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: 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.
Magic, Suns Advance; NBA’s Playoff Field Set
After losing their first play-in games earlier in the week, the Magic and Suns bounced back in impressive fashion on Friday, winning home games against the Hornets and Warriors, respectively, to clinch their spots in the playoffs. Orlando and Phoenix will enter the first round as No. 8 seeds, with the Magic taking on Detroit in round one and the Suns facing Oklahoma City.
The Magic ran out to a 22-point lead by the end of the first quarter in Friday’s early game and expanded that cushion to 31 points by the end of the second quarter. Their defense set the tone early by allowing the Hornets to make just 5-of-20 (25.0%) shots from the floor in the first period and 13-of-41 (31.7%) in the first half. Orlando maintained that significant lead in the second half, winning by a score of 121-90.
“When you play with a sense of desperation and urgency, when you know you’re either going home or extending your season, that’s what it looks like,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “There (are) no second chances.”
Paolo Banchero contributed 25 points and a team-high six assists to lead a balanced offensive attack that saw all five of the Magic’s starters score in double-digits. Franz Wagner added 18 points and matched Banchero’s six assists, while Desmond Bane was a team-best plus-30 in his 35 minutes of action despite scoring just 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
In the late game, the Suns emulated the Magic by building a big lead in the first quarter, though Phoenix gave most of that 18-point edge in the second quarter before putting the win away in the second half by a score of 111-96.
Suns guard Jalen Green, who struggled in his first taste of playoff action with Houston a year ago, was excellent in this week’s play-in games, scoring 35 points in Tuesday’s loss and then pouring in 36 more in Friday’s win over Golden State. Green made 14-of-20 shots, including 8-of-14 from beyond the arc, and also contributed six rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals. His eight three-pointers matched a career high.
The Suns also did an admirable job holding Warriors star Stephen Curry in check after he went off for 35 points in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers. Curry made just 4-of-16 shots from the field in Phoenix and had as many turnovers as assists (four apiece).
The Suns and Thunder will tip off their series in Oklahoma City at 3:30 pm Eastern time on Sunday, with Game 1 of the Magic/Pistons matchup to follow in Detroit at 6:30 pm.
While Phoenix and Orlando will enter the series as massive underdogs, their regular season results against their first-round opponents offer a sliver of hope — the Suns went 2-3 against the Thunder, while the Magic went 2-2 vs. the Pistons.
Injury Notes: Curry, Brown, J. Green, Goodwin, Powell, Hall
The Warriors have ruled out star guard Stephen Curry for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Curry returned earlier this week from a knee injury after sitting out for over two months, so Golden State is taking a cautious approach with its leading scorer and most valuable player. Slater had reported on Wednesday that the 38-year-old would likely be held out of one end of the team’s back-to-back set on Thursday and Friday. The fact that Curry is missing Thursday’s game means he should be back in action on Friday vs. Sacramento.
It also means that Curry and Lakers star LeBron James won’t face each other at all this season. James missed the first meeting between the two teams in the fall while dealing with sciatica and Curry missed the next two as a result of his knee injury.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Celtics can clinch the No. 2 seed in the East with one more win, but they won’t be at full strength as they look to pick up that victory in New York on Thursday. Star wing Jaylen Brown will miss the game due to left Achilles tendinitis, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s the first game of a back-to-back set for Boston, though it remains to be seen whether Brown will be back in action on Friday vs. New Orleans.
- Jalen Green suffered a right leg injury early in the first quarter of Wednesday’s win over Dallas and did not return, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former No. 2 overall pick wore a sleeve at halftime and warmed up to see how he was feeling prior to being ruled out. Fellow Suns guard Jordan Goodwin also exited Wednesday’s game due to a left ankle injury, which he suffered in the second quarter, Rankin adds.
- Although Heat wing Norman Powell said after shootaround on Thursday morning that he’s “feeling good” and will be active for tonight’s game in Toronto, he admitted his nagging right groin injury will likely linger until he gets an extended break for it to heal in the offseason, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “When you have muscle strains and things like that, you can rehab and everything. But it takes time,” Powell said. “You just need rest, and I just feel like I need rest. I need time to let the body do what it needs to do. But even though I can get it to a certain point where it feels good, there’s no pain and everything, it doesn’t mean that it’s 100% healed. So then over time, an accumulated amount of stress on that area, then it starts to flare back up.”
- Second-year big man PJ Hall underwent surgery to address his right ankle fracture, the Hornets announced in a press release. The former Clemson star, who suffered the injury in the first round of the G League playoffs with the Greensboro Swarm, will miss the rest of the 2025/26 season.
Rory Maher contributed to this story.
