jibes with what Sean Deveney of The Sporting News heard in November. GMs from around the league told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher earlier this season that the Suns were open to trading the 28-year-old native of Slovenia. However, rival executives have had the impression that Phoenix would be more willing to part with Eric Bledsoe or Isaiah Thomas amid multiple inquiries on all three, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who wrote last month.

Dragic’s numbers have tailed off this season after a career year in 2013/14, though that’s no surprise given the crowded situation in the backcourt for the Suns, who signed Bledsoe and Thomas to long-term deals this past summer. Suns GM Ryan McDonough said after the Bledsoe signing that he and the Suns “fully anticipate taking care of” Dragic, who’s in his second stint with the Suns after leaving the Rockets to sign with Phoenix in 2012.

Pacific Notes: Bryant, Suns, Farmar

January 22nd, 2015 at 4:44pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The results of an MRI exam performed earlier today showed that Lakers icon Kobe Bryant has suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, the team has announced. Bryant will return to Los Angeles to be examined by team doctors on Friday, and an update will be given on his condition at that time. This marks the third season in a row that Bryant has suffered a significant injury.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Bryant didn’t appear too worried about his latest malady after Wednesday night’s game, the contest during which the injury had occurred, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. “I’ve played on a torn labrum before,” Bryant said. “I’m not too concerned about it.” Prior to receiving the MRI results, coach Byron Scott had stated that Bryant could potentially continue to play this season in spot duty and on a minutes limit, Holmes notes.
The Suns have assigned Tyler Ennis and T.J. Warren to the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be the third trek to the D-League of the season for both players.
Jordan Farmar relinquished $949,998 in his buyout deal with the Clippers, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). He’ll draw nearly $1.765MM of his $2.077MM salary this season, and the rest of his buyout fee is deducted from the more than $2.17MM he would have made if he’d exercised his player option for next season. The team used the stretch provision on Farmar’s remaining salary for next season, so it’ll be spread in equal amounts of about $511K each season from 2015/16 through 2017/18, as Pincus shows on the Basketball Insiders salary page for the Clips.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.