Phoenix Suns

After last season's playoff collapse, Phoenix Suns got a modicum of revenge against the Dallas Mavericks in Wednesday's season opener by erasing a 22-point deficit to earn a 107-105 win.

The Suns made their comeback in the fourth quarter with Chris Paul on the bench for the final seven minutes, a decision head coach Monty Williams said afterward was down to the game flow and how Cameron Payne was performing.

"I'm always open-minded in those situations," Williams told reporters. "As much as you want to have Chris out there, I know Chris wants to win. When I took him out, my plan was to get him back in there at three [minutes]. Then the game was just going in a good way and Cam was playing well, so I didn't want to take him out. I didn't think it was that big of a decision, but I guess it is because it's Chris."

Wednesday's game had very strong echoes of Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals when the Mavs cruised to a 123-90 victory on the Suns' home court.

Luka Doncic's jumper early in the third quarter gave Dallas a 67-45 lead. Dating back to Game 6 of that playoff series, the Mavericks had outscored the Suns by 82 points in just over 2.5 games at that point.

Phoenix did finish the third quarter with a 31-19 scoring advantage, cutting the deficit to just five points. Dallas got the lead back up to 15 points with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

When Payne came back into the game to give Paul a rest, the Suns went on a 23-10 closing run to earn the win. Payne only scored seven points on 3-of-7 shooting, but he was plus-15 in just 19 minutes.

Paul was really struggling to find a shooting rhythm in the game. The 12-time All-Star made just one of his six field-goal attempts and had six points in 30 minutes.

Damion Lee's jumper with 9.7 seconds left to play gave the Suns a 107-105 lead. Doncic's three-point attempt on Dallas' ensuing possession didn't fall, allowing Phoenix to hang on for the win.

Dallas head coach Jason Kidd may have disrupted his team's rhythm by keeping Christian Wood on the bench for an extended period in the fourth quarter. He exited at the same time as Chris Paul and didn't come back in until the 2:19 mark after Phoenix took a 101-100 lead.

Wood was fantastic in his Mavs debut with 25 points (4-of-7 three-point shooting) and eight rebounds in 24 minutes. Dallas scored just 43 points in the second half against Phoenix's defense.

If the Suns are going to remain a top contender in the Western Conference, they will need Paul to be the leader of their offense. Wednesday's game was a struggle for the future Hall of Famer, but Williams was able to piece things together for his team to steal a victory over a good Mavericks team.

Deandre Ayton and Monty Williams didn't end last season on the best of terms, but the Phoenix Suns head coach said the pair have not met to hash out any lingering issues.

"We don't need to air anything out. That's my point. I'm not gonna keep addressing that," Williams told reporters Tuesday. "It's like, he's the player, I'm the coach. Just like with Book and Chris and Mikal, D.A. gets his work in every day. He's 22 and 12 in 20 minutes. Those are the kind of things that we expect from him. I don't need to sit down and talk to him about it."

Monty Williams was again asked whether he’s spoken to Deandre Ayton and if they’ve gotten a chance to air things out.

“We don’t need to air anything out. That’s my point. I’m not gonna keep addressing that.” pic.twitter.com/UJeRZqGpUR

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) October 4, 2022

Williams played Ayton for only 17 minutes in the Suns' Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks last year in the Western Conference Semifinals. Reports of the coach's simmering frustration with Ayton soon followed, and the center said the two did not speak the entire offseason.

"I haven't spoken to him at all, ever since the game," Ayton told reporters last week. "I can show him better than I can tell him. It's life. Nobody cares about the uncomfortable nature of it. It's how you perform and what you bring to the table. What's said is already said."

The Suns' relationship with Ayton as a whole was not in the best place since the team refused to offer him a max contract extension last fall. Phoenix instead allowed Ayton to hit restricted free agency and then matched a four-year, $133 million offer sheet he signed with the Indiana Pacers.

The move saved the Suns some money over the course of the contract and avoided a potential fifth year, but it's hard to say the move was worth the trouble of creating behind-the-scenes tension that has carried on for at least a year.

Regardless of what's publicly said, a coach and player not speaking at all over an entire offseason doesn't seem like a healthy dynamic—particularly given where Ayton and Williams left things last season.

