Category: Phoenix Suns Blog

The Phoenix Suns have relieved Earl Watson of his duties as head coach. Suns associate head coach Jay Triano will take over as interim head coach.

Watson was originally named interim head coach on February 1, 2016, and then was retained as the 17th head coach in franchise history on April 19, 2016. In parts of three seasons as head coach, Watson’s teams compiled a 33-85 (.280) record.

Triano joined the Suns’ staff as associate head coach in the summer of 2016. Triano had previously served as head coach of the Toronto Raptors from 2008-2011, compiling an 87-142 (.380) record as he was the first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history. In addition to his NBA coaching experience that includes six seasons as an assistant coach with the Raptors and four seasons as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers, Triano is head coach of the men’s national team for Canada Basketball.

The Phoenix Suns have exercised their 2018-19 options on guard Devin Booker, forward Dragan Bender and forward Marquese Chriss.

Booker led the Suns with 22.1 points per game last season, the third-highest scoring average ever posted by a player 20-years-old-or-younger at season’s end, behind only LeBron James in 2004-05 and Kevin Durant in 2008-09. The 13th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Booker’s 2,774 total points through his first two seasons trail only James, Durant and Carmelo Anthony for the fourth-most ever by an NBA player before his 21st birthday.

Bender averaged 7.2 points and 7.0 rebounds this preseason, after averaging 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.51 blocks in 43 appearances as a rookie last season, missing 31 games to a right ankle injury. The 4th overall pick and youngest player in the 2016 NBA Draft, Bender averaged 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Suns at NBA Summer League 2017 in Las Vegas, and also played for Croatia’s national team at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 this past summer.

Chriss was named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Rookie Second Team for averaging 9.2 points on 44.9 percent shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 0.85 blocks and 0.82 steals while playing all 82 games. The 8th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Chriss led all rookies in games started (75) and dunks (103), and was one of just two first-year players along with Joel Embiid to rank in the top 10 on the rookie leaderboard in scoring average, rebounds per game, blocks per game and steals per game.

The Suns open their 50th season with the Coca-Cola & Fry’s Food Stores Tip Off on Wednesday, October 18 when the team hosts the Portland Trail Blazers at Talking Stick Resort Arena at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available at Suns.com or by calling 602-379-SUNS.

The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Elijah Millsap.

Millsap appeared in four games for the Suns this preseason, totaling 10 points in 24 minutes. He originally signed with the Suns on April 9, playing in the club’s final two games of the 2016-17 season. Millsap averaged 19.7 points for the Northern Arizona Suns in 2016-17, leading the Suns’ G League affiliate in scoring during their inaugural campaign.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 17 players.

The Phoenix Suns have waived forward Tidjan Keita (pronounced tid-JON kay-EE-tah).

Keita had just signed with the Suns yesterday, October 13. Hopefully he at least got a free t-shirt.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 18 players.

The Phoenix Suns have signed forward Tidjan Keita (pronounced tid-JON kay-EE-tah).

Keita, a 6-10, 205-pound forward with a 7-3 wingspan, played for the Toronto Raptors at NBA Summer League 2017 in Las Vegas, appearing in two contests. The 20-year-old went undrafted as an international early entry candidate in the 2017 NBA Draft and participated in a pre-draft workout with the Suns in Phoenix on May 29. Prior to declaring for the 2017 NBA Draft, the native of Paris, France played at Cegep de Thetford in Quebec, Canada.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 19 players.

The Phoenix Suns have waived forward Anthony Bennett and guard/forward Peter Jok.

Bennett and Jok originally signed with the Suns on Sept. 22. Neither player appeared in any of the team’s first three preseason games.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 18 players.

Last night, Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren received sutures for a laceration on his head. By NBA policy, he was evaluated for a concussion and was not placed into the concussion protocol.

This afternoon, he was re-evaluated by Team Physician Dr. Tom Fiel in Phoenix and it was confirmed he will not be placed in the concussion protocol.

His status is day-to-day.

The Phoenix Suns have signed forward T.J. Warren to a multiyear contract extension.

“We are excited about extending T.J.’s contract,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “T.J. has improved every year and we think he has the potential to continue to grow as he just begins to approach his prime. We view T.J. as an important part of our young core going forward and we are glad that we were able to reach an agreement on this extension.”

Per the Arizona Republic, “the contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is worth $50 million over four years. McDonough said the deal will start in the 2018-2019 season.”

Warren, a 6-8, 215-pound forward, is entering his fourth NBA season and averaged career highs of 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 31.0 minutes in 66 games (59 starts) in 2016-17. The 24-year-old also shot 49.5 percent from the field, placing 28th on the NBA leaderboard. One of the league’s most efficient scorers, Warren averaged 17.6 points on 56.0 percent shooting following last season’s All-Star break as he and LeBron James were the only wings, and two of just six players overall, to average at least 15 points and shoot at least 55 percent during the season’s second half.

Originally the Suns’ selection with the 14th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Warren holds career averages of 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 24.4 minutes in 153 games, all with Phoenix. With a career field goal mark of 50.2 percent, he is one of just two players from the 2014 NBA Draft class (Nikola Jokic) to be averaging double-digits scoring while making at last half of his field goal attempts.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Warren starred collegiately for two seasons at North Carolina State University. In his final season with the Wolfpack in 2013-14, he earned ACC Player of the Year honors and set a single-season school record with 871 points, breaking the 39-year-old record previously held by Hall of Famer David Thompson.

Phoenix Suns forward/center Alan Williams today underwent a meniscus repair of his right knee. The procedure was performed by Head Team Physician Dr. Tom Carter in Phoenix. Williams is expected to return to full basketball activity in approximately six months.

The Suns’ 2016-17 Majerle Hustle Award winner, Williams averaged 11.4 points and 9.1 rebounds with 12 double-doubles in 24 games after the All-Star break last season. He led the Suns with 15 double-doubles overall and ranked third in the NBA with 15 double-doubles off the bench. Playing in his second NBA season, the 24-year-old averaged career-bests of 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 47 total games. A Phoenix native, Williams initially joined the Suns in March 2016 and re-signed to a multiyear contract with the team on July 26, 2017.