The Dodgers aim for their 10th win on the road this season, opening a three-game series against the Astros.
The already injury-plagued Mariners took another hit today as it was announced lefty Gabe Speier is going on the IL with left shoulder inflammation. LHP José Suarez, who was recently claimed off waivers from the Braves, has reported to the club to take his place. Additionally, the Mariners recalled lefty Josh Simpson from Tacoma and sent RHP Cole Wilcox to Triple-A.
Speier, 31, hasn’t been objectively bad, but nor has looked like the dominant reliever he was last year. While his numbers look fine on the surface, his expected metrics have been rough: his line of a .261 xBA, .466 xSLG, and .337 xwOBA are all career-highs, and all up about a hundred points over where he ended last year.
Curiously, Speier has been leaning on his slider more heavily this season than his fastballs, throwing the pitch 35% of the time, but he’s had trouble landing it with the consistency he did in 2025. On the left is his 2025 heat map for the pitch; on the right, this season.
For whatever reason, he’s had trouble getting the slider to the bottom of the zone consistently, and when the slider leaks into the middle and up on the plate, bad things happen.
No further details are yet available about the grade of severity of Speier’s shoulder inflammation; we will update this story when we know more.
With Speier down, the Mariners are going for a double-barreled approach to replacing the lefty in the bullpen. Josh Simpson, 28, has again been recalled from Triple-A Tacoma after being previously recalled on May 1. As we wrote about Simpson the last time, he’s got a big nasty sweeper and some legit strikeout potential, but he struggles to throw strikes. So far that’s not been an issue that’s worked itself out at Triple-A Tacoma, so expect Simpson to have a short leash if he can’t solve his strike-throwing issues on the fly in the big leagues. Quite an ask. To make room for Simpson, the Mariners sent another arm with command issues, Cole Wilcox, back to Tacoma, which makes me sad because I believe in Wilcox’s stuff, but at the end of the day, you have to throw strikes. Wilcox will have an opportunity to work on that with Tacoma and work his way back up to Seattle – soon, hopefully.
The other lefty the Mariners are going with is new acquisition José Suarez, who we also wrote up recently. The former AL West foe has had a bumpy start to his 2026 season with Atlanta after a successful 2025 after signing there as a free agent. Suarez has also had issues throwing strikes, and has less bat-missing ability than Simpson, but he has more neutral platoon splits rather than being a lefty specialist and as a former starter has length to cover innings if one of the Mariners starters goes short, a troubling trend of late. While neither of these relievers are a perfect replacement for peak Speier, each one now has a shot to try to carve out a role in the Mariners pen and make a case to be kept around even after an IL stint ends.
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls hired Atlanta Hawks executive Bryson Graham to lead their front office on Monday, hoping he can turn around a struggling franchise.
Graham takes over as Chicago’s executive vice president of basketball operations after the organization fired Arturas Karnisovas a month ago. He spent this season as Atlanta’s senior vice president of basketball operations after a 15-year run in New Orleans’ front office that saw him rise from intern to general manager. He had a hand in the Pelicans drafting Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Dyson Daniels in recent years.
Graham reunited with Nickeil Alexander-Walker in July when Atlanta acquired him from Minnesota. He averaged 20.8 points and was the NBA’s Most Improved Player. The Hawks went 46-36 before losing to New York in the first round of the playoffs and posted their highest win total since the 2015-16 team finished 48-34.
“This is one of the most storied franchises in the history of professional basketball, and I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to deliver results for this city and these fans,” Graham said in a statement. “My entire career has been built on the belief that sustained success starts with finding the right players and developing an all-around impactful culture.”
The Bulls fired Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley in early April after six years and one postseason appearance. They went on to finish 12th in the Eastern Conference at 31-51 while missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Graham will need to hire a new coach. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf had hoped to retain Billy Donovan. But the Naismith Hall of Famer opted to resign after six seasons, avoiding a potentially awkward situation with new management.
“He has worked his way up through basketball operations from the ground level, and that experience has given him a deep understanding of how to build and sustain a successful organization,” Michael Reinsdorf said. “He is an effective communicator, a disciplined and thoughtful decision-maker, and someone who truly connects with players and people. He understands today’s league, today’s players, and what it takes to develop talent and build a winning culture. Just as important, Bryson is committed to building a high-level group around him.”
Graham inherits a team with two promising young stars in Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, two first-round draft picks and the salary-cap space to make big moves this offseason. But the Bulls haven’t been serious contenders in the Eastern Conference since Derrick Rose tore his ACL in the opener of the 2012 playoffs against Philadelphia.