Williams may not be in love with the line of questioning, but he's spearheading a team that embarrassed itself in a Game 7 last season and then kicked off the preseason by losing to the National Basketball League's Adelaide 36ers.

The Suns better start off the regular season hot, or the chorus of concern will only grow.

Phoenix Suns majority governor Robert Sarver could get quite the golden parachute when he eventually sells the team.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported Monday that the price for the franchise could hit $4 billion or more and that the Suns "appear destined to sell for the highest amount in league history." The projected figure would far exceed the roughly $3.5 billion Joe Tsai spent to purchase the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center.

Sarver announced on Sept. 21 that he intended to sell the Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.

His decision came after the NBA released the findings of an independent investigation into the workplace culture in Phoenix. Among the revelations, Sarver was found to have used the N-word at least five times when repeating comments from others. He also "engaged in instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees, made many sex-related comments in the workplace, made inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female employees and other women, and on several occasions engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees."

The NBA suspended Sarver for one year from all NBA- and WNBA-related activities, a punishment many considered light given the circumstances.

Sarver's departure will bring satisfaction for some, but he nevertheless stands to collect a significant profit from what he originally invested in the Suns and Mercury. The group he led paid around $400 million for the franchises in 2004.

Last October, Forbes' Mike Ozanian projected the Suns to be the 18th-most valuable NBA franchise at $1.8 billion.

It's unclear whether the Mercury will be included with the purchase of the Suns.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx were packaged together when Glen Taylor agreed to a $1.5 billion deal with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. The Seattle Storm, on the other hand, were sold to a local group in January 2008 after Seattle SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett signaled his intention to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

The likely fee for the Suns reflects the overall health of the NBA. The league's total revenue surpassed $10 billion for the first time following the 2021-22 season. The expiration of its media-rights deals after the 2024-25 season means another massive windfall is coming as well.

Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. Villanova over Georgetown. The United States over the Soviet Union.

...the Adelaide 36ers over the Phoenix Suns??

Fans in Phoenix were witness to a shocking upset Sunday night, as they watched the NBL's 36ers earn a 134-124 win over their Suns.

Craig Randall scored a game-high 35 points and Robert Franks added 32 as Adelaide saw a chance to give its team a huge public relations boost and earn one of the biggest wins in NBL history.

The @Adelaide36ers take down the Suns in Phoenix, 134-124 😮 #NBAPreseason

Craig Randall II: 35 PTS, 9 3PM

Robert Franks: 32 PTS, 6 3PM https://t.co/lsjV7m6MLm

— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 3, 2022

The Adelaide 36ers just became the first NBL team to win an #NBLxNBA preseason game, beating the Phoenix Suns 134-124. The 36ers shot 24/43 (55.8%) from behind the 3pt line.

— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) October 3, 2022

Sure, it was just a meaningless preseason game. Fine, the Suns hard-capped their starters at 22 minutes played while the 36ers were competing like it was the NBA Finals.

Still.

A group of players deemed not worthy of the NBA or any of Europe's top leagues—the NBL is a fringe top-10 league outside of the United States—went into an NBA arena and soundly defeated a group of players that included two All-NBA guards and a max-contract center.

Suffice it to say the Suns got roasted for this loss.

Congratulations to Luka Doncic, Craig Randall, and Robert Franks on becoming the new co-owners of the Phoenix Suns 👏🏽

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 3, 2022

Suns after losing to the NBL's 36ers pic.twitter.com/7tlYAUqGe5

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) October 3, 2022

Has anything remotely good happened to the Suns’ franchise since Luka said this? https://t.co/Cy1NJFIGrb pic.twitter.com/H3CTNGirn6

— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) October 3, 2022

with the Adelaide 36ers coming into this game as 28-point underdogs against the Phoenix Suns, im pretty sure we just witnessed one of if not the greatest NBA ATS upset ever?

