<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mark-cuban-reveals-tried-warning-mat-ishbia-all-in-strategy');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mark Cuban reveals he tried warning Mat Ishbia on ‘all-in’ strategy with Suns');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Suns-owner-Mat-Ishbia.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mark Cuban reveals he tried warning Mat Ishbia on ‘all-in’ strategy with Suns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T10:02:13-07:00">September 12th, 10:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T10:02:13-07:00">September 12th, 10:02am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban says he warned Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia about making drastic changes at the start of his tenure. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mat-ishbia-sued-phoenix-minority-owners">a lawsuit was reportedly filed against Ishbia</a> by the Suns’ minority owners due to various violations, Cuban shared a conversation he had with Phoenix’s majority owner, warning him about the new beginnings.</p><p>Cuban says <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quf1VxVcRX4&amp;t=1187s" rel="noopener">he talked to</a> Ishbia about how running an NBA organization is vastly different than the businesses he ran prior to joining the Mavericks, he said, per ESPN’s Road Trippin.</p><p>“I’ve actually talked to Mat about that stuff. When he first came in at the All-Star game, and we just started chit-chatting about it all. What it’s like coming from running a business, coming into the NBA, thinking I’m successful,” Cuban said. “You know the things I did at my company are going to work. It worked for me then; it’s going to work for me here. And they’re just a bunch of people who don’t know the other owners.”</p><p>Mark Cuban says coming in hot as the Suns’ new owner with championship aspirations was the wrong approach for Ishbia.</p><p>“Mat came in guns blazing and you know it didn’t work,” Cuban added. “In our conversation I was like, I respect the effort, respect the goal, but I’m just telling you its a zero sum game when you go all-in like that. Either it really works or your upset for a long time.”</p><h2>Kendrick Perkins argues Suns are NBA’s most embarassing team</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Suns-owner-Mat-Ishbia-1.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins recently addressed the Suns’ disappointing seasons over the past few years. As a former NBA center, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kendrick-perkins-argues-phoenix-holds-most-embarrassing-franchise-crown">Perkins says the Suns’ shortcomings are embarassing</a>.</p><p>For Perkins, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZiHHNQiT4g&amp;t=2019s" rel="noopener">organization should feel like the most embarassing</a> NBA team, he said, per ESPN’s Road Trippin.</p><p>“One could argue, or one could say that the Phoenix Suns have been the biggest embarrassment in the NBA over the last three to four years,” Perkins said. “Where they were, what four or five years ago. NBA Finals, culture, Monty Williams, CP3, just got dominated by Giannis.”</p><p>In an effort to get the Suns back to the Finals after their last apperance in 2021, Suns owner Mat Ishbia compiled the NBA’s most recent superteam by trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to place alongside All-Star Devin Booker in 2023. However, a deep playoff run never materialized as injuries hampered the star trio from developing chemistry, and the Suns’ roster lacked also lacked depth outside of its three best players.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mark Cuban reveals he tried warning Mat Ishbia on ‘all-in’ strategy with Suns

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-kendrick-perkins-argues-phoenix-holds-most-embarrassing-franchise-crown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kendrick Perkins argues Suns hold most embarrassing franchise crown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Suns-owner-Mat-Ishbia-2.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kendrick Perkins argues Suns hold most embarrassing franchise crown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-29T11:05:44-07:00">August 29th, 11:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-29T11:05:44-07:00">August 29th, 11:05am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With fans making their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/phoenix-suns-2025-26-season-predictions-nba-schedule-release">predictions for the Phoenix Suns this upcoming season</a>, there have been a lot of changes over the last handful of years that have some in the basketball world scratching their heads. On top <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-kevin-durant-trade-suns-jalen-green">of the Suns trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets</a>, there have been other moves that have been deemed incredibly disappointing, with Kendrick Perkins agreeing.</p><p>Perkins would speak his mind on the podcast “Road Trippin’,” he would say that Phoenix “have been the biggest embarrassment in the NBA” in the span of about three or four years, which is the time that owner Mat Ishbia has had the team. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZiHHNQiT4g&amp;t=2019s" rel="noopener">He would pinpoint that after the team made the NBA Finals</a>, most decisions have not been ideal, like trading former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton.</p><p>“One could argue, or one could say that the Phoenix Suns have been the biggest embarrassment in the NBA over the last three to four years,” Perkins said. “Where they were, what four or five years ago. NBA Finals, culture, Monty Williams, CP3, just got dominated by Giannis. To all of a sudden, you trade your number one pick in Deandre Ayton, who you took in that draft.”</p><p>“We’re not going to get into Deandre Ayton, but in a Phoenix Suns jersey, his numbers looked pretty damn good,” Perkins continued. “Anyway, it wasn’t a fit there, so you give up a whole lot of s—t. You give up a Cam Johnson, you give up a Mikal Bridges. You give up a lot of f—-ing draft picks to get who?”