Suns Notes: Maluach, Peat, Booker
Former Duke center Khaman Maluach didn’t play much for the Suns as a rookie after being drafted 10th overall in last year, averaging 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game across 46 appearances. He got more playing time at the G League level, averaging 16.5 PPG, 12.7 RPG and 2.5 BPG in 11 contests (30.3 MPG).
Still just 19 years old, the 7’1″ big man from South Sudan starred for Phoenix’s Summer League team in Las Vegas, putting up 19.5 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 2.0 BPG and 1.3 SPG in four games (27.4 MPG). He also showed improvement with his outside shot, converting 8-of-20 attempts from three-point range (40.0%).
Speaking to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Maluach said he’s been working on improving his hands, rebounding and decision-making in the pocket this summer. He knows he’ll have to provide a strong interior presence to earn playing time in year two.
“Rebounding. Playing defense. That’s what our team needs,” Maluach said. “I got to show what our team needs and show I can do it now and keep on getting better. I can’t repeat the same mistakes I did a year ago. I just got to keep on getting better. It’s OK for rookies to make mistakes, but the problem is if you keep on making the same mistakes all the time. I just got to find a way to keep on getting better and learning from my mistakes.”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- While he recognizes that his outside shot could be key to unlocking his full potential, Maluach told Rankin it’s not his main priority right now, calling it the “icing on the cake.” Instead he’s focused on being able to “dominate on the inside.” “It’s really just strength. Speed. Really just working on my body,” Maluach said of improving his rebounding and defense. “Being able to stay healthy and being able to play the whole season and go through that. It’s just really my strength, my base, my hands. Those are the things I’ve been working on this summer. Hand-eye coordination, the feet and everything else.”
- Phoenix acquired the draft rights to Koa Peat, the 30th overall pick in last month’s draft, in a four-team trade with New York. The former Arizona star averaged 16.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.5 SPG in four games in Las Vegas (27.2 MPG). The 19-year-old forward told Andre Iguodala in an NBA on Prime interview that he plans to keep working in preparation for his rookie season (Twitter video link via Rankin). “Taking it one day at a time,” Peat said. “Getting better every day. Not taking any of these days for granted. Staying in the gym. After this, I’m going to go back to Phoenix. Get to work. Stay in the gym. Try to become the best version of myself.”
- Peat is also looking forward to playing with star guard Devin Booker, Rankin adds in a full story. “Just playing off him,” Peat said Saturday. “Trying to make him better as a player. Doing the little things. Creating for him and just learning from him. He’s one of the best players in the league. He’s a legend. I think that’s going to help my game for sure.”
And-Ones: 2028 Olympics, Satoransky, NBA Europe, Vegas
Reporting earlier this week revealed the assistant coaches expected to become part of Erik Spoelstra‘s USA Basketball staff for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but it will be a while before we learn which players will be representing Team USA at that event.
Still, it’s not too early to speculate, according to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, who spoke to scouts, front office staffers, and media members to try to get a sense of what the 12-man U.S. roster in 2028 might look like.
Breaking down Team USA’s options, Helin lists Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, Cade Cunningham, Cooper Flagg, and Bam Adebayo as probable locks, assuming they’re healthy. Chet Holmgren, Jalen Johnson, and Evan Mobley are among the best bets to join them, says Helin, writing that most other contenders should be viewed as “bubble” candidates.
Helin places 11 players in that last group, including Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and Devin Booker. While Kevin Durant is also technically on the “bubble” list, Helin doesn’t expect USA Basketball to turn down the four-time Olympic gold medalist if he decides he wants to play at age 39.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Tomas Satoransky has signed a one-year contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv, the EuroLeague club announced in a press release. A six-year NBA veteran, Satoransky has been out of the league since 2022 but has continued to thrive as a role player overseas. The Czech guard has spent the past four seasons with Barcelona and averaged 7.1 points and 4.3 assists per game with a .494 3PT% in 35 EuroLeague appearances in 2025/26.
