The Suns dealt the rights to forward Justin Smith.

Johnson is a 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard who has spent the past four seasons with Austin in the G League. He has yet to make his NBA debut.

His younger brother, Keldon Johnson, has spent the past five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Last season, Kaleb Johnson played 39 games between regular season and showcase appearances, averaging 8.1 points per game on 62.5% shooting, albeit he did not make a 3-pointer. The southpaw shooter shot 53.7% from the free-throw line.

The 27-year-old also added 0.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game.

Johnson played his college ball at Georgetown, spending four seasons with the Hoyas before going undrafted.

The Suns took Smith in the 2024-25 G-League Expansion Draft from the Delaware Blue Coats.

Who are the Valley Suns?

The Phoenix Suns introduced their G-League affiliate in May, and the team will play its home games at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena. Their home opener is on Nov. 11 against the Stockton Kings.

The G League schedule is sectioned into two parts: The 16-game Tip-Off Tournament and a 34-game regular season.

The Valley Suns hired John Little, a former assistant coach for Boston’s G League affiliate, as head coach. Among their expansion draftees were former top-10 NBA Draft picks Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Having a player’s rights does necessarily mean he is going to play for the Suns’ G League team, as they could consider pro leagues in other countries.

Follow @AZSports

One of the trends we’ve come to understand is muscle watch, when players will post workout pictures around August or September, showing a physical transformation of sorts. This is usually accompanied by a caption somewhere along the lines of “Career year inbound? 👀” and the career year is almost never, in fact, inbound.

The one involving a Suns player, however, has been alongside actual basketball footage. Dare we say, intentional basketball footage that is worth bringing up.

Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic is online. He does not shy away from a reply here or there, as well as blocking someone in a way that triggers a “what did I say badly about the big fella?” response. Nurkic is a bit of a poster! Do not take this negatively. He is a refreshing, thoughtful guy to talk to in a media environment. This is to preface the fact that he is very likely aware of the on-court narrative that started formulating for him once new head coach Mike Budenholzer arrived.

With Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis used as stretch 5s under Budenholzer in Milwaukee, it has been asked if Nurkic will take on that role for Phoenix as well. In Budenholzer’s last year with the Atlanta Hawks, Al Horford went from 65 total 3-point attempts in his first eight seasons to 256 that year. Horford has since gone on to shoot over 40% from 3 for the Boston Celtics each of the last two seasons on great volume for a big.

Nurkic has been posting a fair share of his workouts overseas on Instagram, and the overwhelming majority of them involving a basketball play are him taking/making a 3-pointer.

Jusuf Nurkić is coming different next season 👀🔥

(h/t @Iceman_34 )

pic.twitter.com/ifsb64ki8p

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 22, 2024

Ah, I forgot the fire emoji earlier. That’s on me.

Wouldn’t you know it, even Budenholzer himself came to visit Nurkic too.

👋🏻 ☀️ pic.twitter.com/hMQCJrrC3E

— Jusuf Nurkić 🇧🇦 (@bosnianbeast27) August 4, 2024

Jusuf Nurkic doing more stretch 5 things can help the Suns

Going off some admittedly mislabeled positional designations on NBA Stats, the Suns ranked 22nd last year in 3s made by centers. Take out Bol Bol’s 22, a player that almost never was featured at the 5, and Phoenix drops to 23 total and 26th. The teams it shares the bottom-five with all ranked top-five in alley-oop dunks from centers, while the Suns themselves were 29th there with just 23 as well.

This was another topic of conversation inside the Suns’ offseason, how there was a need for them to add a center with a more pronounced skill set in that singular dimension. The new additions don’t exactly solve this. Mason Plumlee is not the lob threat anymore that he was in the prime of his career. Rookie Oso Ighodaro will snag a few but it’s not the focal point of his offensive role. Both do not shoot.

Nurkic used to!

Two seasons ago, his last with the Portland Trail Blazers before arriving in Phoenix, Nurkic shot 36.1% across 119 attempts. That’s a solid 2.3 per game and a solid knockdown rate for a big.

Nurkic would relocate to the corner when a possession saw its sunset. The mechanics of his jumper are fine and dandy.

There’s also the obvious pick-and-pop situations, which can be used on or off the ball with how Nurkic will be utilized.

To put it bluntly, this was expected to be a thing in Phoenix, one of Nurkic’s talents that would help offset all his limitations in areas Deandre Ayton thrived in, such as finishing around the rim.

And it was. Until it wasn’t.

Nurkic attempted a 3-pointer in 33 of his first 35 games with the Suns, a total of 77 and an average of 2.2 a night that was right along with that frequency in Portland. The problem is he only made 27.3% of ’em and that was the point Phoenix cut off his water.