Suns Notes: Booker, Goodwin, Green, Williams, Brooks
Suns star Devin Booker was able to do 5-on-5 work in Sunday’s practice, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The 29-year-old shooting guard has missed Phoenix’s last four games due to a right hip strain.
“He knows his body better than anyone,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “He’s been through these processes. Incredible recovery. So, he knows how he’s supposed to feel. How he’s supposed to feel when he plays.”
Ott also provided an injury update on Jordan Goodwin, Rankin adds. The backup guard is dealing with a left calf strain and is expected to be reevaluated within the next week.
“He’s just now ramping up,” Ott said. “He is on the court. He was on the court today. Book is further along than Goodie, but he is starting to progress onto the court.”
Here’s more from Phoenix:
- Jalen Green has been in a major shooting slump over his last four games, Rankin writes, averaging 12.8 points while shooting just 21-of-75 (28.0%) from the field over that span. Ott cited Green’s conditioning as one factor in his struggles — he missed most of the season after repeatedly straining his right hamstring. “He knows he’s a little out of rhythm, but it’s good just to get him out there,” Ott said. “It’s like the consistent number of games I think is good. I think the four-day break for him too, just his body. Now he’s played in those games, five games after the All-Star break. He’s a little sore from it and that’s normal. Just going through all the normal basketball things that you take for granted when you start the season. Now he’s doing it 50 games in.”
- Starting center Mark Williams, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, has also been in a rut of late, Rankin notes. Williams is averaging 6.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 39.5% from the floor over his past six contests (18.8 minutes per game), well below his season-long rates (11.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 63.5% from the field). The Suns think Booker will help both Green and Williams when he returns. “Book helps make all of our lives better,” Ott said. “Not just those two.”
- Jason Quick of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at how Booker and Dillon Brooks became friends over the offseason after the latter was traded from Houston to Phoenix in the Kevin Durant deal. “It doesn’t catch me off-guard anymore, where you know, you see somebody on the court and they act as a totally different person … so him being a naggy person, the annoying person to play against, then you meet him, and he’s soft-spoken and humble,” Booker said. “And to me, those are the types of guys who want to go to war with, the guys who can turn it on.”
Pacific Notes: Santos, Green, Ayton, Kings
Power forward Gui Santos has seen his role expand with the Warriors in recent weeks and it’s given a major confidence boost to the 2022 second-round pick, he said on 95.7 The Game’s Willard and Dibs show.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m feeling really good right now about the shooting, you know the confidence,” Santos said (story via Kevin Borba of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think especially when you know that you’re going to play every night when you know that like your team trusts you, the staff trust you, that gives you way more confidence to go out there. You take shots with confidence, you take shots that you think like, ‘yes this shot is one shot that I got shoot it and I’m going to make it.’ And I feel good right now I’m in this position.”
In the month of February, Santos is averaging 29.7 minutes, 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency after the season.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- As with his past teams, Deandre Ayton is frustrating the Lakers with his inconsistent play. Ayton has a minimal offensive role but the team is trying to unlock his potential as a rebounder and defender. Coach JJ Redick also sees plays where the ball should go inside to Ayton. “There’s positive trends,” Redick said after practice Monday, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “We did watch some film today. There was some real positive trends defensively. I think his spirit and engagement and stuff has been really good. I think for all the guys, if he has a smaller player on him, that’s an advantage for us. Let’s just get him the ball. I think it’s just thematically across the team, we have to pass it to each other more and trust each other more. … In terms of him running and putting pressure on the rim and offensive rebounding, particularly against switches and smaller players, he could be better there.” Ayton is averaging career lows in points (13.0), rebounds (8.4) and minutes (28.1) per game.
- Jalen Green has missed a good portion of his first season with the Suns due to hamstring injuries. He’s now in a position to make a major impact with both Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks out due to injuries. “I think I bring a little bit of everything,” Green told Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. “Play faster, get some steals and get into the open lane. I think that’s where my biggest impact is, getting to the rim, the three and scoring.” Green is averaging 16.8 points over his last four games.
- The Kings‘ franchise-record losing streak of 16 games was finally snapped on Monday, as Russell Westbrook scored 25 points in a 123-114 road victory over Memphis. Precious Achiuwa matched his season-high with 20 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds. “We needed this,” Achiuwa told NBC Sports California, as Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. “It’s been a bit of a rough path for us the past couple games. We’ve played really well a lot of those games. We were just unfortunate not to come out with a win, but tonight we’re glad. It feels good to win.”
Suns Notes: Highsmith, Green, Booker, Brooks, Anthony
Although Haywood Highsmith‘s agent said earlier this month that his client was fully recovered from an offseason knee surgery and appeared on the verge of making his season debut, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) hears that the Suns‘ newest swingman is still a few weeks away from playing in an NBA game.
