Pacific Notes: Kuminga, Thompson, George, O’Neale, Harding
Some rest and a new role did Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga a world of good on Sunday. After missing six games due to tendinitis in both knees, Kuminga had 21 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting in 27 minutes off the bench against the Jazz.
“I wasn’t concerned about coming off the bench,” Kuminga told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is currently using Trayce Jackson-Davis alongside Draymond Green at the power forward and center spots.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Klay Thompson, who is headed to free agency, has improved his stock since the All-Star break, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic notes. The longtime Warriors shooting guard erupted for 32 points against the Jazz on Sunday and has proven durable, appearing in 74 games this season. While he has lost lateral movement defensively and isn’t as consistent offensively than he was in his prime, Thompson might end up more valuable to another team than what the Warriors want to pay him, Kawakami adds. He’s averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 40.6% from deep since the break.
- Paul George, who holds a $48.8MM option on his contract for next season, poured in 23 of his 39 points against Cleveland during the fourth quarter as the Clippers erased a 26-point deficit on Sunday. George, who has had more than his share of physical issues in recent seasons, showed that he’s feeling good with the postseason looming by playing 44 minutes, including the entire second half, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk notes. “I wanted to stay in and I just felt we were making a good push,” George said.
- Royce O’Neale doesn’t have much of an incentive to sign an extension with the Suns prior to the summer, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix notes (Twitter link). Right now, the Suns are limited to just a two-year, $20.5MM extension. However, Phoenix can offer him up to five years in the summer since it holds O’Neale’s Bird rights. A contract in the $13-14MM annual range for three or four years might work for both sides, Gambadoro speculates.
- Lindsey Harding was named the NBA G League’s Coach of the Year, a first for a female coach. Andscape’s Marc J. Spears spoke with Harding on how she was able to succeed in her first season with the Kings’ affiliate in Stockton.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Allen, Myers, Curry, Leonard
It won’t be easy for the Lakers to reach the top six in the West, but they haven’t been looking like a play-in team, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. blew out Cleveland this afternoon to move into eighth place, which is the team’s highest spot since late December. With nine wins in their last 10 games, Anthony Davis believes the Lakers are ready for whatever challenges they face in the postseason.
“We’re very confident in our ballclub,” he said after posting 22 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks and three steals. “We laugh about, like, ‘Oh, winning nine out of 10,’ and we haven’t went anywhere [in the standings]. So, it’s how good the West is. But we’re confident, very confident in our ballclub and any time we step on the floor.”
At 45-33, L.A. is a half-game behind New Orleans and a half-game ahead of Sacramento in a tight race for seedings. The Lakers trail Phoenix by a game-and-a-half for the coveted sixth spot, but they’re two games back in the loss column and will need some help to catch the Suns.
“I think the biggest difference is just that we’re just having fun,” Davis added. “We’re holding each other accountable. If somebody messes up we’re yelling, screaming at him. But nobody is taking it personal. Because we all know what we’re here for, to try to win. So we’re having fun, we’re having a great time out there playing basketball, and we’re staying together.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Suns coach Frank Vogel indicated that he might consider replacing Grayson Allen with Royce O’Neale in the starting lineup depending on the postseason matchup, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Grayson has been our starter, I expect it to stay that way,” Vogel said, “but you get into or near the playoffs, everything is on the table.”
- Appearing on JJ Redick’s podcast, former Warriors general manager Bob Myers said the team was never able to determine who provided the media with video of Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole at practice (video link from ClutchPoints). Myers said the organization conducted an investigation and even brought in a third party in an effort to find the culprit.
- The Warriors will rest Stephen Curry for Sunday’s game with Utah, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga are both listed as questionable.
- Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will miss his fourth straight game Sunday against Cleveland for treatment and recovery on his right knee, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Pacific Notes: Davis, Russell, Thomas, Gordon, Curry, Green
Lakers center Anthony Davis was forced to leave Saturday night’s game against Golden State because of an eye contusion, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
The injury occurred in the first half when Davis was accidentally hit in the face by Trayce Jackson-Davis while making a layup. He was able to play a few more minutes, but was eventually removed and declared out for the second half.
Davis suffered from impaired vision and his eye was swollen shut, a source tells McMenamin (Twitter link). He will be monitored tonight and Sunday before a determination is made about whether he can play Monday against Atlanta.