- Buss Sports Capital – the sports investment firm run by former Lakers minority owners Joey Buss and Jesse Buss – is looking to become part of an NBA Europe ownership group, according to reports from Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter links) and Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter links). Woike says the Buss brothers are eyeing markets like London, Manchester, Lyon, and Rome, while McMenamin points out that they have a preexisting relationship with Tony Parker, whose Lyon-based ASVEL club has shown some interest in the NBA’s European league.
- Katie Baker of The Ringer breaks down a crowded field of potential bidders for a Las Vegas-based NBA expansion franchise, evaluating which prospective owners should be considered serious candidates and which are longer shots.
Suns Notes: Booker, Bridges, Maluach, Peat
The Suns‘ offseason moves didn’t change the fact that Devin Booker will serve as the team’s primary scorer and play-maker next season, the Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin opines.
Phoenix re-signed Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams, added free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard and traded for forward Miles Bridges. However, the team also moved Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, two of the team’s more reliable three-point shooters last season. The club is also banking on a healthier season from Jalen Green.
But it’s on Booker, who hasn’t won a playoff game since 2023, to once again lead the Suns to a better 2026/27 season.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Bridges and his ex-girlfriend are at odds once again, TMZ reports, with both parties making accusations against one another. Mychelle Johnson, who is facing assault and battery charges for throwing water on Bridges during a custody exchange, referred to the charges as “false” and “frivolous” and claimed that he’s trying to remove their children from her care. She also said Bridges tried to run her over with a golf cart during that custody exchange. Bridges was granted a temporary restraining order against Johnson earlier this year after he claimed she was cyberstalking him and showed up to one of his games in an attempt to damage his car. Johnson denied the claims. Bridges didn’t play in 2022/23 and served a 10-game suspension during the following season due to domestic violence charges.
- Second-year big man Khaman Maluach posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the Suns’ Summer League opener against Portland, but he departed early in the fourth quarter due to leg cramps. “They didn’t really kick in until the fourth quarter,” Maluach told Rankin. “That’s when I started feeling the cramps, but I just got to figure it out. Do a better job of hydrating.” He posted another double — 15 points and 15 rebounds — in their second Summer League game on Sunday, Rankin tweets.
- Rookie Koa Peat is trying to establish himself as a point forward. The late first-rounder out of Arizona started slowly offensively in his Vegas Summer League debut but scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half on 4-of-5 shooting. He also showed his downhill handles and play-making ability and had an impact on both ends of the floor in the second half, Rankin adds.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, 25th Pick, Clippers, Booker
The Lakers are facing a number of questions this offseason, even beyond the futures of stars Austin Reaves and LeBron James.
It’s unlikely Los Angeles’ front office simply runs it back with last season’s roster, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. There is internal pressure to make changes that will bring the team closer to the contender it views itself as, though there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for a trade package that includes Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, and draft compensation.
The Lakers also appear to be more likely to retain Marcus Smart than Deandre Ayton, as Woike reports that some within the team are focused on trying to get younger and more athletic at the center position. Robert Williams III could be an option there, but Woike reports that the Trail Blazers are expected to attempt to retain the defensive-minded big man.
L.A. also has a decision to make on its assistant general manager job opening. The team has been going through the interview process since the playoffs were ongoing, but it’s unclear how much progress they’ve made. Kurt Rambis is involved in some level of team decision-making, Woike reports. Rohan Ramadas, the team’s newly hired assistant general manager of strategy and data systems, is one of two assistant GMs the team set out looking to hire, and has apparently been impressing in the early days of his tenure.
We have more news and notes coming out of the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers are unlikely to land a starter with the 25th pick, Woike writes. A more realistic successful outcome would be finding someone who could be a top-eight rotation player, according to Woike, who suggests that the team will likely target a high-motor player. One prospect who fits that mold is Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s), a slightly undersized defensive big man who is likely to be in their draft range, Benjamin Royer writes for the Orange County Register. Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston), Tarris Reed Jr. (Connecticut), Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky), and Isaiah Evans (Duke) are some other options Royer breaks down.