Phoenix isn’t necessarily expecting a lot from Highsmith this season, according to Gambadoro, who suggests the team is taking a longer-term view on the 29-year-old after he signed a two-year contract that isn’t fully guaranteed in 2026/27.
As Gambadoro and his radio co-host Dave Burns said earlier this week (Twitter video link), the Suns may also consider Highsmith something of an insurance policy in the event that the team trades a wing like Royce O’Neale or Grayson Allen during the offseason. In that scenario, Phoenix would have an established veteran like Highsmith who could step into a larger role next season on a team-friendly deal.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Health issues, including a nagging hamstring injury, limited Jalen Green to seven games in his first season a Sun, but he’s not on the team’s injury report as the second half begins, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “He’s in a good spot right now,” general manager Brian Gregory said of Green. “You know, injuries, unfortunately, are part of this league, and he’s done an unbelievable job. His spirit on a daily basis in terms of attacking the rehab, attacking the recovery, attacking the workouts has been spot on from day one.”
- Due to Green’s inconsistent availability, the Suns haven’t been able to take an extended look at the backcourt duo of Green and Devin Booker this season, but Gregory says he’s confident that the pairing can work long-term, as Rankin relays (via Twitter). “(Green’s) explosiveness, his ability to get to the basket, his feel for the game, I think those two guys together are going to form one of the best backcourts – if not the best – in the NBA as we move forward,” Gregory said. “Especially down the road as they get to play more and get a better feel for each other. But (Green) brings a lot of stuff that at times that we’re lacking. So I think his fit is going to be really, really good.”
- Dillon Brooks will sit out the Suns’ game in San Antonio on Thursday after being hit with an automatic one-game suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls this season. Brooks would continue to receive one-game suspensions for every two techs he receives the rest of the way, but Gregory is optimistic that won’t happen. “He knows his technical situation,” the Suns’ GM said, per Rankin. “We’ve had plenty of sit-downs and talks. He also knows how important he is for us to be on the court. So, I think with that, I think he understands exactly where he’s at.”
- Veteran guard Cole Anthony, a trade deadline acquisition in a financially motivated deal, is still on the Suns’ roster, but he’s listed as “not with team” and there’s still an expectation that he’ll be waived sooner or later, says Rankin.
Suns Notes: Highsmith, Ishbia, Brooks, 2027 All-Star Game
The Suns have long been fans of Haywood Highsmith, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, who hears from sources that the team has been eyeing the veteran forward for two years. Highsmith plans to sign a multiyear deal with Phoenix.
Rankin writes that the Suns view Highsmith as a strong fit due his “competitiveness and toughness.” Although Phoenix has a standard roster opening the team can use to sign Highsmith, the Suns are also expected to waive guard Cole Anthony, Rankin confirms.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- The Suns have already exceeded external expectations this season — they were only projected to win 31.5 games, and they’re currently 32-23, the No. 7 seed in the West and just three games out of the No. 3 spot. As Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, Mat Ishbia was widely criticized around the league for leaning into his Michigan State ties in his first couple years as owner, but instead of going away from those connections, he doubled down and went all the way in last offseason. Ishbia promoted Brian Gregory, his former assistant coach with the Spartans, to be the Suns’ new general manager, and worked with Gregory and CEO Josh Bartelstein to establish the team’s hardworking culture. “When people wanted to blame me last time, I wasn’t actually doing it my way,” Ishbia told The Athletic. “Now, I am, and there’s no question about it.”
- According to Amick, while James Jones was technically still Phoenix’s head of basketball operations last February, it was actually Bartelstein who spearheaded communications with rival teams interested in trading for Kevin Durant. League sources tell Amick the Rockets made a late pitch for Durant prior to last year’s deadline, offering a package that included Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr., but the Suns wanted Dillon Brooks in the deal and decided to wait until the summer to revisit trade talks. A Rockets source denies Smith was ever included in the offer, Amick adds.
- As impressive as Phoenix’s turnaround has been this season, the team still finds itself at an asset deficit after trading away so many draft picks and swaps to acquire Durant and Bradley Beal in the first place, Amick notes. The Suns will also carry Beal’s dead-money cap hit on their books for several more seasons, limiting their financial flexibility going forward.
- Speaking to the media on Saturday, All-Star guard Devin Booker says he has enjoyed playing with Brooks this season, as Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter video link). “Dillon is a hardworking man. He’s someone to rally behind. He’s a fierce competitor. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’d rather too competitive than to be the other way. It’s been a pleasure playing with him,” Booker said.
- Commissioner Adam Silver discussed the 2027 All-Star game, which Phoenix will host, at his Saturday press conference, per Rankin (Twitter video link).