While there’s no indication that this will be a long-term injury, ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out that Davis is just shy of the 65-game minimum needed to qualify for postseason awards and All-NBA honors (Twitter link). He was at 64 games before tonight, including the finals of the in-season tournament, but he only played 12 minutes and the league requires at least 15 for the game to count toward the total.
Davis is averaging 24.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 blocks, so he’s a strong candidate for one of the All-NBA teams if he qualifies.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- D’Angelo Russell‘s $18.7MM player option for next season gives him a lot of leverage in deciding his future this summer, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown (video link). Russell has become a major part of the Lakers‘ offense during the second half of the season, averaging 22 PPG and shooting 44% from long distance over the past 27 games. Wojnarowski points out that if L.A. wants to make a significant trade at the draft, the organization may need Russell to pick up his option and agree to go wherever he’s dealt.
- Isaiah Thomas, who’s joining the Suns on a 10-day contract, is expected to eventually receive a standard deal to fill the team’s final roster spot, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. Gambadoro doesn’t expect the 35-year-old guard to become part of the rotation, but he’ll serve as insurance heading into the postseason.
- Eric Gordon was able to play 22 minutes on Friday night after missing the Suns‘ previous two games with a left knee contusion, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Rankin expects Gordon, Royce O’Neale, Bol Bol and Drew Eubanks to form the core of Phoenix’s second unit for the rest of the season.
- Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both returned for Saturday’s game, giving the Warriors a fully healthy roster for the first time since November, observes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Curry missed three games this week with a sprained right ankle, and Green sat out Wednesday’s contest due to lower back stiffness. “I still believe we’re very capable of rattling off a string of victories, and you just don’t know what’s going to happen above you,” coach Steve Kerr said.
Pacific Notes: Kawhi, Little, O’Neale, Warriors, Kings
The Clippers got a health scare on Tuesday, when Kawhi Leonard had to leave the team’s game against Minnesota in the first half due to back spasms, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. If Leonard has to miss any time, it would complicate L.A.’s push for one of the top playoff seeds in the West, writes Law Murray of The Athletic.
However, Leonard traveled with the Clippers to Chicago and is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, tweets Youngmisuk, so it doesn’t appear the issue is significant.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Suns forward Nassir Little, who has missed the past seven games due to left knee inflammation, was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and is expected to be available for Thursday’s game in Boston, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Little is listed as probable for the showdown with the Celtics.
- Suns forward Royce O’Neale said on Wednesday that it “means a lot” to hear team owner Mat Ishbia say that re-signing O’Neale will be a priority for the club this offseason, adding that it shows how much Ishbia “wants to win and keep the guys together” (Twitter video link via Rankin).
- The Warriors‘ loss to Dallas on Wednesday makes it increasingly likely that Golden State will end up in the bottom half of the play-in bracket in the Western Conference, meaning they’d have to win two play-in games to even qualify for the playoffs, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The 34-31 club is now 3.5 games back of the No. 8 Mavs, who would hold the tiebreaker edge on Golden State if they win one of the team’s two remaining meetings in early April. “Yeah, it feels daunting,” Brandin Podziemski said.“Just for the fact that you don’t want to be the 10th seed. The 11th seed is, I think, four or five games behind us. So for us to get that low I don’t think is going to happen. But you don’t want to be the 10th seed and have to play two road games before you get into an actual series.”
- A pair of Kings players set franchise records in a blowout win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, as Domantas Sabonis registered his 47th consecutive double-double, while Malik Monk took the lead for most career assists by a Sacramento reserve, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Sabonis increased his double-double streak to 48 games on Wednesday in an impressive victory over the Lakers that moved the Kings up to sixth in the Western Conference standings.
Ishbia: Suns Will Look To Re-Sign Allen, O’Neale
The Suns‘ three stars – Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal – will earn more than $150MM next season on their own. Phoenix has over $178MM in total guaranteed money committed to six players so far, and that number would surpass $190MM if four additional veterans pick up player options.
However, speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Suns owner Mat Ishbia said the team will attempt to re-sign key unrestricted free agents Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale this summer.
“We’re trying to win a championship and we’re going to try this year and we’re going to figure out how to do it next year and signing free agents is what it’s going to take,” Ishbia said. “Having someone’s Bird rights gives you an advantage to be able to keep those players even if you’re in the luxury tax. We’re not frivolous with money and just spending money to spend money. What we’re trying to do is win a championship and build the best team possible.