- The Clippers are at one the true inflection points of the 2026 NBA draft, with no clear sense of who will be the first player off the board after the presumed consensus top four. Los Angeles could also choose to trade back or out of the draft if a deal emerged to land the club a star player or additional assets, Janis Carr writes for the Register, before breaking down several of the potential options the Clippers will consider if they do select at number five.
- Devin Booker has officially changed his jersey number for the Suns, from No. 1 to No. 15, Duane Rankin of AZ Central notes (via Twitter). The move is a tribute to his father, Melvin Booker, who played two seasons in the NBA from 1995-1997. “I’ve been chasing 15 my whole career. It’s always been a family number,” he said. “Obviously [my dad] wore it and I looked at [him] as the blueprint for success.”
Pacific Notes: Brooks, LeBron, Suns, Acuff, Kings, Clippers
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has spoken publicly about his fondness for Dillon Brooks, who will be eligible this summer for an extension worth up to a projected $125.4MM over four years, writes Gerald Bourguet of Sports360AZ. While Bourguet doesn’t expect Brooks to command that much money, he does think it’ll be a priority for Phoenix to sign the Canadian forward to a long-term deal.
Bourguet weighs the pros and cons of Brooks’ first season with the Suns, observing that the 30-year-old was a consistently valuable tone-setter and leader in the locker room even though his on-court contributions were a little uneven. Brooks has never been an efficient offensive player even though he’s certainly not shy about getting shots up, but he also brought toughness and an excellent work ethic to Phoenix.
Ultimately, Bourguet thinks Brooks could land a three-year extension in the range of $70-75MM or a four-year deal worth $90-100MM. As Bourguet observes, that potential contract might not look great on the back end as Brooks moves into his mid-30s, but the team values the ninth-year wing beyond what he brings on the court.
“Leadership and toughness doesn’t age,” one source told Bourguet.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- He acknowledges the odds of it happening are probably “very slim to none,” but Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link) lists five reasons the Suns would be an intriguing landing spot for LeBron James. The 41-year-old could be a primary play-maker in Phoenix rather than the secondary or tertiary ball-handler he was asked to be with the Lakers this season, Rankin writes, and James is familiar with Devin Booker (teammates at the 2024 Olympics), head coach Jordan Ott, a former Lakers assistant, and Jordan Goodwin, who finished 2024/25 with the Lakers. It only takes an hour to fly from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Rankin notes, and Tuscon — where James’ younger son Bryce attends the University of Arizona — is about a two-hour drive from Phoenix.
- The Kings are said to be “enamored” with Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, but should they actually draft the standout freshman if he’s still on the board at No. 7? Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee considers that question, writing that while Acuff showed star potential on offense, his college tape on the other end left a lot to be desired. Still, Anderson hears there are “high-ranking” executives in Sacramento who aren’t worried about Acuff’s defense. If the Kings are confident Acuff can hold up defensively, they should select him if he’s available, Anderson concludes.
- The Aspiration investigation continues to cast a cloud over the Clippers‘ offseason, according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link), who previews what moves the Clips might make this summer. L.A. could operate with room or over the cap, Gozlan writes, with the latter scenario seeming more likely. Either way, the Clippers will have a good deal of financial flexibility to pursue roster upgrades. In case you missed it, our Luke Adams also previewed the Clippers’ offseason in a Front Office article.
Suns Notes: Offseason, Free Agents, Rookies, Ishbia
Within his Suns offseason preview at the Third Apron (Substack link), Yossi Gozlan writes that Phoenix should “seriously consider” reconstructing its roster by trading its top players — including Devin Booker — to acquire draft picks.
As Gozlan explains, the Suns far exceeded external expectations by winning 45 games in 2025/26, ultimately advancing to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. However, he thinks the current roster is “likely at its ceiling,” which is why he advocates for a tear-down.
Despite being something of a feel-good story this season, the Suns still have a relatively bleak long-term outlook, according to Gozlan, because they have so few valuable assets and an unenviable cap situation. In no small part because of the dead money owed to Bradley Beal, Phoenix will have to dump salary to avoid the luxury tax just to try and re-sign some of its own free agents, a group that includes Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams.