In Nurkic’s 46 remaining appearances, he took just 13, eight of which were in late-clock scenarios.

The question is, should he next season? Yeah! Probably!

The value trade-off of swapping out Nurkic’s susceptible efficiency around the basket in exchange for getting more 3s up as a team is there, especially if Nurkic can get back around the mid-30s on his percentage. Budenholzer can figure that out in real time much better, assessing the pros and cons as the season progresses. And if Nurkic isn’t making them again, the Suns can adjust again.

This all goes back to the core point when Nurkic was acquired. He provides value in other areas since he is not a traditional rim-rolling big or rim protector. The playmaking was there last year, as was the top-tier rebounding. A sprinkle of triples would be a welcome added bonus to push that value over the top for the Suns.

Follow @KellanOlson

Wojnarowski will oversee a wide range of responsibilities while working alongside coach Mark Schmidt and his staff.

His duties will include focusing on name, image and likeness opportunities, transfer portal management, recruiting and alumni player relationships.

-30- pic.twitter.com/bFeFL61s1c

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 18, 2024

“I’m thrilled and humbled to return to St. Bonaventure with an opportunity to serve the university,” Wojnarowski said in a statement released by the school in Allegany, New York. “I’m hopeful to share with members of our community some best practices learned from the most successful franchises and minds in the NBA and committed to opening doors globally for our players both on and off the court.”

Wojnarowski graduated from St. Bonaventure with a journalism degree in 1991 and received an honorary doctorate from the school in 2022.

The 55-year-old has worked at ESPN since 2017, and his decision to retire came even while he was still under a contract he signed with the broadcaster in 2022.

Follow @AZSports

Koloko needs approval from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel, which determines whether players with certain injuries, illnesses or other medical conditions are able and fit to practice and play games.

The 7-foot-1 center was waived by the Raptors in January after Toronto traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. Koloko had not played a game due to what the team called a “respiratory” problem.

The Raptors took Koloko in the second round (No. 33 overall) during the 2022 NBA Draft. He played 58 games with 19 starts for the Raptors as a rookie and averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds with a block per game.

“Oh Koloko!”

🛑 Christian Koloko flies in for the rejection on the NBA App: https://t.co/1pomQZN8Pi pic.twitter.com/gBpj87WNCt

— NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2022

The Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Raptors were also interested in signing Koloko, according to Charania.

Koloko will have a chance to compete for playing time in the Los Angeles frontcourt, a team led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Fellow Lakers frontcourt players include Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura.

The former Wildcat racked up the accolades during his junior campaign under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd. Koloko won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year awards. He also made First Team All Pac-12.

Follow @AZSports

“They had a very disappointing year, last year … couldn’t have gone much worse. Devin Booker plays a role on this team where he gets so much credit internally from the coaching staff, from his teammates about being the unsung MVP, to quote Steve Kerr,” Legler said on Tuesday during his NBA Today appearance. “That’s got to make Devin Booker feel very good in terms of how he’s viewed as a winner. Kevin Durant was great.

“They’re going to get more than 41 games together with Bradley Beal. I like some of the new pieces they’ve added. I think Phoenix has the most to grab from a team standpoint from those star players who played on the Olympic team.”

Which players from the 2024 USA Basketball team will carry their success into this upcoming NBA season? 🤔 @LegsESPN says to watch out for KD, D-Book and the Suns 👀 pic.twitter.com/xm1CtgcJ2K

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 10, 2024

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr went out of his way to name Booker the “unsung MVP” during his press conference after the team defeated France to win gold in Paris.

During the Summer Olympics, Durant averaged 13.8 points on 54% shooting from the field, while Booker averaged 11.7 points on 56.8% shooting.

Booker started all six games and shot 56.5% (13-for-23) from 3, the fifth-best percentage from long range in USA Basketball Olympic history.

Durant came off the bench for the Americans until the Olympic gold medal game against France to help Team USA secure the gold. He had strained his left calf in April, causing him to miss a series of five Olympic exhibition matches before heading to Paris.

“I think Phoenix has the most to grab of those star players that played on the Olympic team,” Legler said of the Suns’ disappointing 49-win team from last season.

The Suns were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Following the early playoff exit, the team fired then-coach Frank Vogel and replaced him with two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer.

Booker and Durant were tied for the fifth most points per game in 2023-24 with 27.1.

Diakite has reportedly agreed to an exhibit-10 deal with the Phoenix Suns that puts in the spotlight to challenge for a spot on the NBA team, which has an open roster position at the moment. Exhibit-10 deals are for training camp and come with an option to sign players to a two-way deal before the year begins.

