2014–15 Phoenix Suns season
| 2014–15 Phoenix Suns season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jeff Hornacek |
| General manager | Ryan McDonough |
| Owners | Robert Sarver |
| Arena | US Airways Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 26–18 (.591) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Pacific) Conference: 8th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | TBD |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Arizona |
| Radio | KTAR |
The 2014–15 NBA season is the Suns' 47th season in the NBA.[1] It is also the last season when the arena would be named the US Airways Center, before it is renamed Talking Stick Resort Arena beginning in October 2015.
Key dates
- May 20, 2014: The NBA Draft Lottery takes place.
- June 26, 2014: The 2014 NBA Draft takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
- July 1, 2014: The NBA free agency period begins.
- July 10, 2014: Teams can sign, trade, and amnesty players; P.J. Tucker agrees to a 3 year, $17.5 million contract to stay with the Suns.
- July 11, 2014: The Suns complete a sign-and-trade, sending Alex Oriakhi and a $7 million trade exception to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for point guard Isaiah Thomas, who agrees to a 4-year, $27 million contract.
- July 15, 2014: The Suns waive Ish Smith's contract before it became guaranteed for the rest of the season.
- July 16, 2014: Anthony Tolliver signs a 2-year, $6 million contract to play with the Suns.
- July 28, 2014: P.J. Tucker is arrested for "super-extreme DUI."[2]
- August 8, 2014: Both first rounders T.J. Warren and Tyler Ennis sign.[3]
- August 12, 2014: The NBA suspend P.J. Tucker was suspended for the first three games of the regular season.
- August 13, 2014: The NBA accidentally leaks out that the Suns' Martin Luther King, Jr. Day game would be at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on TNT before the schedule is announced. After starting last season with only one ESPN game (with three more added during the regular season), the Suns get 17 nationally televised games, including 4 on ESPN and 6 on TNT (including a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers).
- September 24, 2014: After months of inactivity, Eric Bledsoe agrees to a 5-year, $70 million contract.
- September 25, 2014: The Suns partially buys out the contract of Zoran Dragić, Goran's brother, in order to sign him on a 2-year contract worth $4,012,500.
- September 29, 2014: Media Day and training camp begins for the Suns; twin brothers Markieff and Marcus Morris receive 4-year contract extensions worth $32 million and $20 million, respectively.
- October 29, 2014: The Suns play their first regular season game.
- November 4, 2014: P.J. Tucker completes his three-game suspension.
- November 19, 2014: The Suns plays the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills on the tenth anniversary of Malice at the Palace, winning 88-86.
- December 2, 2014: The Suns announce the new name of the U.S. Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, which takes effect after the season.
- December 24, 2014: The Suns trade Anthony Tolliver to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for power forward Tony Mitchell.
- December 28, 2014: Following a six-game losing streak, the Suns start December with a six-game winning streak with wins over the Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers, with all but the Dallas game on the road.
- January 9, 2015: Prior to the Suns' close road loss against the rival San Antonio Spurs, the Suns traded with general manager Ryan McDonough's former team, the Boston Celtics, to grab the rights of power forward/center Brandan Wright in exchange for the Minnesota Timberwolves' top 12 protected first round pick the Suns first got from their Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick for Wesley Johnson trade, which would be conveyed to two second round picks in 2016 and 2017 if the conditions aren't met by the end of the 2015-16 NBA season. The Suns would also waive Tony Mitchell's rights in the process.
- January 13, 2015: When the Suns had their 107-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Suns would begin their eight game homestand for January, which marked the longest homestand in franchise history. This game also marked the Suns' halfway point into the regular season, which came by the Suns much faster than most of the teams in the NBA.
- January 15, 2015: Before the Suns' upcoming home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and a day after assigning Archie Goodwin to the Bakersfield Jam again, the Suns would complete a three-way trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics. The Suns would end up getting second-year player Reggie Bullock from the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Boston Celtics would take on Shavlik Randolph's cap space in order for the Clippers to have coach Doc Rivers' son Austin Rivers become a part of the same team again.