“… Grayson and Royce are two great guys. Royce is new to the organization, has done an amazing job, everything you can think of, and Grayson has been here all year and has been a phenomenal part of the team and the organization. We hope and expect to have both of those guys back, along with keeping this core team together because we love our team and we’re going to compete at the highest level and hopefully in the playoffs very soon, we can see them all play together.”
The Suns have one of the NBA’s highest payrolls this season, with a team salary above the second luxury tax apron. The league’s latest projection calls for a $141MM cap for the 2024/25 campaign, with a second apron of approximately $189.5MM.
Operating above the second apron will limit a team’s flexibility significantly going forward. A club with a team salary in that range won’t be able to offer free agents more than the minimum salary or take back more salary than it sends out in a trade. Second-apron teams also won’t be permitted to aggregate player salaries or send out cash in trades.
Still, as outlined above, barring cost-cutting moves, the Suns project to be above the second apron next season even without re-signing Allen or O’Neale. If they let either player walk, the Suns would have no real means to replace them beyond minimum-salary signings, so re-signing the duo is in the club’s best interest. It’s just a matter of how much money Ishbia is willing to spend on the roster — his comments on Thursday, including a joke about not knowing what the second apron is, suggest he’s not looking to pinch pennies.
It’s worth noting that both Allen and O’Neale are eligible to sign extensions prior to free agency, though that might not be a viable option for O’Neale, who would be limited to a two-year, $20.45MM deal as a result of the NBA’s extend-and-trade rules. As of March 27, the Suns would be able to offer Allen up to $75MM over four years.
Allen has made eight shots from beyond the arc in each of Phoenix’s last two games to bump his league-leading three-point percentage to 47.5%. O’Neale, meanwhile, has helped improve the Suns’ defense since being acquired at last month’s trade deadline. The club, which had a 115.0 defensive rating prior to the forward’s arrival, has a 109.9 mark since he made his debut.
Suns Notes: Booker, O’Neale, Nurkic, Beal
Suns guard Devin Booker exited Saturday’s loss to Houston in the fourth quarter after spraining his right ankle, according to reports from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic and ESPN.
Booker suffered the injury when he and teammate Royce O’Neale got their feet tangled up on defense while Booker was guarding Rockets guard Fred VanVleet with just over a minute left in the game (Twitter video link). The Suns’ All-Star guard, who was in obvious pain, immediately left the court and headed to the locker room (Twitter video link).
Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Frank Vogel said that X-rays were negative on Booker’s ankle and that the team doesn’t yet know the severity of the sprain (Twitter video link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). The Suns are back in action on Sunday night vs. Oklahoma City, and while it would be a bit of a surprise if Booker is ready to go for that game, Vogel didn’t entirely rule out that possibility.
“We’ll see how he responds overnight,” he said.
Here are a few more injury-related notes out of Phoenix:
- O’Neale also sustained an ankle injury on the play where he and Booker got tangled up, but his sprain appears to be a mild one. The forward said after the game that he was OK, per Rankin, and Vogel said O’Neale’s injury is “not as much of a concern,” adding that he didn’t get X-rays like Booker did.
- Suns center Jusuf Nurkic left Saturday’s game in the second quarter and didn’t return after taking an inadvertent shot to the head from teammate Josh Okogie (Twitter link). According to Vogel, Nurkic was tested for a possible concussion, but has been diagnosed with “just a neck sprain.”
- On the plus side for the Suns, Bradley Beal was back in action on Saturday for the first time since February 13 after missing five games due to a left hamstring issue. However, he was ejected from the game in the third quarter after he picked up a pair of technical fouls in quick succession following a brief altercation with Rockets guard Jalen Green (Twitter video link).
Suns Notes: Beal, Bol, O’Neale, Gordon, Durant
Injured Suns guard Bradley Beal is “making progress” with the left hamstring issue that has kept him on the shelf for the team’s past four games, head coach Frank Vogel said on Tuesday, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
Beal missed Phoenix’s final contest before the All-Star break due to what the team has referred to as hamstring “tightness.” Vogel suggested at the time that the injury didn’t appear significant, and the star guard was originally listed as questionable for last Thursday’s game vs. Dallas. However, he was ruled out for that one and two more since then. According to Vogel, Beal still isn’t fully comfortable with “high-intensity” work.