Chicago’s lone playoff appearance under the previous regime was during the 2021-22 season, when the team led by Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan finished sixth in the Eastern Conference at 46-36 and got knocked out by Milwaukee in the first round. The Bulls lost point guard Lonzo Ball to a knee injury during that season, and he missed the next two years.
Chicago’s most recent all-star was DeRozan in 2023.
Karnisovas refused for years to launch a major rebuild and give the Bulls the best shot at the No. 1 pick, stressing patience and not skipping steps, before pulling the trigger this year. He made seven trades prior to the deadline, dealing Nikola Vucevic to Boston, Kevin Huerter to Detroit, Coby White to Charlotte and Chicago product Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota.
The Bulls mostly got second-round draft picks in return. They also acquired Jaden Ivey from Detroit, only to waive him following anti-LGBTQ+ comments about religion he made in videos posted on his Instagram account.
Graham, who’s from San Antonio, played at Texas A&M from 2006 to 2009 before joining the Aggies’ staff as a graduate assistant. He was hired as an intern in New Orleans by then-GM Dell Demps prior to the 2010-11 season.
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (14-21) will wear their City Connect uniforms tonight as they welcome in the rival Los Angeles Dodgers (21-13) for the first game of a three-game series at Daikin Park.
Veteran reliever LHP Steven Okert (0-0, 4.20 ERA) will get the start for the Astros as an opener tonight opposite the Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.87 ERA).
TONIGHT’S STARTER: LHP Steven Okert, a nine-year MLB veteran, will be making his fifth Major League start as an opener and his second as an Astro (also, Aug. 5, 2025 at MIA).
The often-used lefty reliever had made 17 relief appearances in 2026, which ranks tied for fourth in the AL.
VS. THE DODGERS: The Astros and Dodgers will forever be connected by the 2017 World Series, which was won by Houston in a thrilling seven games. Since that 2017 season began, the Astros and Dodgers have been the two top clubs in baseball, in terms of regular season wins and playoff wins.
Since the 2017 World Series, the Astros are 11-9 against the Dodgers in the regular season and have won six of the last seven games.
In their last meeting, the Astros swept the Dodgers in a three-game series at Dodger Stadium (July 4-6, 2025), outscoring the Dodgers 29-6 in the three games.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH!: Announced earlier today, OF Yordan Alvarez was named the AL Player of the Month for March/April for his third career AL Player of the Month Award.
For the months of March and April, Alvarez batted .356 (42×118) with nine doubles, 12 home runs, 27 RBI, 21 walks, 25 runs scored and a 1.199 OPS (.462 OBP/.737 SLG).
MILB PLAYERS OF THE MONTH: Earlier today, the Astros named RHP Brandon McPherson and C Jason Schiavone the Astros Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month for April.
McPherson, 26, went 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA (6ER/16.2IP) in four starts in April with Double A Corpus Christi.
Schiavone, 23, hit nine home runs and recorded 23 RBI, with 22 walks, seven stolen bases and a 1.050 OPS in 20 games in April with High A Asheville.
HIT PARADE: The Astros, who lead the AL in batting average (.269), have reached double-figures in hits in each of the last six games, hitting .316 (71×225) in that span.
The last time the Astros reached double-figures in hits in six straight games was Aug. 6-12, 2024. The club record is eight straight games, done several times (last, June 1018, 2018).
Yesterday marked the 17th game in which Houston reached double figures in hits in 2026.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have recalled OF Zach Cole and designated OF Daniel Johnson for assignment.
Additionally, the club has reinstated OF Zach Dezenzo from the Injured List and optioned him to Triple A Sugar Land.
FROM THE TRAINER’S ROOM: The Astros have 13 players on the Major League IL.
• RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) continues his bullpen progression in West Palm Beach.
• RHP Hunter Brown (rt. shoulder sprain) is progressing through his throwing program and is now up to throwing from 120 ft.
• RHP Tatsuya Imai (rt. arm fatigue) is scheduled to make his second rehab start tomorrow at Triple A.
• RHP Cristian Javier (rt. shoulder strain) will begin a throwing progression this week.
• LHP Josh Hader (lt. biceps tendinitis) is scheduled to make his first minor league rehab appearance this week at Triple A Sugar Land.
• RHP Nate Pearson (rt. elbow surgery) is scheduled to make his third minor league rehab appearance tomorrow at Triple A Sugar Land.
• LHP Brandon Walter (lt. elbow surgery) continues his throwing progression this week in West Palm Beach.
• RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) continues his bullpen progression in West Palm Beach.
• IF Nick Allen (mid-back spasms) played in two minor league rehab games over the weekend at Double A Corpus Christi, going 2×7 with a double and two RBI.
• OF Joey Loperfido (rt. quad strain) has started light running and light baseball activity.
• OF Jake Meyers (rt. oblique strain) has started swinging a bat and doing running and throwing activities.
• SS Jeremy Peña (rt. hamstring strain) continued baseball activity in Boston over the weekend. He continues to increase the intensity of his workouts.
• OF Taylor Trammell (left groin strain) has begun a running progression and light baseball activity.
THE ORDER: The Astros have used 35 different batting orders in their 35 games so far this season. Only LF Yordan Alvarez has started every game in the same spot in the lineup (second).
WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER:Christian Walker is hitting .426 (20×51) in his last 12 games (since April 20) with four homers and 10 RBI.
For the season, Walker ranks tied for fourth in the AL in RBI (26), fifth in SLG (.579) and sixth in OPS (.975).
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: With 238 career homers as a second baseman, Jose Altuve needs one more to tie Lou Whitaker for seventh place all-time in MLB history among second basemen.
Altuve also needs three RBI to become the fifth player in franchise history to reach 900.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1975 – Astros great 1B Bob Watson makes history, as he scores the 1,000,000th run in Major League history in Game 1 of an Astros doubleheader in San Francisco.
He crosses the plate at approx. 12:32 p.m. in the afternoon, scoring from second base on a three-run homer by C Milt May. The Astros lose the opener, 8-6.
Game Date/Time: Monday, May 4, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Lakers center Deandre Ayton bounced across the court after practice Monday wearing all black, his chains swaying, his mood jovial as he approached the media to talk about his role in the Western Conference semifinals.
His spirits were high for what lies ahead for the Lakers as they prepared to face the best team in the NBA, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said the play of his center “changes our ceiling the most.”
Simply put, Ayton’s high-level of play will be paramount for the Lakers when they begin the best-of-seven series Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
Read more:How the Lakers and Thunder match up entering their playoff series
“Everything has been pretty solid, just staying in my role and just doing more in my role,” Ayton said. “This is the playoffs, so everybody can do more, everybody has another level. And this is the second round coming in, so I think we all deserve that little bit of increase of confidence from what we’ve done so far and the outcome from the adversity we’ve faced.
“I feel like that’s where we are right now and I think that’s what’s motivating me, as well, coming into these games. Just seeing, listening and being dialed in and seeing the results of it.”
There were times Ayton was a force against the Houston Rockets in the first round. He had double figures in rebounds in four of the six games and had three double-doubles in the series. He averaged 11.8 points and his 10.8 rebounds are third-best in the postseason.
“DA’s had a great season,” Redick said. “He was instrumental in us getting past Houston. I think his baseline of who he is every day for the last two, two-and-a-half months has been awesome. And I know his teammates, certainly the staff, we’ve all embraced him all season long. Again, he’s the person that changes our ceiling the most.”
Both Ayton and Marcus Smart came to the Lakers last summer, giving them a much-needed center and a defensive-minded guard. Smart said he didn’t know Ayton before they became teammates, but the two of them have bonded.
They sit next to each other in the locker room and Smart is the first to always encourage Ayton, to push him, to expect more out of him.
“Not his big brother, but I’m just somebody who he respects,” Smart said. “He sees [me] go out there and not only preaching, I’m actually doing what I’m preaching. I’m not just preaching, I’m out there with him, in the midst of it, battling with him, going through adversity with him, right? I think that drives a lot of respect for one another in that aspect, when you’re going to battle with somebody. You’re struggling while they’re struggling right there with you, trying to help you get through yours.”
The 7-foot Ayton will be going up against 7-1 Chet Holmgren and 7-foot Isaiah Hartenstein. Holmgren averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the first round and Hartenstein averaged 11.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
Ayton will have to hold his own against them and still be the force the Lakers have leaned on in the postseason.
Read more:‘You can’t fear them’: Upset-minded Lakers refuse to be intimidated by Thunder
“Playing bigger. … Just being relentless on the glass, you know, protecting the rim as much as possible and not letting them in my paint,” Ayton said. “It’s gonna be big with me protecting that paint in this series. They really generate and touch the paint. … Them having 50-plus points in the paint, you know they’re a really unstoppable team. So, I’m really just looking forward to protecting the paint as best as I can and staying on the floor as long as possible. That’s about it.”