- January 19, 2015: The Suns' home game against the Los Angeles Lakers would be the first time in nearly two years that the Suns would play a nationally televised game on TNT. Phoenix would win in convincing fashion by the score of 115-100 over the Lakers on that day, and they would also create their first season sweep over the Lakers since the 2004-05 season. That game also provided the Suns' their 100th overall victory over the Lakers.[4]
Offseason
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | T.J. Warren | Small Forward |  United States
|
North Carolina State |
| 1 | 18 | Tyler Ennis | Point Guard |  Canada
|
Syracuse |
| 1 | 27 | Bogdan Bogdanović | Shooting Guard |  Serbia
|
Partizan Belgrade
|
| 2 | 50 | Alec Brown | Center | United States
|
Wisconsin–Green Bay |
The Phoenix Suns had three first round picks and one second round pick this season. Their highest first round pick (the 14th pick) was their own that was also a part of the NBA draft lottery. Both of the extra draft picks the Suns had this season involved trades the Suns made last season. The 18th pick came from the Washington Wizards by the Suns trading Marcin Gortat, Kendall Marshall, Shannon Brown, and Malcolm Lee, with Phoenix also getting the rights of Emeka Okafor out of it. Their 27th pick, however, came from the Indiana Pacers due to the Suns trading power forward Luis Scola, with Phoenix also gaining Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee in the process, both of whom would be beneficial to their improvement from the 2012–13 season. The lone second round pick they have is also the pick they had on their own accord due to their 48–34 record being one of the best in the NBA that past season. Before the draft came up, the Suns also had two other second round draft picks they had acquired from trades with the Los Angeles Lakers (Steve Nash for four draft picks and cash) and the Toronto Raptors (Sebastian Telfair for Hamed Haddadi and Toronto's second round pick) in the 2012–13 season (the last season Lance Blanks was the Suns' general manager). However, both of those second rounders went to the Milwaukee Bucks due to the former first being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three–way trade that had the Suns getting rid of Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick for the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for taking on a one–year deal with Wesley Johnson and the possibility of having a future Timberwolves first round pick before being involved with Milwaukee in a later three–way trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the latter being involved with the Suns' own three–way trade with the Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers in acquiring Eric Bledsoe (and Caron Butler) in exchange for Jared Dudley.
With the 14th pick, Phoenix selected T.J. Warren, a sophomore from North Carolina State University. Warren averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, which earned him ACC Player of the Year and consensus second team All–American honors.The Suns also selected Canadian–born Tyler Ennis, a freshman from the University of Syracuse. Ennis averaged 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.1 steals in 35.7 minutes per game. Phoenix then selected the Serbian international prospect Bogdan Bogdanović of Partizan Belgrade. Bogdanović averaged 14.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and assists, and 1.6 steals in 31.4 minutes per game for Partizan Belgrade, which helped him win the Euroleague's Rising Star award and the Serbian League's Finals MVP award (as well as multiple international championships beforehand). Finally, with their fiftieth pick in the second round, the Suns decided to select Alec Brown, a senior from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. Brown averaged 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks in his final season with the Phoenix, was named All–Horizon League first team, and won the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Year award. He also led the Horizon League in career blocks, scored 1,678 points and grabbed 800 rebounds.
Free agency
Veteran players Emeka Okafor and Leandro Barbosa, as well as the newly signed Shavlik Randolph, Ishmael "Ish" Smith, and Dionte Christmas all became unrestricted free agents as of the end of the 2013–14 NBA season. In addition, both co-star point guard Eric Bledsoe and P.J. Tucker ended up being restricted free agents as well. Not only that, but on June 22, 2014, Channing Frye decided to decline his final year of his contract he had earlier on with the team and decided to pursue free agency as well. On July 7, 2014, Frye ended up signing a 4 year, $32 million contract to play for the Orlando Magic. During the July Moratorium (July 10), the Suns re–signed P.J. Tucker to a three–year contract worth $16.5 million. Ish Smith became a free agent on July 15, 2014 during the deadline for teams to decide on whether they want to make unguaranteed contracts become fully guaranteed this season; Smith signed with the Houston Rockets three days later. Meanwhile, Shavlik Randolph's $1.23 million contract became guaranteed on July 17. A week later, Dionte Christmas was waived from the team. Leandro Barbosa left to sign a one-year veteran's minimum contract with the Golden State Warriors on August 28, 2014. On September 10, 2014, joined the New Orleans Pelicans.
