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Devin Booker very receptive to the Suns’ new direction
According to multiple sources, Booker was very receptive to the Suns’ new direction and had direct input on the type of team they wanted to assemble around him. Every move that Phoenix made was with Booker in mind as the focal point. His long-term commitment to the Suns was matched by their commitment to building a great team around him. Granted, the Suns understand they won’t be contending for a championship this season, and multiple sources acknowledged that expectations are different from three years ago. But despite having lowered title expectations entering the season, they still expect to compete, and Ishbia’s gone on record saying he expects to make the playoffs. The Western Conference is loaded, but either way, they want to establish a different reputation that was sorely lacking last season — one that’s built around several core components Phoenix has mentioned repeatedly over the last few months.
After a two-year run in Phoenix did not work out, the crux of the decision for Beal and his representation was finding the best basketball fit, first and foremost. Beal was granted permission by the Suns to speak to interested teams around the league, sources said. Bartelstein led an exhaustive process over the last several weeks, meeting with teams involved, that allowed Beal to make the decision to part with the Suns and control where he wanted to go.
Bradley Beal returned nearly $14 million to Suns as part of buyout
Michael Scotto: Bradley Beal gave back $13.8 million in his buyout with the Phoenix Suns, sources told @hoopshype . By using the stretch provision, Phoenix can get below the luxury tax and both aprons, be able to trade future draft picks and save money, giving them roster maneuvering flexibility.
Suns to play the Lakers twice in preseason
The Phoenix Suns will play the Los Angeles Lakers twice this preseason, with the latter game scheduled for Oct. 17 at PHX Arena, league sources informed The Arizona Republic. The Suns face the Lakers in the Palm Springs, California, area on Oct. 3. Phoenix has played Los Angeles at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, the past two seasons. It’s a home game for the Lakers. The Suns and Lakers played twice last preseason as well, with the second game in Phoenix.
Jalen Green on deal to Phoenix: 'I had a feeling. They’ve been trying to trade me since last year'
Green, the former No. 2 pick who spent the first four seasons of his career as the cornerstone of the Rockets’ rebuild, said that he wasn’t surprised last month by Houston’s decision to trade him to Phoenix as part of a package to acquire Kevin Durant. “Yeah, I had a feeling. They’ve been trying to trade me since last year,” Green told the Chronicle. “I’m not tripping. It’s for the better of the team. I know it’s a business at the end of the day. I really can’t handle how I feel. Whatever happens, happens. At the end of the day, I still got the opportunity to play basketball.”
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The Italian wing revealed in the interview that after he arrived in Detroit, he received an unexpected sign of respect from one of the best players in the league, Kevin Durant. "I was just got traded to the Pistons, and one of the first few games that I played with Detroit was against Phoenix, where Kevin Durant was playing at that time", Fontecchio explained. "During a break in the game, Durant came up to me and told me, "we tried everything we could to get you here, but we couldn't do it". It was a great show of respect from a champion of the game and it made me realize how much he thought of me".
Suns and Bradley Beal increasingly optimistic about reaching buyout agreement
The Bradley Beal era in Phoenix appears to be nearing an end. The Suns and Beal are increasingly optimistic that the two sides will agree to terms on a buyout, league sources tell The Athletic. The move would make Beal an unrestricted free agent.
The goal for the Suns is to negotiate a buyout, waive him and then stretch his remaining salary over five years, which would reduce his annual cap hit on the Suns’ books. The move would not only get Phoenix out of the second apron, a dreaded payroll threshold where only the most expensive teams venture, but also out of the luxury tax altogether.
Lopez inking his deal today means the Clippers are using a large portion of the $14.1 million midlevel exception to sign him, which would not leave them much money to sign Bradley Beal (if he works a buyout with the Suns) or another more expensive player. (There’s optimism on both sides that Phoenix and Beal will eventually reach an agreement there, league sources tell The Athletic.)
Kevin Durant: My time in Phoenix has come to an end. All these stops along the journey have really impacted me in a positive way. Remeber it’s a world behind the scenes, and those who make things work in that space, work tirelessly to make our lives easier as players. I appreciate all the quick interactions with everybody from support staff to teammates distant cousins, it’s all a family that I’m grateful to be apart of, no matter what. I truly believe this nba is a one big community. Much love to Arizona. Houston, Can’t Wait!
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Cam Whitmore was nearly moved to Suns in Kevin Durant trade
Michael Scotto: Cam Whitmore was nearly traded to the Phoenix Suns in the Kevin Durant trade, league sources told @hoopshype . Instead, Phoenix opted for more future second-round draft pick compensation. He averaged 10.8 points in 17.4 minutes in two seasons for the Rockets and turns 21 on July 8
Fred Katz: League sources say the trade will send: • Kevin Durant, Clint Capela to Houston • Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Daeqwon Plowden to Phoenix • David Roddy to Atlanta All other elements of the deal are pick trades from draft night that are yet to be finalized.
Phoenix and now New York — after the hiring of Mike Brown as the Knicks' new head coach — have expressed interest in trying to hire Darvin Ham away from the Bucks, The Stein Line has learned. Yet those would be considered lateral moves for Ham, who is Milwaukee's top assistant to Doc Rivers. I'm told the Bucks love having Ham back in their midst after his two-season stint as the Lakers' head coach and are determined to keep him in Brewtown unless he secures another head coaching opportunity elsewhere.
Let’s start with Durant. For all the dysfunction that Phoenix endured last season, it’s a miracle the Suns were still a top 10 half-court team, which boils down to Durant and his consistency, even at age 36. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Suns were a plus-6.2 points better offensively when Durant was on the floor, a 90th percentile impact. Durant’s teams’ effective field goal percentage shoots up by nearly six percent, which has been a trend at each of his previous stops. With better players around him, Durant should help Houston’s numbers spike. It’s a seamless fit on paper, a smooth three-level scorer paired with high-motor athletes and a savvy low-post presence.
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