Being on the road and in a hostile environment is something that Ayton also is looking forward to. He knows the crowd in Oklahoma City is like a college atmosphere and that he and the Lakers can’t get rattled.
“Yeah, you can’t hear yourself,” Ayton said. “It’s definitely the ‘Thunder’ for a reason, you know? Their fans are thunderous. You know, you can hear the floor shaking, the bleachers, you can’t even hear a play call. And you gotta be super dialed in.
“They’re the defending champs and you know their fans have been in atmospheres and hype games and you know they’re ready for their team to do their thing. So, we just gotta come in super prepared and just dial out all the noise and just come in and play together.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
DETROIT — Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff has agreed to a contract extension on the heels of Detroit’s first-round playoff series victory over the Orlando Magic.
Details regarding the value and length of the extension were not released by the Pistons when they announced the deal on Monday.
The Pistons have gone 104-60 in regular-season games under Bickerstaff and made two playoff appearances since he took over for Monty Williams at the start of the 2024-25 season.
Detroit lost in the first round a year ago. This season, the Pistons had the best record in the Eastern Conference at 60-22 and on Sunday defeated Orlando 116-94 to close out a playoff series victory for the first time since 2008.
In the fall of 2024, Bickerstaff took over a Pistons franchise that had posted the NBA’s worst record in each of the previous two seasons, including a 14-68 record in 2023-24.
Before Bickerstaff arrived, Detroit finished with the worst record in the NBA in consecutive seasons.
Detroit opens a second-round playoff series at home on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers — a team Bickerstaff coached from the end of the 2019-2020 season through the 2023-24 campaign.
The 2026 NBA playoffs quickly became a battle of attrition. The number of significant injuries that loom over the start of the league’s four conference semifinals are proof enough.
It’s not clear yet when NBA star Jalen Williams will return from injury after missing games in the Thunder’s first-round series. Anthony Edwards, meanwhile, hopes to get back on the floor for the Timberwolves sooner rather than later following a hyperextension and bone bruise on his left knee that kept him out of Minnesota’s final two games of their series against the Nuggets.
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers has yet to play in the postseason due to a hamstring ailment. His teammate, Austin Reaves, only just came back. Same goes for the oft-injured Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The injury intrigue adds to the drama with only eight teams left in pursuit of an NBA championship. Some of the league’s marquee names and role players under the spotlight when the second round of the playoffs begins on Monday, May 4.
Here’s one star player and one role player from each remaining team whose performance (or availability) could swing their team’s fortunes during the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs:
USA TODAY Sports tabbed one star player and one role player from each team remaining in the 2026 NBA playoffs whose contributions could swing their respective teams’ conference semifinals series.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoffs second round players to watch for every team, series
CINCINNATI (AP) — Adrian “Odie” Smith, whose Hall of Fame basketball career included a college national title with Kentucky, a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and a 10-year stint in the NBA, has died at age 89.
Smith died on April 28th, the University of Kentucky said in a statement. There was no word on how or where Smith died.
Smith played for the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) from the 1961-62 NBA season until the 1969-70 season, when he was traded to the San Francisco (now Golden State) Warriors.
The 6-foot-1 guard, who was named MVP of the 1966 NBA All-Star game, also played one season in the ABA with the Virginia Squires, finishing his pro career as a teammate of then-rookie Julius “Dr. J” Erving.
Smith grew up in rural Graves County, Kentucky, in a farmhouse without electricity or indoor plumbing. His path to profession basketball began with him tossing a homemade ball through a peach basket nailed to a tree.
His college career began at Northeast Mississippi Junior College, where his coach persuaded a Kentucky assistant to watch him, resulting in a scholarship offer from the Wildcats.
Smith played two seasons for Kentucky, averaging 10.2 points, and was one of the “Fiddlin’ Five” who brought the Wildcats a 1958 national title.
Smith served in the U.S. Army and was selected for the U.S. men’s national team for 1960 Olympic Games. A year later, he began his NBA career alongside Oscar Robertson in Cincinnati.
Smith was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 along with the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.
Smith is survived by his son, Tyler, and his brother, Kenny.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
The Los Angeles Lakers know what they’re up against.
“You want me to compare us to them? That’s a championship team right there. We’re not,” LeBron James said of the Thunder after they beat the Lakers in February.
“I said to a bunch of people yesterday off site talking about this series, to me, the Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said on Sunday, via Dan Woike of The Athletic. “It’s just the reality. They’re that good. I think our guys recognize that and respect that, and we know what kind of task we have in front of us.”