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 3, 2022

Career averages against the Suns:

MJ — Craig Randall —
32.4 PPG 35.0 PPG
53.4 FG% 61.9 FG%
13.6 3P% 52.9 3P% pic.twitter.com/ZVSEB945g0

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 3, 2022

The 36ers aren’t even one of the better teams in their league 😭😭😭😭😭

The Suns just lost to the Pistons of the NBL pic.twitter.com/EiUgz6OIsw

— Ramon ⚔️⚡️ (@RamonIsHim) October 3, 2022

Suns getting lit up by a created team

— Dom2K 🎅🎇 (@Dom_2k) October 3, 2022

Discrepancies with pay between the teams pic.twitter.com/7zVUQOA6MX

— Craig Rodgers (@Craigrodgers1C) October 3, 2022

Suns to Jae Crowder after losing to the 36ers pic.twitter.com/3XRVkOLjxu

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) October 3, 2022

The Suns after losing to the Adelaide 36ers pic.twitter.com/bFCmDhLw4n

— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) October 3, 2022

Genuinely hope that Adelaide beating the Suns helps make people realize how much talent there is worldwide playing hoops. So many players overseas are every bit as good as the last few guys on NBA rosters. So much a matter of timing, contract structure, etc.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) October 3, 2022

It's again worth noting that this result will not count on any record books and is ultimately just a fun little preseason story we'll all forget about once the regular season begins.

But, again, still.

This has to be a slight cause for concern in Phoenix, given the team did not make any significant roster improvements this offseason after being upset by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2022 playoffs.

Chris Paul is a year older. Deandre Ayton had to languish out in restricted free agency for weeks just to the team could save a couple of bucks. Plus, the whole Robert Sarver saga continues to hang over the organization.

It's possible we'll look back on this moment in a couple of months as foreshadowing a disappointing 2022-23 Suns season.

Despite losing Jalen Brunson to free agency and needing more shooting help around Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks don't appear to be in the mix for Jae Crowder.

Per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the Mavs are "not interested" in acquiring the veteran forward from the Phoenix Suns.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Suns and Crowder "mutually agreed" he would not attend training camp.

The news came amid speculation that Crowder wanted a trade to another team. The 32-year-old was not shy about letting everyone know he was seeking a new home. He pinned an Instagram comment from a fan asking the Miami Heat to bring him back.

After the Suns' statement came out, Crowder posted a tweet that strongly indicated he wanted to be moved:

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE.. GROWTH IS OPTIONAL.!! I BELIEVE ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE… I WANNA CONTINUE GROWING.!

— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) August 1, 2022

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium listed the Mavs, Heat, Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies as potential suitors for Crowder.

Coming off an appearance in the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks had a fairly quiet offseason. Brunson opted to sign with the New York Knicks as a free agent. They did acquire Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets.

Wood and Crowder together would look better on the Mavs' depth chart, but it would also be pretty redundant. Wood, who will be used off the bench as the sixth man, is a better shooter than Crowder at this point in their careers. He has averaged 16.9 points with a 38.4 three-point percentage over the past three seasons.

Crowder is coming off a disappointing performance last season. He had his worst scoring average (9.4 points per game) since 2014-15 and worst three-point percentage (34.8) since 2019-20.

Deandre Ayton believes Phoenix Suns governor Robert Sarver is to blame for not initially receiving a max contract extension, as both Ramona Shelburne and Marc Spears of ESPN reported:

"I was told that it was Robert Sarver who didn't want to give him that fifth year, who wanted to save the money," Spears said on NBA Today (2:35 in video).

"My understanding from talking to people close to Deandre is that he thinks this was Robert Sarver's decision as well," Shelburne added (3:50).

The Suns chose not to offer Ayton a max contract when he was eligible in 2021, allowing the center to become a restricted free agent this offseason. Phoenix eventually matched the four-year, $133 million offer sheet signed by the Indiana Pacers in July.

As Spears noted, the difference cost Ayton one year and $40 million in his total contract.

Sarver has already announced he will sell the Suns as well as the Phoenix Mercury after earning a one-year suspension from the NBA for racist and misogynistic behavior. His departure could allow Ayton to move forward on a positive note with the organization.

On the other hand, there are still question marks about his relationship with head coach Monty Williams.

Williams benched the center in Game 7 of the team's second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks after 17 minutes of playing time, and Ayton said Tuesday the two haven't spoken since.

The coach doesn't believe it will be an issue, saying he doesn't speak to a lot of the players during the offseason. It's still enough to raise question marks about a team expected to compete for a championship.

