Suns Rumors: Cameron Johnson, Chris Paul, Jae Crowder, More - The Fast Break Podcast

Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet to discuss the start to the 2022-23 season for the Phoenix Suns, as well as the latest news and rumors pertaining to Cameron Johnson, Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and more.

In this week’s episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet to discuss all things Phoenix Suns, who currently find themselves near the top of the Western Conference standings early on this year.

To ensure that you do not miss future episodes of The Fast Break Podcast and other exclusive interviews from around the NBA, be sure to like and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you may be listening.

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What Cameron Johnson’s Injury Means For Phoenix [2:30]

Stepping into the starting rotation for the Suns this year, Cameron Johnson is a player that this team is very high on, especially since he could be the key to them unlocking a new, better approach on the offensive-end of the floor.

Johnson is a great floor spacing forward and has proven to be a very efficient three-point shooter, but now the Suns will be without his services for a while, as Cam Johnson recently underwent surgery earlier this week that removed part of the meniscus in his right knee. It is said that Johnson will be sidelined for one to two months, potentially keeping him out until 2023.

This injury is a big deal to the Suns, who are already without Jae Crowder, and replacing Johnson is not something Phoenix will be able to do easily.

Bourguet [3:03]: “Depth was already kind of a question mark for this group, especially compared to last season. Cam Johnson being out really puts some pressure on their second-unit to step up because they do not have a ton of options and Jae Crowder not being around the team really hurts them in that regard. The Suns are missing two starting caliber players at that four-spot.”

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Urgency For Jae Crowder Trade Has Appeared In Wake Of Injuries [4:43]

This offseason, Jae Crowder stepped away from the Phoenix Suns following their loss in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks and he proceeded to request a trade shortly ahead of the start of training camp.

A lot of this had to do with his role change, as Cameron Johnson had been elevated to the starter’s role over Crowder, but the veteran forward was also looking for an extension that the Suns did not give him since he is in the final year of his deal.

Still technically on the Suns’ roster, Crowder continues to draw trade interest around the league. Brett and Gerald talked about the possibilities of a trade getting done now that Johnson is injured and whether or not the Suns will look to escalate trade talks [4:43].

Siegel: When I look at the Suns, it still seems like they are missing something. You mentioned that they do not have depth in the backcourt behind Chris Paul and Cameron Payne and obviously both Jae Crowder and Cameron Johnson being out is a big deal. Where do you think they go from here? Will they depend more on the depth that they have with guys like Torrey Craig and Dario Saric, or do you think Phoenix will now be eager to try and move Jae Crowder in a trade in order to get the assets that they need?

Bourguet: I think up until this point, they haven’t felt a real sense of urgency to move Jae Crowder until they found a trade that they liked. I don’t think James Jones should just “panic trade” for whatever he can get right now for Crowder at this point, but it does kind of put a little bit more pressure on him to move Crowder and get something back for him because heading into the season, the Suns had one open roster spot and then they were devoting another to Jae Crowder, who is not currently suiting up for them. Now, they have another spot that is being utilized by Cameron Johnson, who is out for the next 1-2 months, so that’s three roster spots right there that you are not getting any production from. It is not the end of the world, but you want to keep Devin Booker, Chris Paul and your starters fresh for the playoffs… I wouldn’t be surprised if they went and made an external move because this is a team that is very close to being a title contender.

As for trade options involving Crowder, the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics are five teams Brett mentioned as possible suitors for the veteran forward and some of those teams have players that Phoenix could utilize.

Derrick White (Boston Celtics), Grayson Allen (Milwaukee Bucks) and Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat) could be three players the Suns view as assets in a deal for Crowder and Bourguet responded to these options that were presented to him [12:59].