Oklahoma City is the defending champion, with the reigning (and soon to be repeat) MVP, they have been the title favorites since before the season tipped off, showed no sign of a championship hangover and went out and won 64 games this season (the best record in the league), with the best defense in the NBA and a top-10 offense.
Not only did the Thunder sweep the season series from the Lakers, but they also won the four games by an average of 32.3 points. The gap between these teams was clear.
Can the Lakers pull off another upset? Do they need Luka Doncic to do that, and when might he return? We get into all of that in this preview.
Game 1 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder is set for 8:30 ET on Tuesday, May 5, at the Paycom Center in the heart of OKC. The game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
All times are Eastern (* = if necessary).
Game 1: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City, Tuesday, May 5 (8:30 ET, NBC and Peacock)
Game 2: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 7 (9:30 ET, Prime Video)
Game 3: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles, Saturday, May 9 (8:30 ET, ABC)
Game 4: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles, May 11, (10:30 ET, Prime Video)
*Game 5: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City, May 13 (TBD)
*Game 6: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles, May 15, (TBD)
*Game 7: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City, May 17 (TBD)
We should be watching and savoring every chance we get to watch maybe the greatest ever to do it, because we don’t know how many more of these chances we’re going to get from the 41-year-old.
With Doncic out, LeBron took on the load of being the primary shot creator for the Lakers against Houston. Through the first four games against the Rockets, he impressed, as he did in Game 6. LeBron averaged 26 points, 9 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 42.9% on 3-pointers in the Lakers’ four wins.
However, there were stretches — in Games 4 and 5 in particular — where he started to look like he was wearing down. That’s where the return of Austin Reaves helped — he is another key for Los Angeles. The Lakers need Reaves to look like the All-Star he was early in the season.
How will LeBron hold up against physical defenders like Lu Dort in a series where the games are every other night? Can he play well enough to keep the Lakers in the series until Luka Doncic potentially returns? The Lakers are going to ask a lot of LeBron, but even at 41, he answers the call most of the time.
Behind some MVP-ballot level play from Luka Doncic this season, the Lakers had a top-10 offense in the league. Los Angeles’ roster, while still in flux, was built with maximizing his skills in mind.
That said, Doncic didn’t exactly thrive against the Thunder this season, averaging 15.5 points a game on 33.3% shooting (14.3% from 3) in the two games he played against them, with Dort as his primary defender. Still, Doncic is one of the five best offensive players in the league, he has a history of coming up big in the playoffs, and if the Lakers are going to have a chance in this series, they need him.
Which is why the report from ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday that Doncic is not close to returning is not good. Officially, Doncic is week-to-week. “He’s doing more on the court, but still not doing full-contact workouts,” Charania said. That’s not a great, and if he’s out for the first three or four games of this series — as it appears he will be, at the very least — the Lakers may be in too big a hole to climb out of even if he does return.
The Thunder played much of the season without Jalen Williams and kept winning, but they could use his defense (traditionally, he has gotten the LeBron assignment) and secondary ballhandling against a Lakers defense that likes to press (and may have to blitz a lot in this series). Williams is week-to-week as well, and the only update we got came from Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “He’s chipping away at his rehab. He’s doing a good job,” Daigneault said. That said, Williams should be close.
For the season, the Lakers didn’t take many 3s — bottom 10 in the league — but when they did, they made a respectable 35.9% of them (14th in the league). If Los Angeles is going to keep pace with Oklahoma City’s scoring this series, it needs a lot more attempts and more 3-pointers to fall.
With Chet Holmgren as the anchor, in the games against the Lakers this season the Thunder crowded the paint on defense and dared them to shoot over the top. The chances were there, but during the four meetings this season the Lakers shot 30.3% against OKC. The return of Reaves to the rotation should help, as will Luke Kennard playing well, but the Lakers need guys like Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart (from the corner, ideally) to launch and make 3s, too.
The Lakers played much-improved defense as the season wore on, but stopping Oklahoma City is on an entirely different level. There’s Gilgeous-Alexander, who will get downhill and either finish or draw a foul. There is Holmgren, who is 7-foot, can post up, face up, hit 3s or finish lobs at the rim. There are shooters all over the court at all times. It’s a big ask for the Lakers, but they need to play their best defense, put pressure on SGA and the Thunder ball handlers like Ajay Mitchell, force some turnovers and just slow the Thunder down.