After trying to woo the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and even Chris Bosh to sign with the Suns, they ended up pursuing the likes of different free agents that were going under the radar at the time. For starters, a day after the Suns got P.J. Tucker to agree with a new deal for the Suns, the Sacramento Kings' point guard Isaiah Thomas ended up agreeing to a four-year contract worth $27 million. However, to ensure the Suns got Thomas, they agreed to trade last season's second round pick Alex Oriakhi and a traded player exception worth $7 million in order to make sure the Kings didn't match their offer since Thomas was still a restricted free agent at the time. On July 16, 2014, the Suns signed power forward Anthony Tolliver, who had played for the Charlotte Bobcats back when they were named that before they became the new Charlotte Hornets, a two year contract worth $6 million, with his second year only having $400,000 guaranteed with his contract. After the 2014 FIBA World Championship ended for Goran Dragić's team in Slovenia, the Suns planned on getting his brother Zoran Dragić on a contract buyout from Unicaja Málaga in Spain on September 12, 2014. The planned buyout involves the Suns paying $600,000 for the $1,100,000 required by the team, while Goran helped pay his brother the rest that was required for his buyout. The transaction was completed on September 24, 2014; he signed a two-year contract worth $4,012,500.[5][6] Finally, in the month of September, after months of inactivity and even a trade rumor relating to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Suns and Eric Bledsoe met over a new contract on September 23, 2014 finally agreeing to a five-year contract worth $70 million a day later.[7] The new contract was the biggest since 2006 with Boris Diaw's 5-year, $45 million deal. Six days later, the Suns extended the contracts of Markieff and Marcus Morris to 4 year contracts worth $32 million and $20 million respectively.
On August 26, 2014, the Suns decided to sign both former Suns player Earl Barron and the undrafted Casey Prather from the Florida to non-guaranteed contracts for training camp. After that, the Suns signed the undrafted Joe Jackson from the Memphis under that same sort of deal. The Suns also signed Jamil Wilson of Marquette in September as well. However, the Suns waived Wilson Jackson, and Prather from the team on October 14, 2014, while Barron was waived on October 25, 2014 after battling Shavlik Randolph (and Anthony Tolliver) for the final roster spot. During Christmas Eve, the Suns traded Tolliver to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for the rights to Tony Mitchell from North Texas University. Mitchell would never play for the Suns, though, and on January 9, 2015, the Suns traded the conditional Minnesota Timberwolves first round draft pick to the Boston Celtics in exchange for power forward/center Brandan Wright hours before their road game against the San Antonio Spurs began. That prompted the Suns to waive their rights to Tony Mitchell before they became guaranteed for the Suns. Nearly a week later, the Suns would take part in another trade with the Celtics, this time being part of a three-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. In that deal, the Suns would grab Reggie Bullock from the Clippers while the Celtics would take on Shavlik Randolph's salary in order for Doc Rivers' son Austin Rivers to play for the Clippers and be reunited in the process.
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roster |
Salaries
| Player | 2014–15 Salary |
|---|---|
| Eric Bledsoe | $13,000,000 |
| Goran Dragić | $7,500,000 |
| Isaiah Thomas | $7,238,606 |
| P.J. Tucker | $5,500,000 |
| Brandan Wright | $5,000,000 |
| Oleksiy "Alex" Len | $3,649,920 |
| Gerald Green | $3,500,000 |
| Markieff Morris | $3,153,860 |
| Marcus Morris | $3,105,301 |
| Zoran Dragić | $2,006,250 |
| T.J. Warren | $1,953,120 |
| Tyler Ennis | $1,590,720 |
| Reggie Bullock | $1,200,720 |
| Miles Plumlee | $1,169,880 |
| Archie Goodwin | $1,112,200 |
| TOTAL | $60,680,577 |
Because of a few past transactions made from Lance Blanks' tenure that didn't pan out so well for the Suns, Josh Childress is still owed $7,317,500 due to them amnestying his contract two seasons ago, while under the Michael Beasley buyout the Suns did on September 3, 2013, they now owe Beasley the equivalent of $2,333,333 for the next three seasons as opposed to giving him the guaranteed amount of $3,000,000 he was owed in his original contract. While Josh Childress' salary does not affect the Suns' overall salary cap to their season this year (and is the last time Phoenix would owe money to him, especially considering Childress went to the Sydney Kings in Australia this season), Michael Beasley's contract still affect the Suns' salary despite Beasley going to the Shanghai Sharks in China this season as well, but only for a few thousand dollars (around $777,778) instead of a few million.[8]