Gozlan acknowledges the team appears unlikely to trade Booker and other veterans like Dillon Brooks, but says there’s a good chance that both of those players’ values could be at high points right now, and moving off Booker’s salary in particular would create far more financial flexibility going forward.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- In a story breaking down each player’s role and contract situation ahead of 2026/27, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscription required) reports that the Suns and Gillespie are already discussing a new contract, and hears the 26-year-old point guard could sign a deal worth $40MM over four years. As for starting center Williams, who will be a restricted free agent if he’s given a $9.6MM qualifying offer, Rankin suggests he’s not a lock to return next season. For what it’s worth, Gozlan viewed Williams as a sign-and-trade candidate, pointing to the Bulls as a team that could make sense as a suitor.
- It will be an important offseason for Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea, who just finished their rookie campaigns, Rankin states in another article (subscriber link). Maluach could become Phoenix’s starting center next season if the team decides not to retain Williams, while Fleming has a chance to become the starting power forward if he can improve some of his weaknesses, Rankin writes. As for Brea, who spent this season on a two-way deal, he’ll have to take significant strides forward if he wants to crack the rotation in ’26/27.
- In an exclusive interview with Rankin (subscription required), owner Mat Ishbia acknowledges other teams will have interest in the aforementioned free agent trio, but says the team would like to retain them and the feeling is mutual. He also stands behind the decision to trade Kevin Durant to Houston last year. “We knew we had to do it, to make the trade. We knew we were going to make the trade. What we had to do is make sure we got the right things that were aligned with our identity,” Ishbia told Rankin. “We look at it, we got four guys. We got Dillon, Jalen (Green), Khaman and Rasheer because we used those picks to get the 31st pick (in the second round). Those players, could they all start next year, could they start the year after? Those are all four great players. So we feel great about what we did. … I think we did a very good job with it. You look at it now, it turned out to be a great trade for us. Not everyone said that the day we did it, but it turned out to be a fantastic trade for us and a huge part of our resetting our identity with those guys and building for the future as well.”
Suns’ Ishbia, Gregory Discuss 2025/26, Offseason, More
The Suns have made major changes each of the past three offseasons under owner Mat Ishbia. However, unlike last year, when Ishbia’s buzzword was “alignment,” he was preaching “continuity” at Thursday’s end-of-season media availability, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic.
Phoenix exceeded external expectations in 2025/26, winning 45 games and making the playoffs one year after finishing 36-46 with the most expensive roster in the league. The Suns were only projected to win 31.5 games entering the season, and they were swept in the first round by Oklahoma City, Ishbia viewed ’25/26 as a building block for the future.
“Can we win more games?” he said. “Can we win a playoff series? That’s what we’re going to focus on. … I like the culture that we’ve built. We’re not going to do anything silly to mess that up.”
Player development was another talking point for both Ishbia and general manager Brian Gregory, who replaced James Jones last year, Haller notes.
“We have a young, ascending team,” Ishbia said. “Where in years past we had players that were maybe on the decline, we have players that are getting better, and they’re going to continue to get better.”
“This is an ongoing process for sure,” Gregory said (subscriber-only story via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “Mat talked about it. Our continuity, our development, our internal development is so critical for us right now and that’s just the players and we’re going to demand the best out of them.”
Here’s more from Ishbia and Gregory:
- According to Haller, Gregory is confident Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green will look better together in ’26/27 after injuries limited their opportunities to share the court this season. “One hundred percent,” the GM said. “You’re talking about three guys who are driven to become better, to do what is asked of them and help the team be successful to win. When you have that baseline, it puts you in a pretty effective spot to move forward.”
