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.
Suns’ Booker, Brooks Rip Officiating After Game 2 Loss
After losing a second consecutive game in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Suns guard Devin Booker and forward Dillon Brooks aired their displeasure with the game’s officials during their respective post-game media sessions, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Doug Haller of The Athletic.
Asked about a technical foul he received during the third quarter, Booker said he never received an explanation for the call. The Suns guard was bumped by Thunder big man Jaylin Williams and threw the ball behind him as he was falling out of bounds, attempting to save it and throwing it off Williams in the process (Twitter video link). Although Williams was called for a personal foul on the play, Booker was also hit with a tech after some lobbying from Thunder guard Alex Caruso.
“It’s definitely something that has to be looked into,” Booker said. “I heard Caruso tell him to call the tech and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James (Williams) was terrible tonight, through and through. 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.”
Booker was also called for a pair of offensive fouls while being defending by Caruso, including one where the two guards got tangled up running down the court (video link) and another where Caruso was defending him in the post (video link). Addressing the latter call, Booker said he was told he made an “unnatural shooting motion,” a ruling he strongly disagreed with.
“It just feels disrespectful,” Booker said of the officiating. “I know I haven’t won a championship in this league, but I have been in it for 11 years now. So to get to this point to be treated like that, for me to even be saying something out loud, it’s bad. … This is my first time (criticizing the officiating) in 11 years, but it’s needed. Whatever I get fined for it, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration is from.”
Brooks, meanwhile, was asked during his post-game presser about a fourth quarter play where he was called for his fifth foul while defending Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (video link).
“You all should be interviewing the officials,” Brooks said, according to Haller. “That should be a new thing in the NBA. Officials got to explain themselves. It’s getting ridiculous, and you can see it starts getting fiery. And there’s no control out there. And now they’re just whistling on one side.”
Brooks also referred to Gilgeous-Alexander as a “little frail,” adding that he needs to “be smarter” when he’s guarding his Team Canada teammate, based on what the referees are willing to call.
” I used to watch this back when Michael Jordan was playing or whoever else, when LeBron (James) was younger,” Brooks said, per MacMahon. “This is physical basketball. I don’t get why all the dropping and the falling and the flopping and the flailing and all this stuff is allowed when we get to the playoffs. Leave that for the (regular) season for the fans. This is about who’s the better team, who’s a more with-it team. Don’t decide the games on no free throws.”
The defending champion Thunder have outscored the Suns by a total of 48 points through the first two games of the series, though star forward Jalen Williams‘ availability is uncertain as the series heads to Phoenix for Game 3.
Suns Notes: Green, Booker, Williams, Allen, Fleming, Brooks
Injuries prevented Jalen Green from contributing to the Suns for most of the season, but he made up for it with 36 points and eight three-pointers in Friday’s play-in victory over Golden State, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. It was a satisfying performance for Green, who was limited to 32 regular season games, mostly due to a hamstring injury he suffered during training camp that led to a long and frustrating healing process.
“Getting injured in the first place, coming back,” he recalled. “Getting injured again, coming back. I think it happened like three or four times. It was hard.”
Green admitted that he enjoyed eliminating the Warriors, who defeated his Houston team in seven games last year in his first playoff appearance. Even so, he was grateful for a post-game chat with Stephen Curry, whom he credits for helping to develop his game, relays Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“He was just telling me to handle business in OKC,” Green said. “Coming from Steph, it means a lot to chop it up with him and just hear from him at the end of the day, just because I was maybe 16 years old when he was having me come out to Oakland just to work out with him. So he’s kind of been somewhat of a mentor. I was able to get his number and reach out throughout these years. So he’s been kind of something like a mentor. And playing against him is always great. He’s one of the greatest shooters — greatest players of all time.”
There’s more from Phoenix:
- Devin Booker and Draymond Green both got tossed from Friday’s game after a prolonged shouting match late in the fourth quarter, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker downplayed the heated exchange in a post-game session with the media. “It’s nothing man,” he said. “I’ve been there before and I understand the situation. My big brother used to beat me in NBA Live back in the day and I’d throw a fit. He’s a competitor. He loves the sport.”
- Mark Williams (left foot soreness) and Grayson Allen (left hamstring) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s series opener at Oklahoma City, Rankin states in a separate story. Both players sat out Friday’s game, although Williams played 22 minutes in Tuesday’s play-in contest against Portland. Allen, who was injured on April 10, was on the active roster on Friday but wasn’t used.
- Rasheer Fleming looks like part of the Suns’ future after a promising rookie season, Rankin adds in another piece. Phoenix traded up to the top of the second round in last year’s draft to get Fleming, who made his first career start in the season finale and posted 16 points. “It’s been a great experience, honestly, on both ends,” he said. “For me to be able to watch and to be able to be on the floor throughout the season, it’s been great.”
- The Suns’ playoff appearance will result in a $1MM bonus for Dillon Brooks, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The bonus had been classified as unlikely because Phoenix didn’t qualify for the postseason last year.
Pacific Notes: Green, Clippers, Allen, Williams
The Warriors lost Friday night at Sacramento, but they delivered a dominant performance in the third quarter that gives coach Steve Kerr some hope heading into the play-in tournament, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Golden State won the quarter by a 38-19 margin and held a seven-point lead before Kerr rested most of his rotation players down the stretch in the meaningless game.
After Draymond Green said earlier this week that it’s hard to get excited about the play-in, Kerr challenged his veteran leader to do a better job of inspiring the team. Green’s trademark aggressiveness returned on Friday, leading to big plays on both ends of the court and a few skirmishes.
“We were not good defensively,” Kerr said. “We had one good stretch in the game, third quarter. I thought we set a tone defensively. Obviously, Draymond got things stirred up a little bit. We needed that, that fire, that edge.”