Phoenix finished last season with the best record in the NBA at 64-18, with Ayton finishing as its second-leading scorer and top rebounder. He averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, his fourth year averaging a double-double in as many seasons.

The Phoenix Suns are reportedly expected to sell for more than $3 billion amid the pending sale by disgraced governor Robert Sarver.

Baxter Holmes and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported the valuation, which would be the second-highest sale price for a sports franchise in history. The Denver Broncos sold earlier this year for $4.65 billion, blowing past the previous mark of $2.4 billion, which was set by the New York Mets in 2020.

Sarver announced his intention to sell the Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury amid widespread public and private pressure from sponsors, NBA players and Commissioner Adam Silver.

In his statement announcing the pending sales process, Sarver cast blame on an "unforgiving" cultural climate.

"As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness," Sarver said in the 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."

The NBA initially suspended Sarver for one year and fined him $10 million after an independent investigation found he used racial slurs, bullied employees, engaged in inequitable treatment of female employees and ran a hostile work environment during his tenure with the franchise. Sarver purchased the Suns in 2004.

Public outcry was immediate, with a near-universal agreement that the NBA did not hand down a substantial enough punishment. LeBron James, Draymond Green and Chris Paul were among the prominent NBA voices to criticize the league's handling of Sarver.

Holmes and Shelburne reported Silver privately felt he may have mishandled the situation amid the wave of backlash.

Behind the scenes, mechanisms were being put into place to force Sarver out. Several sponsors said they were weighing their future dealings with the Suns, and jersey sponsor PayPal said it would not renew its deal if Sarver remained with the franchise after his suspension.

Silver was also reportedly in communication with Sarver, selling him on the idea that selling the franchise was in his and the league's best interest.

In the end, Sarver will net a massive profit despite exiting the NBA in disgrace. It's a virtual certainty that he will make more than $2 billion on his initial $400 million purchase price.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' aggressive offseason is reportedly not finished just yet.

Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported the Cavs are among the teams interested in trading for Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder as they look for a "proven three-and-D big body."

The Suns agreed to excuse Crowder from training camp as they seek out a trade for the 32-year-old, who can play either the 3 or the 4 spot.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix reported Crowder requested a trade amid the Suns' lack of urgency to sign him to a contract extension. He will make $10.2 million in 2022-23, the final season of his three-year, $29.2 million deal he signed in 2020.

The Suns also reportedly informed Crowder he would not start or be part of the team's closing lineup. Crowder started 109 of 127 games during his first two years in Phoenix.

The Cavs have made a concerted all-in push to build a contender this offseason, acquiring Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz. Mitchell will join fellow All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, making Cleveland one of just two teams (Golden State) boasting three 2022 All-Stars on its Opening Night roster.

While the Cavs aren't considered a championship contender with their current roster, they're a strong bet to make their first playoff appearance without LeBron James since the 1997-98 season.

Last season was the Cavs' first winning season of the century without LeBron.

Adding Crowder would bring some veteran guile to a roster of twenty-somethings and fill a hole for a switchable, versatile wing who can stretch the floor.

That said, it's not entirely clear if the Cavs offer a better role than the one he'd play in Phoenix. Second-year big man Evan Mobley will start next to Allen in the frontcourt, and the Cavs have started 2020 lottery pick Isaac Okoro 128 times over the past two seasons.

During Jae Crowder's two seasons with the Phoenix Suns, the team experienced a ton of success.

The Suns made a run to the NBA Finals at the end of the 2020-21 season and played their way to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the following campaign.

However, Crowder and the Suns didn't win a championship. And now, the two sides are going to be parting ways.

On Sunday, Phoenix announced it will be trading the 32-year-old ahead of the 2022-23 season. So, while the Suns are currently holding training camp and preparing to play games, the forward is waiting to find out where he'll be heading.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Crowder requested a trade over the summer when he was informed "that he may lose his starting job this season."

"The Suns had discussions about it throughout the summer but hadn't found a deal yet," Windhorst wrote. "But it seems clear his time with the team is over."

Crowder came to Phoenix as a free agent in November 2020. Prior to that, he had stints with the Dallas Mavericks (2012-14), Boston Celtics (2014-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18), Utah Jazz (2018-19), Memphis Grizzlies (2019-20) and Miami Heat (2020).

So, where could be the Marquette product be heading next?

