Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson is reportedly expected to miss one to two months with a knee injury.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the timeline was determined after Johnson underwent a procedure to remove part of his meniscus Tuesday.

Johnson tore the meniscus in his right knee against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, and he has missed Phoenix's past two games as a result.

In eight games prior to the injury, Johnson was averaging career highs in multiple categories, including points (13.0), three-pointers made (2.8), assists (1.8) and steals (1.1).

Johnson was also averaging 3.4 rebounds and shooting 44.6 percent from the field and a career-best 43.1 percent from beyond the arc as the Suns' starting power forward.

The 26-year-old was originally selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 11 pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of North Carolina, and he was traded to Phoenix on draft night.

Johnson has been a three-point shooting threat for his entire career, and his role has continued to expand in each of his first four NBA seasons.

The 6'8" forward was primarily a bench player in his first three seasons before taking on a starting role this season in the absence of disgruntled veteran Jae Crowder.

In terms of full seasons, last season was the best of Johnson's career thus far, as he averaged career highs with 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 trifectas, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals, while shooting 46.0 percent from the floor and 42.5 percent from deep.

Johnson was also a key contributor during the Suns' playoff run last season, averaging 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 threes and 1.5 assists in 13 games.

The Suns are tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference this season at 7-3, and they have enough top-end talent to thrive without Johnson.

Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges will continue to anchor the starting lineup and lead the way, while Torrey Craig will likely see the biggest increase in minutes since his skill set is most similar to Johnson's among Phoenix's bench players.

The Phoenix Suns announced point guard Chris Paul was ruled out for the remainder of Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers with right heel soreness.

Paul reportedly dealt with a quad injury during the Suns' second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2022 NBA playoffs, though the star guard refused to discuss the issue, per ESPN's Marc J. Spears. Phoenix lost the series in seven games.

The 37-year-old has dealt with a variety of mostly minor ailments over the past couple of years. He hasn't played more than 70 games since the 2015-16 season while with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Paul confirmed he planned to return for the 2022-23 campaign, though.

"I'm not retiring tomorrow, thank God," the 12-time All-Star told reporters after the Suns' postseason elimination. "Hopefully, I'm healthy coming back. But I'm [going to] keep playing."

He's proceeded to average 10.3 points, 10.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals in nine games so far this season.

While the Wake Forest alum is still a high-end contributor when healthy, it's important for Phoenix to have reliable backup options at the point given his age and recent injury history. Cameron Payne leads the reserves at the position.

Paul figures to see occasional games off throughout next season in an effort to keep him healthy. The main goal for the Suns, which posted the NBA's best record at 64-18 in 2021-22, is making sure he's as close to 100 percent as possible for the 2023 playoffs.

Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Charania and Sam Amick previously reported the Suns feared a torn meniscus as of Saturday, but he was set to undergo further testing to confirm the diagnosis.

Johnson suffered the right knee injury early in Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, coming out of the game after just five minutes of action. He was inactive for Saturday's game.

The fourth-year player averaged 13.0 points and 3.4 rebounds through eight games in 2022-23, shooting 43.1 percent from three-point range.

The 26-year-old scored a season-high 29 points in Tuesday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, one game before suffering his injury.

Johnson is coming off a breakout year with the Suns, averaging 12.5 points with 4.1 rebounds while shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range. He started just 16 of 66 games, but he was a finalist for the league's Sixth Man of the Year while helping the Suns post the best record in the NBA.

With Jae Crowder on the trade block, Johnson moved into the starting lineup and became a key part of the team's 7-2 start, the best record in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to agree to an extension before the deadline this year and will now be a restricted free agent next offseason. The latest injury could represent a significant setback as he tries to secure a new deal.

Veteran teammate Chris Paul still provided some encouraging words for the fourth-year player:

"This ain't it. This is just a hurdle he's gonna have to overcome, and we're gonna be right there with him." - Chris Paul on Cam Johnson's knee injury pic.twitter.com/CuvCTFS9za

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) November 6, 2022

Torrey Craig started in place of Johnson on Saturday and could see a bigger role going forward. Dario Šarić and Damion Lee should also play extra minutes at the forward spots as the Suns try to remain a team to beat in the West.

Jae Crowder is still seeking a trade from the Phoenix Suns, but the veteran forward told TNT's Chris Haynes that the trade talks are not about him losing his starting role with the team:

My @NBAonTNT in-game report on my conversation with Suns forward Jae Crowder, who is away from the team and waiting on a trade: ‘It’s definitely not true of the narrative being pushed about me starting or not.’ pic.twitter.com/QL41N3Njub

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 26, 2022

"The business of basketball has taken its course, and changes have come," Crowder said in a statement to Haynes. "I do not want to give the details just yet, but it's definitely not true of the narrative being pushed about me starting or not."