Pre-Season
Total: 5–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 2–2)
Regular season
Standings
| Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z-Golden State Warriors | 67 | 15 | .817 | – | 39–2 | 28–13 | 13–3 | 82 |
| x-Los Angeles Clippers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 11.0 | 30–11 | 26–15 | 12–4 | 82 |
| Phoenix Suns | 39 | 43 | .476 | 28.0 | 22–19 | 17–24 | 6–10 | 82 |
| Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 38.0 | 18–23 | 11–30 | 7–9 | 82 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 21 | 61 | .256 | 46.0 | 12–29 | 9–32 | 2–14 | 82 |
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z-Golden State Warriors * | 67 | 15 | .817 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y-Houston Rockets * | 56 | 26 | .683 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x-Los Angeles Clippers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y-Portland Trail Blazers * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x-Memphis Grizzlies | 55 | 27 | .671 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | .671 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 17.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x-New Orleans Pelicans | 45 | 37 | .549 | 22.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 45 | 37 | .549 | 22.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | 39 | 43 | .476 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Utah Jazz | 38 | 44 | .463 | 29.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Denver Nuggets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 37.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 38.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Lakers | 21 | 61 | .256 | 46.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 16 | 66 | .195 | 51.0 | 82 |
Game log
Total: 25–18 (Home: 12–7; Road: 13–11)
| 2014–15 game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 2–0 (home: 2–0; road: 0–0)
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November
: 8–8 (home: 3–3; road: 5–5)
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December
: 8–8 (home: 2–3; road: 6–5)
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January: 7–2 (home: 5–0; road: 2–2)
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February
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
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March
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
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April
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
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| 2014–15 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Preseason
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Barron | 6 | 0 | 13.7 | .600 | .000 | .667 | 4.33 | .17 | .0 | .17 | 3.67 |
| Eric Bledsoe | 7 | 7 | 24.5 | .565 | .467 | .700 | 3.0 | 3.86 | 1.43 | .71 | 15.0 |
| Goran Dragić | 7 | 7 | 23.6 | .528 | .278 | .462 | 1.43 | 2.71 | 1.29 | .0 | 12.43 |
| Zoran Dragić | 2 | 0 | 4.9 | .200 | .333 | .000 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Tyler Ennis | 4 | 0 | 5.7 | .375 | .000 | 1.000 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Archie Goodwin | 6 | 0 | 10.9 | .480 | .200 | .571 | 1.17 | 1.17 | .5 | .33 | 4.83 |
| Gerald Green | 7 | 1 | 18.7 | .409 | .323 | .815 | 2.71 | .86 | .86 | .14 | 12.29 |
| Joe Jackson | 1 | 0 | 6.7 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Oleksiy "Alex" Len | 2 | 0 | 18.1 | 1.000 | .000 | .500 | 4.5 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| Marcus Morris | 7 | 4 | 23.0 | .373 | .917 | .761 | 4.71 | 1.14 | 1.14 | .43 | 8.14 |
| Markieff Morris | 7 | 5 | 23.2 | .464 | .286 | .818 | 5.0 | 1.71 | 1.14 | .43 | 11.86 |
| Miles Plumlee | 7 | 7 | 18.9 | .422 | .000 | 1.000 | 4.71 | .71 | 1.14 | .57 | 6.14 |
| Casey Prather | 1 | 0 | 4.5 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
| Shavlik Randolph | 5 | 0 | 11.6 | .500 | 1.000 | .000 | 2.8 | .4 | .2 | .2 | 2.8 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 7 | 0 | 22.9 | .466 | .375 | .900 | 2.29 | 4.14 | 1.43 | .29 | 14.14 |
| Anthony Tolliver | 6 | 2 | 18.7 | .278 | .250 | .500 | 2.17 | .17 | .5 | .17 | 5.0 |
| P.J. Tucker | 7 | 2 | 22.0 | .455 | .444 | .667 | 5.86 | 1.71 | 1.14 | .14 | 5.14 |
| T.J. Warren | 5 | 0 | 12.7 | .500 | .500 | .000 | 2.4 | .6 | .4 | .2 | 5.0 |
| Jamil Wilson | 2 | 0 | 4.4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .5 | .5 | .5 | .0 | 0.0 |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Bledsoe | |||||||||||
| Goran Dragić | |||||||||||
| Zoran Dragić | |||||||||||
| Tyler Ennis | |||||||||||
| Archie Goodwin | |||||||||||
| Gerald Green | |||||||||||
| Oleksiy "Alex" Len | |||||||||||
| Marcus Morris | |||||||||||
| Markieff Morris | |||||||||||
| Miles Plumlee | |||||||||||
| Shavlik Randolph | |||||||||||
| Isaiah Thomas | |||||||||||
| Anthony Tolliver | |||||||||||