Diakite, who played in college at Virginia, has appeared in 55 NBA games between stints with Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, San Antonio and New York.

The 28-year-old averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over 18 G League games between the Knicks and Austin Spurs in 2023-24.

The 6-foot-9 forward flashed a stretch game but was inefficient, shooting 31.7% from deep on 3.5 three-point attempts per game between the two teams.

Maledon, 23, played with the Phoenix Suns sparingly last year on a two-way contract but has 177 games of NBA experience. He was ultimately waived before he and Williams were acquired by the Valley Suns in the G League expansion draft.

Williams, also 23, played last year in Germany’s Bundesliga.

The 6-foot-10, 255-pound playmaking center was an All-EuroCup First Team member who averaged 14.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

The Valley Suns’ trade was the second for the young franchise, which on Sept. 4 traded its first-round draft pick to the Oklahoma Blue for guard Jaden Shackelford.

Follow @AZSports

During a recent interview on the Up & Adams show with Kay Adams, Durant picked the Dallas Cowboys as the team he would get rid of.

Kevin Durant says seeeeee ya @dallascowboys pic.twitter.com/6FjikRdCCB

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) September 6, 2024

“I just don’t like them,” Durant said. “I had to ask myself why I don’t like the Cowboys because I don’t hate any teams or any players. I’m a huge fan of a lot of teams, but the Cowboys are just that one team I don’t like.”

Relegation is not a practice in the NFL but it’s in the French Ligue 1 soccer league, where the 14-time All-Star purchased a minority stake in the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team in August.

🏀 Kevin Durant at the PSG Campus 🤝

📺 Before tonight’s final, take a look back at Kevin Durant’s visit to the PSG Campus 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/qZjHEXfPBW

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 10, 2024

Durant, who grew up in Washington D.C., is a longtime Commanders fan. He explains his pick for relegation is due to seeing many people in the D.C. area become Cowboys fans over the years.

“It’s probably like 75 percent Cowboys fans in Washington D.C. in my group of people that are Cowboys fans and I just hate that they don’t stay loyal to the crib,” Durant said.

If the Commanders, behind Heisman trophy winner and former Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels are successful this season, don’t expect Durant to welcome back anybody that would want to jump back on the Commanders bandwagon.

“They gonna have to stay on that side. We not letting them on the bus,” Durant said.

Arizona Sports at Night with Kellan Olson and Mitch Vareldzis will air weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. when there is no play-by-play on 98.7 FM. The show will be fast-paced with entertainment and information that Arizona Sports fans need in their evenings.

“The new show is an exciting addition to the Arizona Sports lineup and extends our local talk into the evenings,” said Brian Long, Bonneville Phoenix director of programming operations. “Arizona Sports at Night will serve Valley sports fans with live, local content on their commute home and all throughout the evening.”

Arizona Sports, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns and Arizona State football and basketball, will now have more local programming when the teams are not on the court or field.

Olson has been with Bonneville Phoenix for nine years. He has covered the Phoenix Suns and co-hosted the Empire of the Suns podcast since 2015. His role will shift to help with Arizona Sports at Night and fill-in work on the daily shows. Olson will continue covering the Suns with in-depth coverage of games and practices, both for ArizonaSports.com, on pregame and postgame shows, and on the Empire of the Suns podcast.

Vareldzis has been with the company for six years, primarily as the producer of Burns & Gambo. His role will also expand to include pregame and postgame coverage of the Suns.

Vareldzis has also previously been host of Arizona Sports Saturday and the State of the Sun Devils podcast.

The first Arizona Sports at Night airs on Monday, Sept. 9. It will also air shortened shows around partner specials such as the Arizona Cardinals’ Big Red Rage and Arizona State football’s Sparky’s Den.

Updated Arizona Sports 98.7 weekday lineup:

6 to 10 a.m.: Bickley & Marotta

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Wolf & Luke

2 to 6 p.m.: Burns & Gambo

6 to 8 p.m.: Arizona Sports at Night (when there is no play-by-play on 98.7 FM)

Follow @AZSports

Shackelford appeared in 60 games with 43 starts over the past two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League squad.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard averaged 13.1 points, 2.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. He shot 38% overall and 36% from three, taking 8.7 deep shots out of 11.3 total per game.

Shackelford played three years in college for the Alabama Crimson Tide before latching on with Oklahoma City.

The Valley Suns are entering their debut season and will play at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena in Tempe.

The team released its 2024-25 schedule on Tuesday.

Shackelford and the Valley Suns open on the road Nov. 8 against the Santa Cruz Warriors before a Nov. 11 home opener against the Stockton Kings.