</p><h2><b>Kendrick Perkins critiques the Suns for not succeeding with Kevin Durant</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Devin-Booker-and-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Besides the Durant move,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-hire-cavs-jordan-ott-as-new-head-coach"> the Suns would hire new head coach Jordan Ott</a> after letting go of Mike Budenholzer last season, and one can’t forget buying out the contract of Bradley Beal. There’s no denying the amount of turnover on the team, where there were massive expectations at one point, as the same sentiments were echoed by Perkins.</p><p>“Where is KD at now? So he’s not even in Phoenix anymore,” Perkins said. “All of a sudden, you acquire Bradley Beal, who is making a whole lot of f—ing money with no trade clause. You run through two championship coaches, two, Frank Vogel wasn’t good enough. Mike Budenholzer wasn’t good enough. All of a sudden, now you’re here.”</p><p>At any rate, the Suns are looking to improve after last season, where the team had a 36-46 record, putting them in 11th in the Western Conference. Phoenix opens the preseason on Oct. 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers and eventually the regular season on Oct. 22, facing the Sacramento Kings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kendrick Perkins argues Suns hold most embarrassing franchise crown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mat-ishbia-sued-phoenix-minority-owners');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mat Ishbia sued by Suns minority owners');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Suns-owner-Mat-Ishbia-press-conference-.jpg"><figcaption>Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><h1>Mat Ishbia sued by Suns minority owners</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T20:31:15-07:00">August 27th, 8:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T20:31:15-07:00">August 27th, 8:31pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns owner <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46091616/suns-ishbia-sued-minority-owners-seeking-records-access">Mat Ishbia could be in a world of trouble</a> after two minority owners filed a lawsuit against him over alleged conflicts of interest and withheld information, among others, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported on Wednesday.</p><p>Holmes noted that the complainants—Andy Kohlberg and Scott Seldin—are “holdovers from the previous regime under former owner Robert Sarver.” ESPN obtained a <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46091616/suns-ishbia-sued-minority-owners-seeking-records-access" rel="noopener">redacted copy of the lawsuit</a>, which was filed on August 21.</p><p>“The attorneys who filed it represent Kisco WC Sports II and Kent Circle Investments. Andy Kohlberg is the founder, president, and CEO of Kisco Senior Living, and Scott Seldin is the president of Kent Circle Partners. Both men were minority owners under Sarver, who sold the Suns and (Phoenix) Mercury in 2023 in the wake of an NBA investigation into Sarver’s conduct and the team’s workplace culture,” wrote Holmes.</p><p>Ishbia, who rose through the mortgage industry, acquired the Suns and the Mercury in 2023 in a buyout deal valued at a then-NBA record $4 billion. Among the 16 partners in the ownership group, Kohlberg and Seldin were the only ones who did not sell their controlling stake.</p><p>According to the lawsuit, Kohlberg and Seldin claimed that the 45-year-old Ishbia didn’t disclose “side deals with other members of the Suns.” They added that they haven’t accessed any of the team’s expenditures, alleging that they were being concealed.</p><p>“They are concerned by the manager’s approach towards minority owners, and want more information about certain spending and capital raises in which the manager has engaged. Transparency with minority owners is not optional, and our clients think it is critical to the success of the Suns,” said the complainants, as quoted by their legal counsel.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/nba-news-robert-sarver-suspension-confirmed-despite-sale-suns-mercury">Ishbia took over the Suns from the embattled Sarver</a>, who was found to have committed workplace misconduct, including racism and misogyny, during his tenure. He was suspended for a year by the NBA in 2022 and was fined $10 million.</p><p>Within days of taking control, Ishbia signed off on a blockbuster trade that landed the Suns star forward Kevin Durant. The experiment, however, didn’t work, as Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets this summer.</p><p>The Suns have yet to comment on the lawsuit against Ishbia.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mat Ishbia sued by Suns minority owners

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/sneakers/nike-book-1-air-safari-releasing-september-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nike Book 1 ‘Air Safari’ releasing September 2025');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Nike-Book-1-Air-Safari-releasing-September-2025.jpg"></figure><h1>Nike Book 1 ‘Air Safari’ releasing September 2025</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T11:24:15-07:00">August 27th, 11:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T11:25:30-07:00">August 27th, 11:25am</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With rumors of the follow-up Nike Book 2 already circulating around the internet, Phoenix Suns’ all-time leading scorer Devin Booker still has unfinished business with his debut Nike Book 1. Known for its timeless and simple design, the shoe lends itself to an infinite amount of possibilities in terms of colorways. This upcoming “Air Safari” pair utilizes a classic color scheme popularized by Nike throughout the years.</p><p><i><b>Check our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers">Sneakers news</a> for more upcoming releases and breaking content!</b></i></p><p>First arriving in February 2024, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers/nike-book-1-neon-95-coming-september-2025">the Nike Book 1</a> has grown into one of the most popular basketball silhouettes in the game over the last year and half. Devin Booker always continues to reimagine unique colorways for his player exclusives worn on the court, but the public has seen a fair share of these sneakers come to fruition through a public release.