| P.J. Tucker | |||||||||||
| T.J. Warren | |||||||||||
| Brandan Wright |
Injuries/Personal games missed
| Player | Duration | Reason for Missed Time | Games Missed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||
| P.J. Tucker | August 12, 2014 | November 4, 2014 | Suspension without $155,455 in pay for super-extreme DUI | 3 |
| T.J. Warren | October 21, 2014 | November 9, 2014 | Injured left thumb by being caught in a Lakers jersey | 6 |
| Tyler Ennis | November 13, 2014 | November 17, 2014 | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | 2 |
| T.J. Warren | November 13, 2014 | November 17, 2014 | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | 2 |
| P.J. Tucker | November 17, 2014 | November 19, 2014 | Missed team bus for flight from Los Angeles to Boston | 1 |
| Isaiah Thomas | November 25, 2014 | December 12, 2014 | Twisted ankle against Toronto at 4th quarter | 8 |
| Goran Dragić | December 14, 2014 | December 18, 2014 | Had a strained lower back problem | 2 |
| Archie Goodwin | December 25, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | 3 |
| Tyler Ennis | December 25, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | 3 |
| T.J. Warren | December 25, 2014 | December 31, 2014 | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | 3 |
| Brandan Wright | January 9, 2015 | January 11, 2015 | Wasn't ready to play for the Suns yet due to recent trade | 1 |
| Archie Goodwin | January 14, 2015 | January 21, 2015 | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | 2 |
| Reggie Bullock | January 15, 2015 | January 21, 2015 | Wasn't ready to play for the Suns yet due to recent trade | 2 |
| Tyler Ennis | January 22, 2015 | Unknown | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | ?? |
| T.J. Warren | January 22, 2015 | Unknown | Assigned to the Bakersfield Jam by the Suns | ?? |
Awards and records
Awards
Week/Month
All-Star
Records
Team records
- The Suns broke their season-opening record of three-point shots made in their opening game with 16 made three-pointers in their 119-99 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 29, 2014. (Their previous record was 13 on Halloween day on 2006 against the Lakers.)[9]
- Isaiah Thomas' 23 points he scored on October 29 against the Lakers is the highest amount of points a Suns player would score off the bench under their debut appearance with the team.[10]
- Isaiah Thomas' 200 points in 13 games would be the most scored by a bench player since Tom Chambers during the 1992-93 season.
- The two blowout road victories against the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers on November 21 & 22, 2014 was the first time the Suns won back-to-back games on the road by 20 or more points since 2004.
- Gerald Green's 24 games where he'd make at least one three-pointer (starting with that November 21, 2014 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers and ending on their January 6, 2015 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks) would tie the Suns' highest mark with his former teammate Channing Frye getting at least one three-pointer going in for 24 straight games in the 2010-11 NBA season.
- Starting on January 13, 2015 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Suns begin an 8 game homestand that's also the longest homestand in franchise history.
Milestones
- With the Suns signing Zoran Dragić alongside his brother Goran Dragić, as well as extending both Markieff Morris and his twin brother Marcus Morris on September 29, 2014, this team would mark the first time ever that different pairs of siblings/brothers would play for the same team. All four players appeared for the first time in the same game under a November loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. Both pairs of brothers later made their first appearances together at the same time late in the fourth quarter and would each produce numbers throughout the game in their January 2, 2015 112-96 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.
- When the Suns traded Shavlik Randolph for Reggie Bullock on January 15, 2015, the Suns made sure they had no players that were over the age of 30 on their roster. This marks one of the few, if only times where an NBA team had no one over the age of 30 signed onto their roster.
Team milestones
- Goran Dragić would surpass forward Cedric Ceballos as the Suns' 28th best scorer of all time on the team near the start of the third quarter of the October 29, 2014 game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Goran would score 18 points as the Suns would blowout the Lakers by the final score of 119–99.
- Goran would end up surpassing power forward/center James Edwards to become the Suns' 27th best all-time scorer near the start of the third quarter by making two free throws in the Halloween game against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Goran would score 10 points as the Suns would keep it close and would win by the score of 94–89.