Tickets can be purchased at TheValleySuns.com.

Follow @AZSports

The Oct. 8 game at the Breslin Center was announced Wednesday after the Suns’ four other games were revealed in August.

The visit to Michigan State’s Breslin Center is the first at the location for the Suns, whose owner Mat Ishbia graduated from Michigan State and played four years on the Spartans’ basketball team. Pistons owner Tim Gores is also a Michigan State graduate.

“From being a walk-on at Michigan State on the national championship team, to now being able to bring the Phoenix Suns to play at Breslin Center, this is a full circle moment and an incredibly special experience,” Ishbia said in a release.

“MSU and (head basketball coach Tom) Izzo have had an immeasurable impact on my life and my career, and I wouldn’t be where I am today, including owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, without Coach Izzo’s mentorship. I can’t wait to bring the Spartan community and Phoenix Suns together.”

Phoenix will play under head coach Mike Budenholzer for the first time in the preseason against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 6 in Palm Desert, California, before heading to East Lansing, Michigan.

Michigan State has hosted preseason NBA games in 2000 and 2018 before this year’s Suns-Pistons meeting.

“We’re excited to welcome the Pistons and the Suns to Breslin Center – two teams we’re fortunate enough to have great relationships with and close ties to our school and our team,” Izzo said in the release. “Having an NBA game on campus featuring two Spartan alums as owners shows the power of Michigan State and the talent and quality of people that come from our great University. It’s an honor to call Tom Gores a friend and everyone knows the special bond I share with Mat having coached him as a former player in our program. I’m excited for the game and the opportunity to showcase NBA basketball to our MSU basketball fans and everyone here in the East Lansing community.”

The Suns will return to Phoenix after the game at MSU to host the Pistons on Oct. 11 at Footprint Center before traveling to Denver to face the Nuggets two days later.

The Suns wrap up preseason play at Footprint Center on Oct. 17 against the Lakers, six days before the season opener at the Los Angeles Clippers’ new arena.

Phoenix follows up a 2023-24 campaign that ended with 49 wins but a massively disappointing postseason result, a sweep in the first round at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns fired head coach Frank Vogel and replaced him with Budenholzer.

Phoenix Suns’ preseason schedule for 2024-25

Sunday, Oct. 6 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 6:30 p.m. MST (Acrisure Arena, Palm Desert, California)

Tuesday, Oct. 8 at Detroit Pistons, 4 p.m. MST (Breslin Center, East Lansing, Michigan)

Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m. MST

Sunday, Oct. 13 at Denver Nuggets, 5:30 p.m. MST — ESPN

Thursday, Oct. 17 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m. MST — TNT

The Phoenix Suns open the 2024-25 regular season at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Here is the Suns’ full regular season schedule.

Follow @AZSports

The Valley Suns will debut on Nov. 8 at the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Their first home game at Mullett Arena in Tempe takes place on Nov. 11 against the Stockton Kings.

The G League schedule is sectioned into two parts: The 16-game Tip-Off Tournament and a 34-game regular season, adding up to a minimum of 50 games for each team in the 2024-25 season.

The Tip-Off Tournament leads to an NBA G League Winter Showcase in December. It includes four regional groups against one another, with the best team out of each group joining four more teams with the best winning percentages making the NBA G League Winter Showcase.

Valley Suns schedule for 2024-25 G League season

All times local MST in Arizona. Home games in bold.

Friday, Nov. 8 – 7 p.m. MST
at Santa Cruz Warriors (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Saturday, Nov. 9 – 7 p.m.
at Santa Cruz Warriors (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Monday, Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.
vs. Stockton Kings (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Thursday, Nov. 14 – 7 p.m.
at San Diego Clippers (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Sunday, Nov. 17 – 6:30 p.m.
at San Diego Clippers (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Friday, Nov. 22 – 6 p.m.
at RIP City Remix (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Sunday, Nov. 24 – 3 p.m.
at RIP City Remix (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – 5 p.m.
vs.  Stockton Kings (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Monday, Dec. 2 – 7 p.m.
vs. Salt Lake City Stars (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Wednesday, Dec. 4 – 7 p.m.
vs. Salt Lake City Stars (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Thursday, Dec. 5 – 7 p.m.
vs. Santa Cruz Warriors (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Thursday, Dec. 12 – 7 p.m.
vs. South Bay Lakers (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Friday, Dec. 13 – 7 p.m.
vs. South Bay Lakers (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Monday, Dec. 16 – 7 p.m.
at Stockon Kings (TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT)

