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Suns Notes: Goodwin, Williams, Trade Speculation, More
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Although he has always been a tenacious defender and rebounder for a guard, Jordan Goodwin struggled offensively for most of his first three NBA seasons, connecting on just 45.8% of his two-point attempts and 30.2% of his three-pointers over that span.
However, as Gerald Bourguet details for Sports360AZ.com, Goodwin flashed improvement with his outside shot as a Laker last season and then had a career year with the Suns in 2025/26 ahead of unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old combo guard knocked down 37.1% of his 4.3 three-point tries this season en route to averaging 8.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 22.5 minutes per game across 70 appearances.
Goodwin, who embodies Phoenix’s new hustle-and-defense ethos, still struggles to convert non-threes, Bourguet writes, but the fact that he was able to be a threat from long distance is the main reason he should be in line for a raise this summer. The question is, how much of a pay increase will Goodwin command?
Bourguet considers that question, noting that Goodwin was an integral part of the Suns’ identity and they want to retain him, but he may be a secondary priority behind Collin Gillespie. Bourguets projects a floor for Goodwin starting at the bi-annual exception ($11.23MM over two years) and a ceiling in the range of $7-9MM over three or four years.
Here’s more on the Suns:

There have been rumblings that starting center Mark Williams, who will be a restricted free agent if he’s given a qualifying offer, may not be a lock to return in 2026/27. The former first-round pick had an uneven first season with the Suns after they traded for him last June, and they’re going to be over the luxury tax line if they re-sign Gillespie and Goodwin to market-value deals. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Phoenix is considering three options with Williams: Re-signing him if it’s a team-friendly deal; pursuing a sign-and-trade if he wants too much money; or letting him walk in free agency.
Gambadoro previously reported that Phoenix isn’t interested in trying to pursue a trade for Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon. Appearing on Bourguet’s Suns After Dark, podcast Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron says he likes the idea of Gordon’s fit with the Suns, but says a deal would likely be too costly for them given what it might take to acquire him.
Bourguet shot down any suggestion that the Suns might be involved in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo or Ja Morant, writing that a source called any speculation on that front “complete nonsense” (Twitter link).



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Warriors Notes: Giannis, 11th Pick, Prospects, Kerr
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The Warriors should — and almost certainly will — be among the suitors for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, but if they’re unable to pull off a deal, it doesn’t mean the pursuit was a failure, argues Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
The possibility of trading for Antetokounmpo now carries much more risk than it would’ve several years ago, when the team first viewed the two-time MVP as its “holy grail,” Poole writes. The Warriors’ best current offer — centered around draft picks but not much in the way of young players — could also theoretically be topped by several rival teams, Poole observes.
Still, Poole thinks it’s the right call to trade for the 31-year-old star, assuming he’s open to the idea and Golden State can convince Milwaukee’s front office to get on board. He just doesn’t view that outcome as likely.
Here’s more on the Warriors:

Assistant general manager Larry Harris expressed optimism before the draft lottery that the Warriors would select a prospect they like if they stayed at the 11th pick, which would up happening, Poole writes in another story. “I’ve heard the noise,” Harris said when asked about the top-four prospects being in their own tier. “Certainly, there’s four players that everybody seems to talk about when I look at all the mock drafts and everything. But the way we look at it is we really believe it’s beyond 11. But up to 11, we feel really, really, really good about whatever player lands in our lap.”
Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area lists five “very different” prospects the Warriors could target at No. 11, including Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and his college teammate Aday Mara. Johnson also weighs the pros and cons of each prospect, particularly from Golden State’s perspective.
Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic isn’t surprised that Steve Kerr signed a two-year deal to stay the Warriors’ head coach and views Kerr as the fitting person to guide the rest of Stephen Curry‘s career. While he acknowledges Kerr will have to evolve his way of thinking in some respects, Thompson also believes Kerr has earned an enormous amount of respect and trust over the course of his long career and is definitely the right coach if the Warriors end up acquiring another star player.



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Haslam: Bucks Hope To Resolve Giannis Situation By 2026 Draft
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After one Bucks co-owner – Wes Edens – told ESPN in March that the team figures to either trade or extend Giannis Antetokounmpo in the coming year, another one of the team’s co-owners – Jimmy Haslam – said on Wednesday that he’d like to see the team reach a resolution on Antetokounmpo by next month’s draft.
“I just think before the draft is a natural time, right? Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, then we ought to get a lot of assets, and it’s (general manager Jon Horst‘s) job to do it,” Haslam said, per Karley Marotta of TMJ4 News (Twitter video link). “If he’s here, then you build the team differently.”
Rumors surrounding Antetokounmpo have been persistent since last summer and only intensified during the season, even after the two-time MVP stayed put through the trade deadline. Giannis and the Bucks clashed publicly on multiple occasions. The two sides were at odds over his ability to return to action following a knee injury, and Antetokounmpo took exception to those aforementioned remarks made by Edens.
For his part, Haslam downplayed the notion that there’s a rift between the team and its longtime superstar.
“I just want to stress that our relationship with him, despite what is reported by certain ESPN writers, is very positive,” Haslam said.
He also reiterated the team’s respect and appreciation for everything Antetokounmpo has done for the franchise, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“Giannis has brought Milwaukee its second championship and the first in 50 years,” Haslam said. “He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a phenomenal person. He’s arguably one of the best basketball players in the world, and we will do what’s best for Giannis and what’s best for the organization. We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”
There are already teams preparing trade packages for Antetokounmpo, including the Trail Blazers. Many more made offers at last season’s trade deadline, such as the Magic, who were reportedly “very active” in pursuit of the Greek forward. The Heat, Warriors, Timberwolves, and Knicks were also said to be in the mix leading up to February’s deadline.
The star forward has resisted outright demanding a trade and hasn’t ruled out signing an extension with the only NBA team he’s played for, though he doesn’t become extension-eligible until October. That could complicate plans to reach a resolution next month — while Giannis could let the team know in June whether or not he plans to sign a new deal in October, he may want a more complete picture of Milwaukee’s offseason roster moves before he makes that sort of commitment.
Haslam stressed that he and the rest of the front office and ownership understand the magnitude of the decision for the franchise and how important it is to get right. He also added that there was transparency during the lead-up to the hiring of new head coach Taylor Jenkins.
“We didn’t hold back with Taylor,” he said. “We just said, ‘Listen, (Antetokounmpo) may or may not be with us, so don’t come because of that,’ because you want to be straight up with people.”
While Edens is technically the Bucks’ governor, the franchise has an unusual ownership arrangement that sees he and Haslam swap that title every five years. Haslam will take over as governor in 2028.



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