- Goran would surpass former Sixth Man of the Year small forward and current Suns broadcaster Eddie Johnson to become the Suns' 26th best all-time scorer near the end of the fourth quarter by scoring a critical layup during the last minute of the game. He would score 22 points throughout the November 17, 2014 game against the Boston Celtics as the Suns would win a close one by the score of 118-114.
- Goran Dragić would surpass Hall of Fame guard Dennis Johnson to become the Suns' 25th best all-time scorer with 7.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter by scoring a quick layup to end the 120-112 victory on the November 26, 2014 home game against the Denver Nuggets.
- The Suns' 10-6 start would be their best start to the season since the 2009-10 NBA season.
- Goran would surpass point guard Kyle Macy early in the second quarter with a two-point shot as the Suns' 24th best all-time scorer on December 2, 2014 against the Indiana Pacers. He would then surpass point guard Stephon Marbury with less than a minute left in the second quarter with a different two-point shot to become the Suns' 23rd best all-time scorer as he would score 22 points in the first half and a then-season high 34 points in a blowout 117-99 victory over Indiana at the US Airways Center.
- Eric Bledsoe's first ever triple-double against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, in overtime on December 8, 2014 would be the first time a Suns player would record a triple-double since Boris Diaw back in April 14, 2006 against the Golden State Warriors.
- Eric's second triple-double of his career on December 23, 2014 against the Dallas Mavericks was also the first time a Suns player had multiple triple-doubles in a season since Boris Diaw when he had four different triple-doubles in the 2005-06 NBA season.
- Goran Dragić would tie his former teammate in shooting guard Grant Hill with a two point shot near the middle of the second quarter and then surpass him with a running lay-up in the middle of the second quarter to become the Suns' 22nd best all-time scorer on December 26, 2014 against the Sacramento Kings. He would record 16 points as the Suns would beat the short-handed Kings 115-106.
- Goran would tie point guard and former basketball coach Clem Haskins to become the Suns' 21st best all-time scorer near the end of the fourth quarter by making two free-throws to help the Suns increase their lead over the Los Angeles Lakers. Goran would score 24 points as the Suns would decimate the Lakers 116-107 out at the Staples Center on December 28, 2014. He'd then surpass that total on December 30, 2014 with 8 minutes left in the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in a close loss to them.
- Goran would surpass future Hall of Famer point guard and current Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd to become the Suns' 20th best all-time scorer near the beginning of the third quarter with a fast break layup after a winning jumpball in the Thunder's side of the field on New Year's Eve. He'd record 21 points in a close overtime loss against the Thunder.
Transactions
Trades
| July 11, 2014 |
To Phoenix Suns |
To Sacramento Kings
|
| December 24, 2014 |
To Phoenix Suns |
To Detroit Pistons |
| January 9, 2015 |
To Phoenix Suns |
To Boston Celtics |
| January 15, 2015 | Three–team trade | |
| To Los Angeles Clippers
|
To Boston Celtics
| |
| To Phoenix Suns
| ||
^ I: The Minnesota Timberwolves will send their own first round pick (top-12 protected from 2015–2016) to Boston. If a first round pick isn't conveyed to the Celtics by 2016, then Minnesota shall convey their 2016 & 2017 second round draft picks to Boston instead.[11]
Free Agents
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| P.J. Tucker | Signed 3 year deal worth $16.5 Million | Phoenix Suns |
| Isaiah Thomas | Signed 4 year deal worth $27 Million | Sacramento Kings |
| Anthony Tolliver | Signed 2 year deal worth $6 Million | Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets[a] |
| Ronald Shavlik Randolph | Signed 1 year deal worth $1.23 Million | Phoenix Suns |
| Eric Bledsoe | Signed 5 year deal worth $70 Million | Phoenix Suns |
| Zoran Dragić | Signed 2 year deal worth $4 Million |  Club Baloncesto Málaga, S.A.D.
|
| Markieff Morris | Signed 4 year extension worth $32 Million[b] | Phoenix Suns |
| Marcus Morris | Signed 4 year extension worth $20 Million[b] | Phoenix Suns |
^ a: When Anthony Tolliver first signed up to play for Charlotte, the professional basketball team that was known at the time was the Charlotte Bobcats. However, word also quickly spread that after the 2013–14 NBA season (which was also the Bobcats' 10th official season in the NBA), the Bobcats would be renamed to the Charlotte Hornets in order to continue the original team name's legacy that was there from the 1988-89 NBA season to the 2001-02 NBA season before they moved to New Orleans and eventually became the New Orleans Pelicans of today. Even though Tolliver would be on the team when they renamed the Bobcats to the Hornets, he'd never really play for the Hornets and would instead only play under the old Bobcats moniker.