Friday, Dec. 27 – 7 p.m.
vs. RIP City Remix

Monday, Dec. 30 – 7 p.m.
vs. Sioux Falls Skyforce

Tuesday, Dec. 31 – 7 p.m.
vs. Sioux Falls Skyforce

Thursday, Jan. 2 – 12 p.m.
vs. Oklahoma City Blue

Saturday, Jan. 4 – 7 p.m.
at Oklahoma City Blue

Wednesday, Jan. 8 – 7 p.m.
at Stockton Kings

Friday, Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.
at Austin Spurs

Sunday, Jan. 12 – 3 p.m.
vs. Santa Cruz Warriors

Monday, Jan. 13 – 7 p.m.
vs. Santa Cruz Warriors

Wednesday, Jan. 15 – 7 p.m.
at Motor City Cruise

Friday, Jan. 17 – 7 p.m.
at Motor City Cruise

Sunday, Jan. 19 – 2 p.m.
at Raptors 905

Tuesday, Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.
vs. Indiana Mad Ants

Thursday, Jan. 23 – 6:30 p.m.
at Iowa Wolves

Friday, Jan. 24 – 6:30 p.m.
at Iowa Wolves

Tuesday, Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.
at Salt Lake City Stars

Wednesday, Jan. 29 – 7 p.m.
at Salt Lake City Stars

Friday, Jan. 31 – 7 p.m.
vs. San Diego Clippers

Tuesday, Feb. 4 – 7 p.m.
vs. Texas Legends

Friday, Feb. 7 – 7 p.m.
at South Bay Lakers

Monday, Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.
vs. San Diego Clippers

Thursday, Feb. 13 – 7 p.m.
vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Saturday, Feb. 22 – 5 p.m.
at South Bay Lakers

Friday, Feb. 28 – 7 p.m.
vs. RIP City Remix

Tuesday, March 4 – 7 p.m.
at Stockton Kings

Thursday, March 6 – 7 p.m.
vs. Capital City Go-Go

Friday, March 7 – 7 p.m.
vs. Capital City Go-Go

Tuesday, March 11 – 7 p.m.
vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Sunday, March 16 – 3 p.m.
at Austin Spurs

Wednesday, March 19 – 12 p.m.
vs. Memphis Hustle

Friday, March 21 – 7 p.m.
vs. Memphis Hustle

Sunday, March 23 – 4 p.m.
at Mexico City Capitanes

Tuesday, March 25 – 8 p.m.
at Mexico City Capitanes

Thursday, March 27 – 7 p.m.
vs. Texas Legends

Follow @AZSports

Those looking to try out can not be considered prospects, international players or players who have been eligible for and participated in an NBA Draft. The team will only accept tryouts from players who are former NBA Draft picks, NBA Summer League participants from 2023 or 2024, Division I All-Americans, Division I All-Conference performers and former 2024 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament attendees.

Applicants must pay a $300 fee to participate and can sign up at thevalleysuns.com/tryouts.

The Valley Suns began building their roster in June of this year after acquiring the rights of 14 players in the G League expansion draft. The team has the rights to these players, but that does not guarantee that they will play for the Valley Suns during the upcoming season.

Suns two-way players Jalen Bridges, Collin Gillespie and TyTy Washington Jr. will likely play for the Valley Suns.

On July 4, the Suns signed Bridges, a forward, to a two-way contract just days before the NBA Summer League began. Bridges averaged 10.8 points and 1.2 steals per game during Summer League.

The Valley Suns recently hired John Little, a former assistant coach for Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, as head coach.

The 2024-25 G League season will begin on Nov. 8.

Durant ranked in the top 10 of the 2024 list with an overall score of 94, making it his lowest rating since NBA 2K17. Still, he excelled on both sides of the court throughout the 2023-24 regular season, averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Last season, Durant and Booker ranked fifth in the league by scoring 27.1 points per game.

Booker came in 12th on the NBA 2K25 ratings list with a score of 93. In January, during a game against the Indiana Pacers, Booker scored 62 points, making it the second time he’s passed the 60-point threshold throughout his career.

Durant was rated fifth in the NBA 2K24 ratings, while Booker was 11th. Each player’s overall score decreased by a single point compared to last year’s game.

Suns shooting guard Bradley Beal received an 85 rating, ranking him 52nd on the list. Beal played just 53 games last season due to back and ankle injuries. He averaged 18.2 points and shot 43% from the 3-point range.

Durant and Booker are coming off an Olympic gold medal run as they prepare for the 2024-25 season under the new leadership of head coach Mike Budenholzer.