Bourguet [13:40]: “I like some of those names mentioned. All season, we have kind of been theorizing in Phoenix about the Utah Jazz and the possibility of Jordan Clarkson and Jarred Vanderbilt being available. Eric Gordon on the Houston Rockets is clearly not serving much of a purpose where he is on a rebuilding team. You look at the Wizards and if they go down hill, maybe a guy like Kyle Kuzma becomes available or maybe Monte Morris as a potential alternative for the Suns to look at next to Cameron Payne in the second-unit. These are just some teams that the Suns are going to keep an eye on, but obviously these situations may need more time to flush out.”

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Chris Paul’s Early Season Struggles [14:43]

Chris Paul is one of the best passing guards in the entire league and in 10 games this season, Paul has recorded 94 total assists, the sixth-most in the league. He also ranks third in the league in assists per game (9.4), but Paul has struggled shooting the ball and has been a liability at times.

Now dealing with a heel injury, Paul’s efficiency is definitely in question and it may wind up being a cause for concern in Phoenix.

Bourguet [15:28]: “I think I am a little concerned about whether Chris Paul can adjust to his new role or not. Looking at his base shooting percentage, obviously they are not great, but he has taken a much higher percentage of his shots from three-point range and a lot of them are catch-and-shoot plays. I think because the Suns have put a focus on letting Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson and Landry Shamet initiate more of the offense, it has come with an adjustment process, especially since Chris Paul has been such a ball-dominant guard for his entire career… I’m definitely a little concerned with Paul’s struggles right now, but I think it is more of a byproduct of how they’re using him as opposed to the go-to response of ‘oh, Chris Paul is washed up.’”

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Deandre Ayton’s Future in Phoenix [18:50]

One of the biggest question marks surrounding the Phoenix Suns this past offseason was the status of restricted free agent Deandre Ayton and whether or not he would return, especially after he did not see eye-to-eye with head coach Monty Williams and the coaching staff in the playoffs.

Ayton did receive and sign a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, but Phoenix quickly matched this offer, keeping the former No. 1 overall pick under contract in the desert through 2026.

As part of this new deal with the Suns, Ayton cannot be dealt before January 15, 2023 and he does have a no-trade clause for the first year of his contract, meaning he controls his immediate future right now and not the team.

Brett and Gerald talked about Deandre Ayton’s importance to this Suns team and what the future may hold for the young center [18:50].

Siegel: It seems like there is still a storyline here brewing between Deandre Ayton and the Suns. Is the possibility of the Suns moving Ayton still real or what’s going on here?

Bourguet: I don’t think so. Obviously a big deal was made during the first week of training camp when Ayton said that he had not spoken to Monty since Game 7 against Dallas, four months prior to that. So that was a huge deal, but I think they’ve since talked it out and I think people kind of jumped the gun in terms of what this all meant. Foul trouble has taken Ayton out of his groove early on this season and it has held him back from reaching his full potential. We’ve talked to him about it and he’s said that he is trying to play physical and that he hopes referees will adjust to his level of physicality and not the other way around, but so far it has not worked in his favor.

Siegel: To me, he is the key to this team being a championship contender and we saw that in 2021 when they made it to the NBA Finals and ultimately lost to the Bucks. His natural rebounding abilities and feel for the paint is exceptional and I do not have a problem saying that Ayton has some of the best footwork in the low-post out of any player in this league. I do not see any major limitations in his game moving forward and I personally think it would be foolish for the Suns to have any thoughts about moving him at this time. He is their second-best player behind Devin Booker and he’s arguably the most important player in big games.

Bourguet: Ayton’s two-way impact flies under the radar a little bit. I think the biggest thing with D.A. so far has been the foul trouble and the inconsistency. This is a situation where I think the team, when healthy, can contend for a title as is, but if a Kevin Durant becomes available or another star that is suddenly on the trade block, it is hard to tell what would happen. D.A. can’t be traded until later in the season and he has veto powers over any trade for a full year, so he’s a little bit in control over what could happen and that’s something to factor in. I do not see the Suns moving him unless it is a situation where both parties are unhappy and they are able to trade him for a star-caliber player and it is a destination where Ayton actually wants to go, which is a lot of dominoes to line up there.

Be sure to follow Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) and Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourget) on Twitter.