Part of slowing OKC down: The Lakers have to take care of the ball. They were inconsistent against the Rockets, and Houston picked up some easy transition buckets (but missed plenty, too). The Thunder are more of the same, but when they get the ball out in transition, they finish. The Lakers can’t afford to give up all those easy points.
I was at a couple of those matchups between these teams this year, and the talent gap is too great for the Lakers to make up. The return of Luka means the Lakers might be able to push this to six games, but the Thunder are moving on.
There’s a cadence to every postseason. Teams get eliminated, and they move into the space the Phoenix Suns currently occupy. The early exit offseason. As these teams book flights to Cancun, their players become names to ponder, evaluate, and wonder whether they are what your team is missing. It’s the natural order.
The latest name catching the attention of Suns fans? Former University of Arizona Wildcat, Aaron Gordon.
I get it. I understand the appeal. Power forward has been a problem area for a while. The roster has felt undersized, and it shows up at the rim. The Suns consistently finish near the bottom of the league in finishing around the basket as well as defending it. So when a name like Gordon is linked, people start connecting dots and picturing the fit.
The reality is pretty simple. There isn’t much Phoenix can offer the Denver Nuggets that moves the needle outside of sending out young prospects. That’s not a deal that makes sense here, and therefore, this one feels dead on arrival.
What I do find interesting, however, is the verbiage provided by Brett Siegel, which states that the Suns are a “win now” team.
And that’s where I push back. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it throughout this offseason. The Phoenix Suns are not in “win now” mode. “Win now” mode is what teams like the Denver Nuggets live in. You have an MVP-level player, you have a real path to a title, and every move is about maximizing that window and competing at the top of the Western Conference.
That’s not who the Suns are right now. Good, bad, or indifferent, that’s the reality. It’s not fun to say. It’s not fun to hear. Your team is not positioned to win a championship next season.
You still have to live in reality. And once you accept that reality, you can start building a plan, both short-term and long-term. A path that puts you in a position to become one of those teams down the line. One that can actually operate in “win now” mode when the time comes.
I believe the Phoenix Suns want to run it back, hoping health swings more in their favor. Health never fully cooperates; injuries happen. Still, this team took a hit in 2025-26. Because of that, they never had enough data to truly understand who they are. We can all have our offseason conversations about what they should be and how they can operate better. That’s the fun part. I’m in that group. I don’t want to see three guard lineups. I’d bring Collin Gillespie back as a bench piece. I’d like to see Rasheer Fleming in the starting lineup, sliding Dillon Brooks to the three where he can be a defensive menace. That’s my view. Those are not moves of a team trying to “win now.”
The Suns do have desirable assets, sure. It means you’re going to hear noise from national pundits. It’s going to sound like they’re sellers, and while it would be irresponsible not to pick up the phone and hear offers, it doesn’t mean they’re actively shopping everyone.
The Suns’ priority this offseason should be continuity. Build a foundation and let it grow from a consistent place. You don’t plug in new pieces and expect chemistry to match overnight.
I’m currently watching Untold: Jail Blazers on Netflix, and one of the main takeaways from Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, and Bonzi Wells is how fragile chemistry can be. That team was 12 minutes away from knocking off the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals. That offseason, a lot of the fringe pieces got swapped out. In came Shawn Kemp, Dale Davis, and Will Perdue. The chemistry slipped, and the team finished as a 7th seed.
That doesn’t mean the Phoenix Suns ignore the fringes. They should absolutely work those margins. But it doesn’t need to be splashy or dramatic like the national conversation wants it to be. That’s the part the fan base has to accept. When names like Aaron Gordon pop up, pay attention to the teams tied to those reports. You’ll see situations where franchises are trying to sell LeBron James on coming back, or a Boston Celtics group that just got bounced in Game 7 and sits closer to a title than Phoenix does right now. Both of those are “win now” teams as they are entering eras in which the window might be closing or is still wide open. That simply isn’t where Phoenix is right now.
Progression for Phoenix next season is clear. They need to win more games, climb the standings, and perhaps get a round, maybe two, in the postseason. That’s a win. That sets up a different conversation a year from now. Right now, this isn’t a team operating in “win now” mode. They’re building culture, leaning into continuity, and doing it in a responsible way.
This is the part of the cycle where patience feels like inaction, even when it’s the smarter play. Phoenix doesn’t need to chase noise to prove intent, it needs to define itself with clarity and consistency. Let the roster breathe, let roles settle, and let progression happen on its own timeline. If that foundation takes hold, the window everyone wants to force open now will come into focus soon enough, and it’ll actually mean something when it does.