NBA 2K25 ratings: Kevin Durant, Devin booker and Bradley Beal make top 100

Nikola Jokic: 97 OVR

Luka Doncic: 97 OVR

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 97 OVR

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 96 OVR

Joel Embiid: 96 OVR

LeBron James: 95 OVR

Stephen Curry: 95 OVR

Jayson Tatum: 95 OVR

Kevin Durant: 94 OVR

Anthony Davis: 94 OVR

Anthony Edwards: 93 OVR

Devin Booker: 93 OVR

Jalen Brunson: 93 OVR

Donovan Mitchell: 92 OVR

Jaylen Brown: 92 OVR

Kyrie Irving: 92 OVR

Kawhi Leonard: 92 OVR

Victor Wembanyama: 91 OVR

Tyrese Haliburton: 90 OVR

Ja Morant: 90 OVR

Damian Lillard: 89 OVR

Jimmy Butler: 89 OVR

Paolo Banchero: 89 OVR

Paul George: 89 OVR

Trae Young: 89 OVR

Tyrese Maxey: 89 OVR

Bam Adebayo: 88 OVR

De’Aaron Fox: 88 OVR

Domantas Sabonis: 88 OVR

Zion Williamson: 88 OVR

Pascal Siakam: 88 OVR

Karl-Anthony Towns: 88 OVR

LaMelo Ball: 87 OVR

Jrue Holiday: 87 OVR

DeMar DeRozan: 87 OVR

Chet Holmgren: 87 OVR

Kristaps Porzingis: 87 OVR

Jamal Murray: 87 OVR

Jaren Jackson Jr.: 87 OVR

Lauri Markkanen: 86 OVR

Cade Cunningham: 86 OVR

Jalen Williams: 86 OVR

Franz Wagner: 86 OVR

Derrick White: 86 OVR

Dejounte Murray: 86 OVR

Evan Mobley: 86 OVR

Scottie Barnes: 85 OVR

Julius Randle: 85 OVR

Brandon Ingram: 85 OVR

Alperen Sengun: 85 OVR

Rudy Gobert: 85 OVR

Bradley Beal: 85 OVR

Khris Middleton: 85 OVR

Mikal Bridges: 84 OVR

OG Anunoby: 84 OVR

Jalen Green: 84 OVR

Fred VanVleet: 84 OVR

James Harden: 84 OVR

Jarrett Allen: 84 OVR

CJ McCollum: 84 OVR

Aaron Gordon: 84 OVR

Myles Turner: 84 OVR

Zach LaVine: 83 OVR

Tyler Herro: 83 OVR

Draymond Green: 83 OVR

Kyle Kuzma: 83 OVR

Michael Porter Jr.: 83 OVR

Desmond Bane: 83 OVR

Deandre Ayton: 82 OVR

Josh Hart: 82 OVR

Alex Caruso: 82 OVR

Jalen Suggs: 82 OVR

Herbert Jones: 82 OVR

Jerami Grant: 82 OVR

Darius Garland: 82 OVR

Ivica Zubac: 82 OVR

Jonas Valanciunas: 82 OVR

Coby White: 81 OVR

Cam Thomas: 81 OVR

Immanuel Quickley: 81 OVR

Mike Conley: 81 OVR

Anfernee Simons: 81 OVR

Austin Reaves: 81 OVR

Brandon Miller: 81 OVR

Klay Thompson: 81 OVR

R.J. Barrett: 81 OVR

Andrew Nembhard: 81 OVR

Chris Paul: 81 OVR

Devin Vassell: 81 OVR

D’Angelo Russell: 81 OVR

Miles Bridges: 81 OVR

Naz Reid: 81 OVR

Isaiah Hartenstein: 81 OVR

Nikola Vucevic: 81 OVR

Daniel Gafford: 81 OVR

Nicolas Claxton: 81 OVR

Jalen Duren: 81 OVR

Dereck Lively II: 81 OVR

Keegan Murray: 80 OVR

Jaden McDaniels: 80 OVR

Assuming the Phoenix Suns’ edited behind-the-scenes video of the 2024 NBA Draft is truly chronological, they provide the receipts that they got the two guys they had targeted, rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.

2024 NBA Draft: Inside the War Room

🎥 Go behind the scenes of the Suns draft pic.twitter.com/Hihgu1CXbB

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) August 26, 2024

The video picks up in Phoenix’s war room as the Suns are trading the No. 22 overall pick for the 28th selection and future seconds. They want Dunn, a Virginia wing who can juice the roster’s athleticism and defensive abilities.

And they get greedy by trading down with hopes of still landing him. They moved down six spots, accepting the Denver Nuggets’ pick in the first round, the 56th overall pick, plus 2026 and 2031 second-rounders in the trade.