NBA insider Shams Charania told The Rally that the Suns had trade discussions with the Jazz, as they were trying to land Bojan Bogdanovic and could have sent Crowder back to Utah. However, the Croatian was dealt to the Detroit Pistons earlier this week.

Although Crowder may not be returning to Utah, that doesn't mean he won't rejoin another one of his former teams, according to Charania.

"I would look at the teams that he's played for," he said. "Look for teams like Boston, Memphis, Dallas, Miami."

Another team that could show interest is the Milwaukee Bucks.

ESPN's Zach Lowe believes the Bucks will "look" into the possibility of a Crowder trade, after they had been "sneakily kind of sniffing around" Jerami Grant, who was traded from the Pistons to the Portland Trail Blazers in July. Crowder is similar to the type of player Milwaukee may be looking for.

"I think they like the idea of the switchable, switchable, switchable guys," Lowe said on The Lowe Post (h/t HoopsHype).

Crowder doesn't typically put up huge numbers. Last season, he averaged 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 67 games for the Suns while shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three-point range.

However, he is a valuable player for a contending team. He made back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2020 (with Miami) and 2021 (with Phoenix). And he was instrumental in the Suns winning a franchise-record 64 games during the 2021-22 regular season.

So, it makes sense that the teams with rumored interest in Crowder are probable championship contenders. They need a player with strong leadership skills who can also be a contributor on the wing, and that's exactly what the 10-year NBA veteran would bring.

It isn't clear how close the Suns are to making a deal, though. Crowder could be in this waiting period for a bit. Could that stretch beyond the start of the 2022-23 regular season? That's not known at this point.

His time in Phoenix is over, though, and he'll soon be looking to help lead a different franchise to success during the upcoming season.

However, it's worth noting Crowder is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-23 campaign. So, even if he gets traded, it won't necessarily be for the long term.

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and big man Deandre Ayton may have some catching up to do in the fall because they apparently didn't talk during the summer.

Ayton told reporters Tuesday that he hasn't spoken to Williams "at all" since he was benched during Phoenix's Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs.

He also said "I can show him better than I can tell him" when asked what he would say to Williams if they spoke.

Deandre Ayton said he and Monty Williams have not spoken about their sideline incident in Game 7: pic.twitter.com/Z9rHYHr5yX

— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) September 27, 2022

Ayton played just 17 minutes in that game, which Phoenix lost by 33 points.

For his part, Williams downplayed their lack of communication and said he doesn't talk to many players during the offseason:

We spoke with Monty Williams about 20 minutes after. Here is what he had to say on a few questions about it. Downplayed it and said he hasn't talked to a lot of guys on the team.

Was asked if there is an issue that could linger and he said "not at all."https://t.co/jIEVXRsJe2

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) September 27, 2022

ESPN's Marc J. Spears noted the coach and player "engaged in a verbal spat on the bench" prior to the benching. Spears also spoke to each one individually about the situation in July, and Ayton was focused on moving forward while describing his relationship with his coach as "calm."

"Game 7 was an anomaly," he said. "We let that get away from us as a team. That is all in the past. We're going to look forward. We are going to move on."

Williams said: "I didn't feel like I had to say anything. I was just doing my job. We had a bad day, but we had an unbelievable season. Unfortunately, in sports and even in society, we focus on the one bad thing. It hurt like crazy, and it still hurts."

It seemed as if that may have been the center's final game with the Suns at times this offseason.

He signed a four-year, $132.9 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers as a restricted free agent, but Phoenix ultimately decided to match it and bring him back into the fold.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Ayton told reporters Tuesday when asked if he was happy to return. "When I'm in between those lines now I just work. I'm not playing for myself. I have an organization across my chest and a name on my back I have to represent. I'm just here to work, man."

It didn't come across as a ringing endorsement, and he will surely have to find a way to speak to his coach during the 2022-23 campaign if the Suns are going to bounce back from their shocking playoff loss and live up to their potential as a championship contender.

The trio of Ayton, Chris Paul and Devin Booker is among the best in the league, especially if the big man takes another jump after averaging 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 63.4 percent from the field in 2021-22.

He will attempt to do so while playing under a spotlight this season after the playoff loss and an offseason of uncertainty.