Trailing by 12 points at intermission, the Warriors got back into the game with a 12-2 run early in the second half. They held the Kings to 1-of-9 shooting during that stretch and Green goaded Devin Carter into a Flagrant 1 foul that turned up the intensity. Green got into a shoving match with Maxime Raynaud, then Gary Payton II picked up a Flagrant 1 of his own for an aggressive screen on Carter. He was later whistled for a technical for throwing the ball at Carter.
The exchanges brought some life to a team that has been through a difficult second half of the season.
“I mean, I was just laughing at a lot of it, pretty funny stuff going out there,” Brandin Podziemski said. “Everyone was just kind of having fun with the game.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- After falling to Portland on Friday, the Clippers need to beat Golden State in the season finale to have any hope of moving up to the No. 8 seed, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register (subscription required). L.A. fell into an early 20-point deficit against the Blazers, but rallied to take the lead before collapsing late in the game. Now the team will need help to avoid starting the postseason on the brink of elimination. “I mean, we just got to do it the Clippers’ way, the hard way every time. Never easy,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “We are still in it and we’re OK. And like I said, they beat us. They’re a good team and Tiago (Splitter, Portland’s interim coach) has done a hell of a job this season filling in. They played better than us.”
- Suns guard Grayson Allen was forced out of Friday’s game against the Lakers after hurting his hamstring in the second quarter, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The injury occurred when he landed after making a difficult shot over L.A. center Deandre Ayton. Allen has been ruled out of Sunday’s game, Rankin adds in a separate story, along with Devin Booker (right ankle injury management), Dillon Brooks (left second metacarpal injury management) and Royce O’Neale (left knee injury management).
- In an interview posted on the Arizona Republic website, Suns center Mark Williams talks about enjoying the healthiest season of his career. He was available for 60 games, topping his previous high of 44.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Yurtseven, Booker, Mathurin
Moses Moody has been upgraded to questionable for the Warriors‘ game against the Mavericks on Monday, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link). Moody has been out with a wrist sprain for the last 10 games, and his impending return should help boost the injury-depleted Golden State roster.
Slater notes (via Twitter) that Kristaps Porzingis has also been upgraded to probable for Monday’s game after missing the last game with a back injury. Porzingis has played just seven times since being acquired by the Warriors, averaging 14.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game with his new team.
The Warriors are currently in firm command of the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, and are 1.5 games out of No. 9.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Omer Yurtseven has impressed in his initial efforts for the Warriors, the Eurohoops team writes. After signing a 10-day contract with Golden State, the Turkish center had a strong outing against the Pistons, recording eight points along with six rebounds and two assists, and impressing coach Steve Kerr along the way. “I’m a fan of Omer — he’s a very good player, very talented,” Kerr said. “He’s a good passer, he can shoot, and he’s had success in the NBA. We’ve only had him for a few days, but I enjoy watching him every day and seeing how he fits with the other guys.”
- The Suns are struggling of late, and it’s taking a toll on star Devin Booker, Doug Haller writes for The Athletic. “I’ve been around Book a long time,” said former coach Earl Watson. “You can just see in his face when something is wrong.” According to Haller, there was a palpable disconnect between Booker and the team after its fifth straight loss, this time against the Bucks. He says that Booker needs help, but time is running out for the Suns to make a run at a guaranteed playoff spot. They’re currently in 7th place with a 39-32 record.
- Bennedict Mathurin is making progress in his injury rehab for the Clippers, Grant Mona of the Sporting Tribune reports (via Twitter). Mathurin was ruled out for L.A.’s recent three-game road trip due to a right big toe injury, but according to head coach Tyronn Lue, he’s making progress. “He’s getting better,” Lue said. “He got on the court yesterday and shot, and he shot again this morning. But he’ll be out tonight.” Mathurin has averaged 19.9 points and 5.9 assists since being traded to the Clippers.
Pacific Injury Notes: Suns, Kawhi, Reaves, Monk
The Suns had a tough last-second loss at San Antonio on Thursday and they’ll be shorthanded for Saturday’s game vs. Milwaukee, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).
In addition to Dillon Brooks (broken left hand) and Mark Williams (stress reaction in left foot), who continue to be sidelined, veteran wing Amir Coffey sprained his left ankle in the first half on Thursday and didn’t return. He’s out against the Bucks. Forward Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management) has also been ruled out for the second straight game.
Grayson Allen, who has missed the past two contests because of a left knee injury, is questionable to suit up. Royce O’Neale (left knee soreness), who was sidelined for the first time this season on Thursday, is doubtful to play on Saturday, per the league’s latest injury report.
On a brighter note, Devin Booker isn’t on the injury report after he stepped on De’Aaron Fox‘s foot in the final second of Thursday’s loss, Rankin adds. The incident occurred when Booker was attempting a three from beyond half court.
Here are a few more injury updates from the Pacific Division:
- Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who has been battling a left ankle sprain, is questionable for Saturday’s matchup in Dallas, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. The 34-year-old forward is averaging 28.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals on .504/.383/.898 shooting through 54 games this season (32.3 MPG).
- Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been bothered by a right wrist issue recently, but he’s questionable for Saturday’s game at Orlando because of a sore left hip, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). The fifth-year guard is widely expected to decline his $14.9MM option for next season in order to become an unrestricted free agent.
- Kings guard Malik Monk was forced out of Thursday’s lopsided loss to Philadelphia due to a right shoulder injury, according to Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento (Twitter link). Monk appeared to suffer the injury when he drove into the paint and was fouled by Andre Drummond, Cunningham notes (Twitter video link). The Kings don’t play again until Sunday, so they have not yet released an updated injury report.