Phoenix selected Dunn near the end of the first round. Their war room was led by owner Mat Ishbia, CEO Josh Barstelstein and vice president of basketball operations and general manager James Jones.

“We can go Dunn and we can go into tomorrow and see what happens and maybe (picks) 36, 37 Oso is still there we can grab him and grab our second guy,” says Ishbia, off camera. “Those are our two favorites, Dunn and Oso.”

The Suns attacked it just like that.

“We were basically on the phone with every team every two to three minutes as the picks were rolling off,” Jones said after the draft.

In a standalone deal before landing Ighodaro, the Suns grabbed the No. 51 pick for a 2028 second-rounder, then packaged it with the 56th pick to send to the New York Knicks, who helped Phoenix move all the way up to 40th.

That’s where they took Ighodaro out of Marquette.

“We did not think he would get to 56,” Bartelstein said.

Follow @AZSports

The “Night of the Dragon” featured a game with Dragic leading one team and Doncic leading the other, as well as a one-on-one match between Dragic and his younger brother — and fellow former Suns guard — Zoran Dragic. The brothers played to a 5-all tie at halftime on a scoreboard held up by their mother courtside.

Legends like Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin McHale were all on hand. Former Suns head coach Alvin Gentry was among the coaches on the Team Dragic bench.

Players on the court during the game ranged from Bogdan Bogdanovic to Robin Lopez and from Boban Marjanovic to Nikola Vucevic.

One last time… THE DRAGON 🐉

Goran Dragic's "Night of the Dragon" Farewell Game is LIVE on the NBA App!

📲 https://t.co/XPFEMpvQem pic.twitter.com/afpUR3mj54

— NBA (@NBA) August 24, 2024

Chris Bosh, who had to retire from the NBA due to blood clotting issues, also took the floor as a former Miami Heat teammate of Dragic.

Halftime featured a cultural appreciation of Dragic, with performances by a choir, children’s accordion orchestra, 2023 Eurovision contestants Joker Out and more.

Even a soccer match broke out in the second half on the court with the players kicking a mini ball into mini goals with basketball shoes on.

We got a solution for @Goran_Dragic‘s career choice after basketball. ⚽️#IfeelsLOVEnia | #NightOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/iZ1dcvL3Aq

— Goran Dragić Foundation (@FoundationGD) August 24, 2024

For the final stretch of the game, Dragic was joined by his son, nephew, father and brother to close out the win. Marjanovic even assisted the youngsters on dunks.

Family is everything 💚@Goran_Dragic @FoundationGD #ifeelslovenia #nightofthedragon pic.twitter.com/5MPXCHe3Td

— Feel Slovenia (@SloveniaInfo) August 24, 2024

Dragic played 946 NBA games from 2008-23, plus another 62 in the playoffs. No Slovenian player has seen more NBA action.

He spent two stints on the Suns, first from 2008-11 and from 2012-15. He won the Most Improved Player award in 2013-14 after averaging a career-high 20.3 points per game for the 48-34 Suns.

His shining moment with Phoenix was a 23-point fourth quarter in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs in 2010, which helped the Suns push past a longtime foe.

⭐️ NBA All-Star
⭐️ 2014 All-NBA Third Team
⭐️ 2014 #KiaMIP

Goran ‘The Dragon’ Dragic takes the court one final time in his farewell game featuring NBA Stars Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Dirk Nowitzki and more!

Watch Live in the NBA App tomorrow at 2pm/et! ⤵️… pic.twitter.com/KYmclpsPM7

— NBA (@NBA) August 23, 2024

Dragic addressed the crowd after the game.

Proceeds from the game and related events benefited the the Botrstvo v sportu program of the Friends of Youth Foundation Ljubljana Moste-Polje and the Goran Dragic Foundation.

Follow @AZSports

Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports
Photos: Alika Jenner, Christian Peterson, Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

The docuseries called “Olympic Men’s Basketball” is set to debut in 2025, the streaming service said.

Relive the journey behind the tip off to Olympic glory. Coming to Netflix in 2025. pic.twitter.com/tikT6DeSij

— Netflix (@netflix) August 23, 2024

Jerseys belonging to Team USA’s LeBron James, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Germany’s Franz Wagner and France’s Victor Wembanyama are shown in the teaser.

“Olympic Men’s Basketball” will give all access to the sport’s promising hopefuls and medal contenders from across the world as they first battle to qualify for Paris 2024 before setting their sights on the Olympic podium. Through a generation of legends, the six-episode series will also explore what has led the game to become such a global, competitive phenomenon. (International Olympic Committee announcement)

The IOC aims to bring the stories of athletes and heat of competition to a wide audience with this and two other docuseries.