“He did some of the non-contact stuff,” Vogel said after Tuesday’s practice. “More sprint work. There’s quick twitch stuff, which is shell defense, half court, and then there’s the full-court sprinting where you’re stretching out your legs and your stride. So that’s where he was having some discomfort still, but he’s making progress.”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Bol Bol has worked his way into Phoenix’s rotation this month, playing a season-high 27 minutes on Friday and 24 more on Sunday. Bol’s ascension has been well-earned, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (subscription required), who says a regular role feels sustainable for the big man as long as he remains healthy.
- In a story for his newsletter, Bourguet identifies five Suns lineups that he’d like to see more of, including four groups that feature relative newcomer Royce O’Neale.
- Kelly Iko of The Athletic spoke to both O’Neale and Eric Gordon about their experiences in Phoenix this season, as well as their time with their former teams in Brooklyn and Houston, respectively. O’Neale, who was acquired by the Suns at the trade deadline, said he has enjoyed joining a team that was prioritizing defensive help. “It’s been good. That’s what kind of made my name in the league, defense,” O’Neale said. “Just coming in, being one of the guys that brings that defensive intensity, leadership, trying to help these guys and they’re helping me out. So it’s been good, I feel welcomed back to playing good basketball.”
- While Kevin Durant has been as effective as ever on offense this season, advanced stats suggest he’s also taking his game to new heights defensively, as Jake Fischer details in a story for Yahoo Sports. “Sometimes you have to hide top scorers just to manage their workload or whatever. But he wants that challenge each night,” Vogel said. “He’s more engaged when he’s guarding a top guy. And his seven-foot length and wingspan, and ability to slide his feet, he can guard most guys in this league, big and small.”
Suns Notes: Durant, Young, O’Neale, Beal
Suns star Kevin Durant has responded to being called a “follower” by TNT analyst Charles Barkley during a broadcast of Sunday’s All-Star Game on TruTV, according to ESPN. Barkley said Durant hasn’t proven himself as a leader, adding that Devin Booker will have to assume a leadership role for the team to have a realistic title shot.
Durant answered Barkley’s comments and talked about how he’s perceived by his peers in an interview with his agent, Rich Kleiman, on Boardroom, a media platform that Durant owns.
“I don’t feel like I want people to call me a leader, but I also don’t want people to say I’m not one either,” Durant said, “because they don’t see what goes on behind the scenes of what I talk about or my intentions or relationships that I’ve built with my teammates and my support staff.”
Durant also addressed whether he belongs in the conversation as one of the greatest players ever. Kleiman noted that many observers put an asterisk next to Durant’s name because his two championships came after he joined an already loaded Golden State team.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished things on a court and been in situations that the greatest have seen,” Durant responded, “so I feel like I can have a conversation about basketball with the Michael Jordans or the Kobe Bryants or the LeBron James, not about bragging about how much we’ve done, but what did you see out there, and did I see the same things.”
There’s more from Phoenix:
- After officially signing with the Suns on Tuesday, Thaddeus Young expects to help the team both as a power forward and a small-ball center (video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “When you’re trying to beat certain teams down the stretch, sometimes you have to go with those smaller lineups,” Young said. “I think having me brings a different dynamic to the team with my skill set.” Young also mentioned his defensive versatility, saying he’s capable of guarding any position on the court.
- Young received a veteran’s minimum contract and will earn a little more than $1MM for the rest of the season, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Phoenix will take on a $638,413 cap hit, according to Marks, raising its projected tax penalty to $66.9MM, the third-highest otal in the league.
- Appearing on the Burns and Gambo Show, Young told the hosts he was nearly traded to Phoenix in 2014 and 2021, per John Gambadoro (Twitter link).
- Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports lists five things to watch as the season resumes, including the effect that acquiring Young and Royce O’Neale will have on the Suns’ small-ball lineups.
- Bradley Beal is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game against Dallas due to tightness in his left hamstring after injuring it last week, Rankin tweets. Beal underwent a procedure on his nose during the break and will continue wearing a face mask when he resumes playing.
Suns Notes: Ishbia, Beal, Nurkic, Durant, Booker
Suns owner Mat Ishbia said at the start of October that he felt Phoenix had the best team in the NBA. While injuries slowed down the Suns early in the season, they’ve won 13 of their last 17 games to move up to the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference at 32-22. Ishbia tells Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic that he feels just as good about the roster now as he did in October, especially after the trade-deadline additions of Royce O’Neale and David Roddy.
