Mike Budenholzer was hired as head coach of the Suns in part to shore up a defense that allowed too many easy baskets and ranked in the bottom 10 in turnovers forced. Overall, Phoenix ranked 13th in defensive rating last season. That’s exactly what the Suns focused on during the first two days of camp, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. “Establish a defensive … [Read more...] about Suns Notes: Budenholzer, Defense, Jones, Nurkic, Lee
And-Ones: NBAGL Trades, Extension Candidates, Woj’s Replacement, More
Toronto’s G League affiliate – the Raptors 905 – has made a pair of trades in recent days, including a four-team deal that sent Kennedy Chandler‘s returning rights to the 905, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). As we noted recently when the NBA’s Raptors signed and waived Chandler, their G League team still needed to acquire the guard’s rights in order to … [Read more...] about And-Ones: NBAGL Trades, Extension Candidates, Woj’s Replacement, More
Bucks Notes: Middleton, Lillard, Giannis, Wolf
With training camp about to open, Bucks swingman Khris Middleton still hasn’t received medical clearance for 5-on-5 action, sources tell basketball reporter Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Middleton is “progressing nicely” after offseason surgical procedures on both ankles, Haynes adds, but the team plans to be careful with him in camp. Middleton had been bothered by pain in his … [Read more...] about Bucks Notes: Middleton, Lillard, Giannis, Wolf
David Stockton Joins Suns On Exhibit 10 Deal
David Stockton has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Suns, a league source tells Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Phoenix’s new G League team acquired the 33-year-old point guard’s returning player rights in a trade on Friday, so the Valley Suns will likely be his next stop. If he spends at least 60 days with the G League club, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up … [Read more...] about David Stockton Joins Suns On Exhibit 10 Deal
Pacific Notes: Jones, Suns, Kaminsky, Kawhi, Porter, Lakers
Although he had made 94 starts across eight NBA seasons prior to 2023/24, last season was Tyus Jones‘ first as a full-timer in that role — he started all 66 games he played for the Wizards. That sample size is good enough for new Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer, who tells Steve Aschburner of NBA.com that Jones has “established himself as a great starting point guard in our … [Read more...] about Pacific Notes: Jones, Suns, Kaminsky, Kawhi, Porter, Lakers