The other docuseries are centered around gymnastics and track, each focused on American stars who collected medals.

“Simone Biles: Rising” premiered in July with two episodes on the all-time great gymnast. Part 2 of the docuseries is expected to release on Oct. 25.

“Sprint” focuses on Americans Noah Lyle and Sha’Carri Richardson, as well as Jamaican star Shericka Jackson. Season 2, which focuses on the Paris games, is scheduled for a Nov. 13 release.

Follow @AZSports

The Suns have shown zero intention of calling their Big Three bets sunk costs right now.

Trading one of their stars now sounds conspirational.

But John Hollinger’s story for The Athletic about the NBA’s top underrated moves this offseason strongly paints a picture of why we should expect to hear about Houston again whenever the Suns reach the point of blowing up the roster.

Hollinger, a former executive of the Memphis Grizzlies, points out that the Rockets’ involvement as a third team in the Mikal Bridges trade from Brooklyn to New York this offseason will tie Houston to Phoenix for future years.

We won’t dabble in the confusing pick swaps and future traded picks exchanged in the deal that made Bridges a Nova Knick. Just know the Nets dealt the Rockets some of the draft capital Brooklyn received from the Suns in the Durant deal from 2023.

Hollinger writes that the Rockets could be the Suns’ savior to get out of cap hell down the road.

… the Rockets started with an unprotected first and an unprotected swap from Brooklyn and ended up with two unprotected firsts from Phoenix and two swaps.

What makes this so cool for Houston is that the Suns, despite their own underrated move this summer (for Tyus Jones) are rapidly hurtling toward Armageddon. Maybe not this year, maybe not even next … but it’s just around the corner. Owning late-decade Suns draft capital is a great business to be in.

…

Dangling the return of those two picks and some other goodies to get Devin Booker and let the Suns restart in two or three years is perhaps still an underdog bet, and much water will go under the bridge between now and then.

Such an idea was floated in less clean terms in rumors about the Rockets’ interest in Durant and even Booker this summer.

There’s no doubt Houston this offseason was putting out bat signals, via reporters, about its willingness to punch the gas and make a leap into contention, be it a trade with the Suns or otherwise.

A trade with Phoenix could inch closer to reality on the Suns’ end if traction isn’t gained this year. And things like point guard Tyus Jones departing after a single season — see below — will ding the talent level of the roster looking ahead.

As we’ve seen this offseason, the Suns might have finally found their spending limit.

On Wednesday, cutting the contracts of Nassir Little and E.J. Liddell (after the David Roddy trade) saved Phoenix about $40 million in tax money, per Hollinger. And it came at the price of currently not filling a 15th roster spot.

Hollinger calls the Suns’ Tyus Jones signing a top underrated move

By all accounts, the Suns recruiting point guard Tyus Jones to join them on a minimum deal in a dried-up market was about luck and being able to sell him on the situation.

They made up for the lack of cash with a family atmosphere that Jones said played a big part. Obviously, so did a chance to set up three of the league’s best scorers in Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal.

But how much of a steal did the Suns get in money terms? Hollinger put it in these terms while naming Jones one of the league’s most underrated offseason moves:

On a roster where the only other options were the brittle and less offensively potent Monté Morris (himself a bargain on a minimum deal earlier this summer) and “let’s see how another year of Point Booker works out,” Jones is basically manna from heaven. Though an extremely late addition, he’s good enough that he could genuinely matter in a congested West race where two or three wins might be the difference between the third seed and the Play-In Tournament … not to mention a playoff series.

Sure, Jones is gonzo next summer, and they’ll have to try to fill his spot again, but for a team in win-now mode, the “NOW” part strikes me as the more important element. The late-decade endgame in Phoenix looks brutal no matter what. But whatever Phoenix’s 2024-25 ceiling is going to be with Mat Ishbia’s absurdly all-in, burn-all-the-draft-picks approach, the Suns are way more likely to hit it after adding Jones.

Hollinger’s BORD$ metric, which puts a dollar value on a player’s production, had Jones as a $14.2 million talent.

Phoenix’s veteran minimum offer, the only contract they could hand the 28-year-old Jones, will pay out $2.1 million.

Jones is coming off his best NBA season, where he averaged 12.0 points to go with 7.3 assists and 49% shooting with the Washington Wizards.

In case you are wondering, there’s a near-0% chance Jones will be back with the Suns after the 2024-25 season.

This is a prove-it year, and Phoenix’s salary cap prison disallows it to offer him much more than a minor raise, which would still put Jones $10s of millions below his true value.

Follow @kzimmermanaz