- Gregory spoke in general terms about the team’s approach to the offseason, according to Rankin. “Where are the gaps we need to fill?” Gregory said. “You can’t fill them all to the top, but what are the critical ones that we have control over? Does that mean tighten up systems, schemes, or whatever the case might be? Was there one thing that led to the other that if you eliminate the first, now you can get better at the second? All those things are done at this time and if it has to be a personnel issue, then we’ll have to address it at that time, but a lot of times, you see dramatic improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 simply because of the understanding and the ability to execute automatically where it comes who we are every single day.”
- Gregory mentioned the Suns plan to have their players back in the gym in a couple weeks rather than taking extended time off, Rankin writes. Gregory also praised the roster for buying into the team’s identity of “grit, toughness and unselfishness” while stressing that maintaining that culture is an ongoing process.
- Ishbia, who lauded head coach Jordan Ott‘s work ethic, stressed the team isn’t satisfied despite the positive steps that were taken this season. “I’m really proud of where we are and hopefully you realize that although I’m proud of where we are, we have a long way to go to where we’re going,” Ishbia said, per Rankin. “I’ve got the right people and the right vision and the right organization here with me and we’re going to do it together.”
- In case you missed it, we passed along several more items of interest from Phoenix in the past few days. You can find those stories here and here.
Suns Rumors: Brooks, Gillespie, Goodwin, Williams, Booker, Izzo
The Suns are interesting in signing forward Dillon Brooks to a contract extension this offseason, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Brooks, who will be entering the final year of his current deal, would be eligible to sign for up to four years and a little over $125MM.
However, the Suns are unlikely to go all the way up to that maximum for Brooks, according to Fischer, who explains that the team is cognizant of the fact that a new deal would begin in the Canadian’s age-32 season. And while Brooks averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game in 2025/26, his efficiency was “spotty” and his scoring average was buoyed by the fact that Jalen Green missed significant time due to injury, Fischer notes.
For his part, Brooks sounds enthusiastic about sticking with the Suns, expressing at the end of the season that he wants to “run it back” with his teammates and is optimistic about the club taking another step forward next year, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
“I’m just happy that (Suns general manager Brian Gregory) and the Suns traded for me and believed in me and understood how I work,” Brooks said. “And what I can do for the team and just let me go and be myself and I’m happy for that.”
Phoenix will also be facing a handful of free agent decisions this summer, and John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links) expects the team’s top two priorities on that front to be re-signing guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Addressing readers’ inquiries about how Mark Williams fits into the Suns’ offseason plans, Gambadoro followed up to clarify that he believes the front office wants to retain the restricted free agent center as well, but that it may be behind new deals for Gillespie and Goodwin on the club’s to-do list.
We have more on the Suns:
- Speaking to the media on Thursday, Suns owner Mat Ishbia sought to shut down any potential offseason Devin Booker trade rumors before they begin, as Rankin relays (Twitter video link). “Devin Booker’s our franchise player,” Ishbia said. “I love Devin Booker. Devin Booker loves to be here. Our coach loves Devin Booker. Our GM loves Devin Booker. Devin Booker’s going to be here. Devin Booker’s going to lead us to a championship here in Phoenix, that’s what he’s going to do. … The national media just says stuff to say stuff sometimes. Sometimes I like to respond and sometimes I don’t, because it’s just ridiculous, but Devin Booker’s not getting traded.”
- Ishbia also said during today’s presser that the comments Tom Izzo made about the Suns’ coaching job several weeks ago were “misunderstood” (Twitter video link via Rankin). Izzo suggested during a TV interview that he was offered Phoenix’s head coaching position in 2025 before the team hired Jordan Ott, but Ishbia disputed that claim while noting that he talks to the longtime Michigan State coach “about everything, all the time.”
- Within a breakdown of Phoenix’s upcoming offseason for The Arizona Republic, Rankin writes that upgrading at power forward should be one of the front office’s primary goals in the coming months after the team ranked 27th in defensive rebounding rate in 2025/26. Rankin also wonders if the Suns will remain comfortable moving forward without a true point guard after only getting a look at the Booker/Green duo for 27 games together.
