Pacific Notes: Suns, Curry, Lakers, Whitmore, Clippers
Zach Kram of ESPN lauds the Suns for the contracts they gave to Collin Gillespie (four years, $48MM), Jordan Goodwin (three years, $19MM), Mark Williams (three years, $38MM) and Luke Kennard (two years, $12.4MM) this summer.
However, he strongly disagreed with the decision to trade an unprotected first-round pick (plus Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale) to acquire Miles Bridges, and that move alone lowered his offseason grade from a B-plus to a B-minus.
Kram, Dave McMenamin, Ben Golliver and Dean Oliver of ESPN recap Phoenix’s offseason thus far and preview what could be in store for 2026/27. The biggest question mark hanging over the Suns, according to McMenamin, is Jalen Green‘s fit in a lineup that features other score-first players like Bridges, Dillon Brooks and Devin Booker.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Warriors superstar Stephen Curry becomes extension-eligible on Saturday, and both he and the team have publicly expressed interest in reaching a new deal, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. While the “overwhelming likelihood” is that the 38-year-old guard will re-up with the only franchise he’s ever known, the more intriguing scenario would be Curry deciding not to sign an offseason extension, Friedell writes. The ball will be in Curry’s court, since the team will likely offer him whatever contract structure he wants.
- After Jonathan Kuminga decided to sign with Minnesota, the Lakers will turn their attention to other players. Khobi Price of The California Post considers the several veterans the team could pursue, listing Jericho Sims (Bucks) and Jalen Smith (Bulls) as a couple of possible trade targets. Price also views De’Andre Hunter (Kings) and Kyle Kuzma (Bucks) as starting-caliber forwards the team might consider on the trade market, though he notes that there’s nothing indicating Los Angeles is currently interested in either player.
- The Cavaliers waived Cam Whitmore on Friday. Could the Clippers be interested in the high-flying 22-year-old? Law Murray of The Athletic doesn’t think so, writing (via Twitter) that signing Whitmore “absolutely does not” seem like a move the Clips would pursue.