^ b: Both Markieff and Marcus Morris noted that they would be willing to take discounts on their contracts in order to stay with each other in the future. On September 29, the Morris Twins would split the total value among each other in order to sign contracts that allowed themselves to stay in Phoenix together for the long term.
Subtractions
| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Bogdan Bogdanović | Signed a new contract |  Fenerbahçe Ülker[c]
|
| Channing Frye | Unrestricted free agent | Orlando Magic |
| Alex Oriakhi | Traded under a restricted free agent sign-and-trade | Sacramento Kings /  Pieno Žvaigždės[d]
|
| Ishmael "Ish" Smith | Waived / Free Agent | Houston Rockets / Oklahoma City Thunder[e] |
| Dionte Christmas | Waived / Free Agent | New Orleans Pelicans /  Paris-Levallois Basket[e]
|
| Leandro Barbosa | Unrestricted free agent | Golden State Warriors |
| Alec Brown | Signed a new contract | Obradoiro Clube de Amigos do Baloncesto[c]
|
| Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Okafor | Free Agent / Waived | Unknown[f] |
| Anthony Tolliver | Traded | Detroit Pistons |
| Tony Mitchell | Waived | Unknown[g] |
| Ronald Shavlik Randolph | Traded | Boston Celtics |
^ c: Even though both Bogdan Bogdanović and Alec Brown will be playing in different European teams for multiple seasons, both players will have their rights retained by the Suns. On July 6, 2014, Bogdan Bogdanović signed a contract that would allow him to stay with Fenerbahçe Ülker for at least two seasons guaranteed. Alec Brown, however, would sign a contract to play for Obradoiro Clube de Amigos do Baloncesto for at least one season guaranteed, yet he hasn't played for the team as of Christmas Eve.
^ d: Even though Alex Oriakhi never played for the Suns, he still had his draft rights retained to the point where he even would have played for the Suns' Summer League team this season had he not been traded a day before the Las Vegas Summer League competition began. However, because the Kings had no room to offer him a spot on the team, Oriakhi would then sign a one year contract to play with the Pieno Žvaigždės in Lithuania.
^ e: Both Ishmael "Ish" Smith and Dionte Christmas would be waived from the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans' rosters respectively before the regular season began. Ishmeal would end up signing up with the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 8, 2014 thanks to their roster being depleted with many injuries around that time (especially with both star players Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook), while Dionte would end up signing with Paris-Levallois Basket in France four days later.
^ f: Despite the fact that Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Okafor never played a game for the Suns last season, as well as not play at all since early 2013 back with the Washington Wizards, he'd continue to rehabilitate his body throughout the rest of this season and not play in the process.
^ g: Despite the fact that Tony Mitchell would be traded to the Suns on Christmas Eve in exchange for Anthony Tolliver leaving for the Detroit Pistons, Mitchell would never play a single NBA game with the team. He would be waived on January 9, 2015 after the Suns traded their conditional first round draft pick they received from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2012 from the three-way trade with Minnesota and the then-New Orleans Hornets to the Boston Celtics for power forward/center Brandan Wright.
References
- ^ 2014-15 Phoenix Suns
- ^ http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2014/07/28/suns-player-pj-tucker-dui-arrest/13299361/
- ^ http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2014/08/08/phoenix-suns-tj-warren-tyler-ennis-nba-first-round/13778815/
- ^ http://valleyofthesuns.com/2015/01/19/suns-recap-phoenix-sweeps-lakers-first-time-since-2005/
- ^ http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/spain/135759/zoran-dragic-informs-unicaja-malaga-he-ll-sign-with-the-suns.html
- ^ http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/unicaja/2014/09/25/zoran-dragic-pone-rumbo-suns/709861.html
- ^ http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2014/9/24/6839147/phoenix-suns-sign-eric-bledsoe-to
- ^ "HoopsHype - NBA Salaries - Phoenix Suns". hoopshype.com. September 22, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
- ^ http://www.nba.com/suns/gallery/4-crazy-amazing-suns-stats-sunsvslakers
- ^ http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2014/10/31/7140785/gamethread-suns-and-spurs-play-game-of-chicken
- ^ http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/teams/Phoenix_Suns/23/Rosters/Current/2013
External links