The TNT crew instead speculated that it's about Crowder's contract situation as he heads into the final year of his current deal.

The 32-year-old has been away from the team since training camp as part of a mutual agreement to work out a trade.

The Milwaukee Bucks recently engaged in talks on Crowder, joining the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks in pursuit of the forward, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Crowder started all 67 games he played for the Suns last season, plus 13 playoff games, helping the squad post the best record in the NBA at 64-18. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game as a versatile contributor on both ends of the court.

Of the regular-rotation players for Phoenix last season, no one had a better plus-minus per 100 possessions than Crowder at 10.6, per Basketball Reference.

The on-court impact and postseason experience makes him highly sought-after among contenders, although there is clearly no issue with his role regardless of where he lands.

Crowder was a full-time starter last year, but he came off the bench at times for Phoenix in 2020-21 and was mostly a bench player with the Utah Jazz in 2018-19. He is still likely to get his regular minutes, whether it comes at the beginning of the game or the end.

Cameron Johnson has slid into the starting lineup for the Suns in place of Crowder, helping the team get off to a 3-1 start in 2022-23.

As the 2022-23 NBA season has gotten started, Jae Crowder remains out of action. The 32-year-old forward is technically still on the Phoenix Suns' roster, but he's been away from the team while it looks to find a trade partner to move him.

In the meantime, there have been various rumored suitors. And some of them are intriguing fits for Crowder.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat have been among the suitors for Crowder. While the Bucks and Hawks have had talks with the Suns, the Heat could also be in the mix, per Charania.

Of those teams, the Bucks may be the best potential fit for Crowder. Charania reported that Milwaukee has "recently been engaged" in discussions with Phoenix, too, so perhaps it's among the most serious of the suitors.

Crowder has played for seven teams over his first 10 NBA seasons, but he's never suited up for the Bucks. However, Milwaukee has seen what he's capable of, as it faced off with Phoenix in the 2021 NBA Finals, a series that the Bucks won in six games.

Milwaukee is hoping to win another championship this season. It should be among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the team make another deep run through the playoffs.

That's why Crowder is the type of player the Bucks should be looking to add. He's an experienced veteran with a plethora of postseason experience. He even played in the NBA Finals in back-to-back years, as he also reached that point with the Heat in 2020.

After beating the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, Milwaukee is off to a 3-0 start. However, it continues to be without Khris Middleton, who has been out due to a left wrist injury. The Bucks have also been without Joe Ingles (left ACL) and Pat Connaughton (right calf).

Even though Milwaukee may not acquire Crowder in time to help fill these voids (as some of these players may not be too far from returning), he'd be another valuable player to add to this mix. Then, the Bucks also wouldn't feel the need to rush any of their injured players back into action too soon.

One of the rumored reasons for Crowder's desire to leave Phoenix had been that he wasn't happy about potentially coming off the bench rather than starting. However, he stated that's not the case.

NBA insider Chris Haynes shared during Tuesday's TNT broadcast of the Golden State-Phoenix game that Crowder said it's "definitely not true of the narrative being pushed about me starting or not."

If Crowder is open to a bench role, then he may even be a better fit in Milwaukee. The Bucks have such a talented roster that they may want to use the former Marquette standout not in their starting lineup, and that could bode well for both sides.

So it would be wise for Milwaukee to intensify its pursuit of Crowder, especially if Phoenix's asking price is reasonable. He can still be a solid contributor at this point in his career, and his leadership and experience would be a valuable addition to the Bucks' core in their chase for another NBA title.

The Golden State Warriors' defense was questioned following a 134-105 blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, which dropped the reigning NBA champions' record to 2-2.

Phoenix shot 51.1 percent from the field and knocked down 12 threes on 41.4 percent efficiency as it improved to 3-1. Golden State also allowed the Suns to grab 14 offensive rebounds.

"The commitment to defense isn't there," forward Draymond Green told reporters. "That's something we have to be better at, and it starts with me. And I'll make sure we get there. But right now, we are a decent offensive team and a bad defensive team. I don't expect that to be the case. It's something we can change, we've just got to commit to it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uwHtzHHgEU

Although the sample size remains small, the Warriors rank 29th in points allowed per game (124) and 24th in opponents' field goal percentage (48.4) so far in 2022-23.