Suns Notes: Ott, Booker, Gillespie, Offseason, Lawsuit
The Suns became the first of this year’s 16 playoff teams to be eliminated from the postseason, falling at home on Monday as the defending champion Thunder completed a four-game sweep. It was the third straight conference quarterfinal sweep for Oklahoma City, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who notes that the team is 12-0 in first-round games under head coach Mark Daigneault.
How should the Suns feel about their season? As Doug Haller of The Athletic writes, the team lost momentum in the second half, posting a record of 16-23 after February 1 (including play-in and playoff games). However, injuries played a part in that slide, and Phoenix’s performance in the first three months of the season far exceeded outside expectations for the club entering the fall. The Suns’ over/under was set at 31.5 wins and they finished 45-37.
“We were counted out,” forward Dillon Brooks said on Monday. “We were supposed to be a laughing-stock, losing team. And we proved a lot of people wrong.”
The general consensus among Suns players and coaches is that their 2025/26 performance represents a positive first step, with head coach Jordan Ott suggesting his team “should be proud” of what it accomplished, per Haller. Still, after Phoenix needed two games to advance through the play-in tournament and then didn’t register a win in the playoffs, star guard Devin Booker was disappointed the club couldn’t do a little more this spring.
“We exceeded everybody else’s expectation, but not ours,” he said.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Ott earned praise from Suns players after Monday’s loss for the work he did and the foundation he set in Phoenix during his first year on the job, per Shane Young of Suns.com (Twitter link). “This is a building block to some stability and chemistry,” Booker said. “Something that’s been needed around here.”
- Booker didn’t score more than 24 points in any of the four playoff games vs. Oklahoma City and made just 5-of-20 (25.0%) of his three-pointers. While scoring against the Thunder’s league-best defense is no easy task, Haller of The Athletic notes that Booker no longer seems as capable of flipping the “alpha switch” as he once was, while Gerald Bourget of Suns After Dark evaluates the upside of Phoenix’s roster as long as the veteran guard is their leading man.
- After signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract to remain in Phoenix last offseason, guard Collin Gillespie enjoyed a breakout year, with career highs in points (12.7), assists (4.6), and rebounds (4.1) per game across 80 appearances (58 starts). Gillespie’s confidence is soaring as he prepares to reenter free agency, he told Logan Stanley of The Arizona Republic. “I learned a lot. I learned that I can play at a high level and that I belong,” Gillespie said. “I learned a lot, especially here in the playoffs, about championship-level stuff, playing a really good basketball team — the details in that.” Gillespie added that he hopes to remain with the Suns and said he and the team have had “good conversations” about that possibility.
- Besides negotiating a new deal with Gillespie, the Suns will also have to see if they can re-sign guard Jordan Goodwin and center Mark Williams, ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes within a preview of the team’s upcoming offseason. Brooks will also be entering the final year of his current contract and will be eligible to sign an extension that could be worth up to a maximum of $125.4MM over four seasons.
- A discrimination lawsuit filed against the Suns by former security employee Gene Traylor has been dismissed with prejudice. Baxter Holmes of ESPN has the story.
Devin Booker Fined $35K For Criticizing Officials
Suns star Devin Booker has been fined $35K for his public criticism of the Game 2 referee crew, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Following Wednesday’s loss, Booker was not shy in expressing his displeasure about receiving a technical foul, which he claimed was prompted by the Thunder’s Alex Caruso telling the referee to call it. The technical foul was rescinded after the game.
“In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James (Williams) was terrible tonight, through and through,” Booker said. “It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as a WWE if they’re not held responsible.”
Suns owner Mat Ishbia backed Booker up following the game, taking to Twitter to say that while the officiating wasn’t the reason they lost, it was still unacceptable.
“If the referees are going to demand respect from the players — as they should — then the players should demand respect from the referees,” Ishbia said. “When a referee is missing calls and clearly disrespecting the players, almost mocking them, they must be held accountable.”
The league said that following video review and inquiries, they “found no basis to any claim of bias or misconduct by game officials.”
Game 3 of the first-round series between the Suns and Thunder will be Saturday.