“We have our three star players and we also have a lot of other players who could be considered stars as well. We have a great all-around team. I love our team. I feel excited about what’s going on,” Ishbia said. “… We’re jelling. We’re playing our best basketball right now. Just because we had the best to start the season or felt like we had the best roster, doesn’t mean you can’t improve it. So we’re always going to try to improve things and that’s what we did I think with the addition of Royce and David.”
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observed after the trade deadline, 10 teams projected to be taxpayers a month ago and nine of those clubs either reduced their salaries or stood pat through the deadline. The Suns, who increased their projected tax bill by more than $13MM, were the only one of those 10 teams to add money.
“When we come to Mat with ideas and suggestions on saying, ‘Hey, let’s go trade for Royce O’Neale and David Roddy, but it’s going to add a significant amount of money to our tax bill and to this team,’ he says, ‘Hey, if it’s going to make us better, and the answer is yes, then let’s go do it,'” Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein told Rankin. “Many people don’t do that, especially at the trade deadline. You saw several teams shed money. We’re all in to win a championship and when you have an owner willing to do that and use any resource possible, it makes your job easier. You can go after the best players no matter where their salaries are at.”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- After Bradley Beal strained his left hamstring in Tuesday’s win over Sacramento, the Suns have ruled him out for their final game before the All-Star break on Wednesday vs. Detroit. There’s optimism it won’t be a long-term issue though, Rankin writes for The Arizona Republic. “They don’t think it’s too serious,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “Hopefully with the (All-Star) break right after, he doesn’t miss too much more time. We’ll see where he’s at.”
- In the latest episode of his podcast, Warriors forward Draymond Green ripped Suns center Jusuf Nurkic for his comments to reporters following Phoenix’s loss to Golden State on Saturday. “The little guy went into the media complaining like I did something to him as if he didn’t do the ‘too small’ celebration and then he starts to question my character,” Green said (hat tip to Rankin). “What a coward. You go questioning character about a basketball game you just lost that you got destroyed in. The only thing you should talk about his how you got punished.” Nurkic tweeted a reply accompanied by a crying-laughing emoji: “All good bad boy just don’t stay to long on podcast, gonna be late for therapy session.”
- Sources who spoke to Rankin disputed ESPN’s report stating that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey inquired on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Beal prior to last Thursday’s trade deadline. Whether or not it happened ultimately doesn’t matter that much, since all three players were considered unavailable and remained in Phoenix.
- In case you missed it, the Suns officially announced today that they’ll have a G League affiliate of their own beginning in 2024/25. Phoenix is the final NBA team to secure an NBAGL affiliate.
Pacific Notes: Kerr, Milojevic, Bridges, Allen, Dinwiddie
Warriors coach Steve Kerr will miss tonight’s game at Utah so he can attend the funeral of former assistant coach Dejan Milojevic in Serbia, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Kenny Atkinson will run the team in Kerr’s absence. Assistant coaches Chris DeMarco and Ron Adams, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and basketball operations consultant Zaza Pachulia are also representing the team at the funeral.
Players admit there’s a surreal feeling to being back in Salt Lake City, where Milojevic suffered a heart attack at a team dinner following a January 16 game. He died in a hospital the following morning, and the team’s next two games were postponed. The Warriors welcomed members of Milojevic’s family to their practice facility on January 22, and his son, Nikola, spent time shooting and rebounding with Klay Thompson.
“Just to be able to tell him how much I loved his dad, all the great memories we built and made together, I just told him how grateful I am for his family and how proud of them he was,” Thompson said.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Suns were heavily rumored to be pursuing Hornets forward Miles Bridges, but general manager James Jones declined to confirm those trade talks, preferring to concentrate on the deals he actually made (video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “We explored everything,” Jones said, “but at the end of the day, we’re talking about Royce O’Neale and David Roddy. Two guys I think are going to be exceptionally well for us, but yeah, we talked about a lot of guys.”
- Jones also responded to a question about a potential extension with Grayson Allen this summer, indicating the Suns will be open to the possibility (video link from Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). “We don’t want him to go anywhere, which is why he’s here,” Jones said. “There’s plenty of interest in Grayson Allen, but no one values him more than we do.”
- Lakers players are excited to welcome Spencer Dinwiddie to the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The former Nets guard, who signed with L.A. on Saturday, is expected to participate in today’s practice and be in uniform for Tuesday’s game against Detroit. “He’s a big guard, a shot-maker,” Anthony Davis said. “We’ve seen what he did with Brooklyn, what he did with Dallas, making big plays for them. He’s a well-established player, a vet in this league.”