Here's a look at some Twitter reaction to the Dubs' performance:

The Warriors have allowed 382 points in their last 3 games. pic.twitter.com/NBN3xEpxAm

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 26, 2022

Warriors defense from last season to this season is night and day. Went from best defense to one of the worst right now. Embarrassing. If you think this is going to change magically without changes in rotation, you're kidding yourself.

— Jim Park🏀🌌 (@Sheridanblog) October 26, 2022

Whenever the warriors decide to play defense, their season will officially start

— Justin (RIPKOBE) (@ThePackageJG) October 26, 2022

Warriors Defense from last year to this year is night and day

Losing guys like GP2 and Otto has hurt the team defense like crazy 😕

— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) October 26, 2022

Warriors fans rn pic.twitter.com/nWKBIymPZo

— jose ☔️ (@KlayForTrey) October 26, 2022

Damn allowed 125+ 3 games in a row…

Warriors defense is abysmal 💀💀💀

— UG (@SCDG2330) October 26, 2022

Warriors defense lookin kinda sus this year..

— De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 💔 (@GoIdenState) October 26, 2022

Good stat Dubs handed to TNT. Warriors have allowed three straight 70-point first halves.

Their defense needs lots of work.

— Kevin Zimmerman (@KZimmermanAZ) October 26, 2022

Despite some sloppiness the @warriors offense is fine. It’s the defense, and especially the perimeter defense, that’s a concern to start the year.

— Cyrus Saatsaz (@SurfJournalist) October 26, 2022

Devin Booker led all scorers with 34 points to pace the Suns' offense. Mikal Bridges (17 points), Jock Landale (17), Deandre Ayton (16) and Chris Paul (16) also reached double figures in scoring as Phoenix kicked off a six-game homestand in emphatic fashion.

It was a chippy contest with a lot of trash talk going in both directions, which included Klay Thompson being ejected in the third quarter after a verbal exchange with Booker.

"We've got to remember that [as] defending champs, there's a different glow when you walk in," Warriors superstar Stephen Curry said. "Teams are trying to come at you, especially on the road, get their crowd into it. Their emotions are running high and they fed off of it. ... They had a bit of an edge after that moment that they capitalized on."

Tensions won't have too much time to cool off as Golden State returns to Footprint Center for a rematch in a couple weeks (Nov. 16).

Next up for the Warriors is a return home to the Chase Center for a clash with the Miami Heat on Thursday.

The Suns are back in action Friday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.

Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker divulged that Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson had plenty to say about the Dubs' four championships in the past eight years during Phoenix's emphatic 134-105 win on Tuesday.

Thompson was ejected during the third quarter after he and Booker bumped chests while talking trash, resulting in double technical fouls. Thompson then shoved Suns wing Mikal Bridges, which yielded his second technical and his first ejection in 796 career NBA regular-season and playoff games.

Per ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Booker revealed what Thompson was saying to the Suns bench as he walked off the court: "They have four rings, repeated over and over, and they do, and they did."

"They have 4 rings. Repeated over and over. And they do. And they do."

Devin Booker talks about Klay Thompson's trash-talking and how much respect he has for him after Klay's first career ejection. pic.twitter.com/QpJk3OVW7C

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 26, 2022

Booker added: "We're just two competitors. I love Klay Thompson. I have for a really long time. But it's not going to excuse from us being competitive and talking to each other. I've always admired his game, how he plays on both ends of the ball. And obviously, the rings speak for themselves."

The Warriors have been the dominant team in the NBA for nearly a decade, and although the Suns had the best record in the NBA last season, it was the Warriors who went the distance, represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals and beat the Boston Celtics.

In fact, the Suns didn't even make it to the Western Conference Finals, as they surprisingly fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round despite having a stacked lineup headlined by Booker, Bridges, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.

Phoenix is off to a strong start again this season at 3-1, and Tuesday's victory over Golden State can only be described as a statement win.

That is especially true for Booker, who outdueled both Thompson and Stephen Curry with a game-high 34 points to go along with seven assists, three steals and two rebounds.

Meanwhile, Thompson struggled mightily before his ejection, finishing with only two points on 1-of-8 shooting, plus two assists and one block.

That marked the continuation of a slow start for Thompson this season. He had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting in Golden State's previous game against the Sacramento Kings and is averaging just 11.0 points per game for the 2-2 Warriors.

Frustration seemed to set in for Thompson on Tuesday, as he couldn't find his rhythm and the Warriors were thoroughly outplayed as a team as well.

Following the game, Curry said he loved to see Thompson jawing with the Suns because it made him feel like Thompson was "engaged" in the game and the situation.

That hasn't translated to great performances from Thompson thus far, but he will have a chance to right the ship Thursday when the Warriors host the Miami Heat.

The Phoenix Suns' next ownership group may be presidential.

Bill Simmons of The Ringer said former President Barack Obama is involved in one of the groups considering a bid to buy the Suns from Robert Sarver.

"I heard Obama's involved in one of the groups," Simmons told Charles Barkley on The Bill Simmons Podcast (11:40 mark). "That's the one guy I feel like, they would make him the actual face, and the money guys would be so happy to have him at the front that they would just be like, 'Cool."

Barkley then interjected to say he would get involved in an ownership group if it included Obama—but only if it included 44.

No further information was included on who would be included in any group with Obama, who would only be a fractional owner in what's expected to be the largest sale in NBA history.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported those in league circles expect the Suns to sell for $4 billion or perhaps even more by the time bidding is done. Joe Tsai's $2.4 billion purchase of the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 currently holds the all-time NBA mark for sale price.

Sarver, the disgraced and currently suspended owner of the Suns, announced plans to sell the franchise last month amid the fallout from an investigation into widespread workplace misconduct over his tenure. An independent investigation found Sarver used racial slurs, bullied employees, engaged in inequitable treatment of female employees and ran a hostile work environment over a 17-year span.

Sarver cast blame on an "unforgiving" social climate as the reason he was choosing to move on. Several sponsors threatened to pull support from the Suns if Sarver remained with the franchise beyond his suspension, and ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported NBA commissioner and several other owners pressured Sarver into agreeing to sell the team.

Should Obama join a new Suns ownership group, he would not be the first U.S. president to have a stake in a pro sports franchise. George W. Bush was previously a part-owner of the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1998.

The Phoenix Suns have reportedly "been engaged in talks" with the Milwaukee Bucks on a potential Jae Crowder trade, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat remain in pursuit of the veteran forward, but Milwaukee has also "registered interest."

Crowder has yet to appear with the Suns this season and has been away from the team since training camp as part of a mutual decision to part ways.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Heat officials believe Miami is Crowder's "preferred destination" after ending the 2019-20 season with the team. The wing started all 21 playoff games as the squad made a surprising run to the NBA Final.

The experience could make Crowder a quality fit on any contender, however, totaling 107 playoff games during his career.

The 32-year-old has also made deep playoff runs with the Boston Celtics and Suns, but has never won a title.

Crowder has proved he can help in a lot of ways on the court, averaging 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game last season. He started all 67 games he played for the Suns as they posted the best record in the NBA.

The Suns were 5.4 points better per 100 possessions with Crowder on the court last season, tying Chris Paul for second among regular rotation players, per Basketball Reference.

Milwaukee is off to a strong start with wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets, but the squad could use added depth on the wing, especially with Khris Middleton dealing with a wrist injury. Crowder's postseason experience could then help the Bucks get over the top as they try to win their second title in three years.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly apologized to Phoenix Suns employees for workplace misconduct they endured during the tenure of majority owner Robert Sarver.

ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported Friday that Silver held a meeting with the Suns organization ahead of Wednesday's season-opening game against the Dallas Mavericks.

"I'm incredibly empathetic to what many of you have lived through," Silver said, later adding: "To the extent that you feel let down by the league, I apologize. I take responsibility for that."

Sarver announced in September he had started the process of selling the Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury following the NBA's investigation.

Listed among the key findings of the probe, which was conducted independently by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, was Sarver's use of racist language, "inequitable conduct" toward female employees, "inappropriate physical conduct" toward male employees and general "demeaning and harsh treatment of employees."

The NBA fined Sarver $10 million and suspended him for one year, but several players, including the Suns' Chris Paul and Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, spoke out saying the punishment wasn't enough before the sale announcement.

"As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness," Sarver said in a statement. "I expected that the commissioner's one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love. But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible—that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past. For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury."

Silver also took questions from Suns employees during Wednesday's meeting, including one about whether he'd heard about Sarver's conduct before it became public, per Baxter.

"Did I hear ever that Robert could be difficult to deal with? Sure," Silver said. "But that's very different than conduct which is viewed as discriminatory in any way."

He called the situation a "failure of an overall system" but said there weren't any "deep answers" for why action wasn't taken sooner.

"You do need to talk about it," Silver responded to one employee who expressed "lingering frustration" about how Sarver's conduct was initially handled. "I think it's healthy."

Sam Garvin, who's serving as the Suns' interim governor while Sarver works through the sale process, was also in attendance for the session.

Sarver hasn't announced a timetable for selling the franchises. Next up for Phoenix on the court is a road game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.