</p><p>Up next, the Nike Book 1 will don the classic “Safari” color ensemble, popularized by the <a href="https://stockx.com/air-max-1-atmos-safari-2002">Nike Air Max 1</a>, the <a href="https://stockx.com/nike-lebron-16-low-safari">Nike LeBron line</a>, and <a href="https://stockx.com/nike-sb-dunk-low-atmos-safari">numerous collaborations</a> throughout the years.</p><h2>Nike Book 1 “Safari”</h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nike Book 1 “Safari” is releasing on September 2 🐆 <a href="https://t.co/ciqz77Bu6K">pic.twitter.com/ciqz77Bu6K</a></p><p>— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicekicks/status/1960403947065368736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nike Book 1 “Air Safari” Releases Sept. 2 🐅 <a href="https://t.co/KuOBYQhLJZ">pic.twitter.com/KuOBYQhLJZ</a></p><p>— House of Heat° (@houseofheat) <a href="https://twitter.com/houseofheat/status/1960409556174975172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>The “Air Safari” colorway of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers/nike-book-1-desert-camo-releasing-july-2025">Nike Book 1</a> will be characterized by <em>Black/Black-Monarch </em>for the classic safari look accented by the vibrant, burnt orange hue. The main saddle, heel, and eyelets panel will come in smooth black leather to contrast the other aspects. The mudguard, lower heel, and ankle collar will all feature the textured safari pattern, resembling the camouflage of several safari animal species.</p></figure><p>The shoes carry on with the iconic Monarch or burnt orange color covering the toebox and inner sockliner. The oversized Nike Swoosh is outlined in white to match the midsole, while a black outsole finishes the base. All in all, this is certainly a clean take on an already classic colorway that usually works on each sneaker it graces.</p><p>The Nike Book 1 “Air Safari” is available September 2, 2025 for a slightly elevated retail tag $155. The shoes will drop via Nike <a href="http://nike.com">SNKRS app</a> and select Nike platforms, coming in full size runs to accommodate your whole team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nike Book 1 ‘Air Safari’ releasing September 2025

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mat-ishbia-calls-out-so-called-experts-thinking-would-contend');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mat Ishbia calls out ‘so-called experts’ for thinking Suns would contend');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Suns-owner-Mat-Ishbia.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mat Ishbia calls out ‘so-called experts’ for thinking Suns would contend</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T10:03:06-07:00">August 27th, 10:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T10:03:06-07:00">August 27th, 10:03am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia unusually responded to NBA critics on social media, stating that the press isn’t always correct, given its title-containing label after the Suns acquired All-Star Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. After Phoenix Mercury and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mat-ishbia-stresses-trust-amid-active-role-with-suns-mercury" rel="noopener">Suns owner Ishbia stressed the importance of trust</a> amid a shared role for both NBA and WNBA organizations, he has countered a narrative surrounding his team heading into the upcoming season.</p><p>Ishbia responded to a post suggesting the Suns are most likely to stumble in 2025-26, the Suns <a href="https://x.com/Mishbia15/status/1960520975734149431" rel="noopener">clapped back</a> on his X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“I’m not worried about what the so-called experts think. They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then,” Ishbia said. “We’re focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that’s tough and gritty.”</p><p>Using his failed attempt at creating a superteam to yield a championship for the Suns, Ishbia isn’t wrong. However, it reminds everyone of his recent failure.</p><h2><b>Mat Ishbia stresses trust amid role with Suns, Mercury</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Suns-owner-Mat-Ishbia-2.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Mercury and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mat-ishbia-stresses-trust-amid-active-role-with-suns-mercury">Suns owner Mat Ishbia had a busy summer</a> making moves to improve, which included trading All-Star Kevin Durant to the Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick — Khaman Maluach — and five second-round picks in a historic seven-team blockbuster. It marked the first time seven teams were involved in a trade.</p><p>In the aftermath of the failed superteam, led by All-Star Devin Booker, Ishbia <a href="https://twitter.com/Espo/status/1956192829258260715" rel="noopener">stressed the importance of patience</a> among disappointed Suns fans, per Espo’s X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“The Mercury and the Suns, it’s all being done the same way now,” Ishbia said. “At the beginning with the Suns, obviously we had a good team, and let’s put a little money behind them – let them make decisions and go forward. It didn’t work very well. With the Mercury, they were already at the bottom of the league at 9-31, so at that point… the only [press conference] I’ve gotten beat up on was when I hired Nate Tibbetts and Nick Uren.</p><p>“People thought that was bad hires and those are the two best hires we’ve had now looking back two years later with how good these teams are,” Ishbia concluded.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Why should fans trust the Suns and Mat Ishbia?</p><p>I asked the man himself directly. <a href="https://t.co/hJCdecYlaI">pic.twitter.com/hJCdecYlaI</a></p><p>— Espo  (@Espo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Espo/status/1956192829258260715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Suns also re-signed Booker to a two-year, $145 million contract extension, which is the highest annual extension salary in NBA history. It’ll keep Booker signed to the Suns through the 2029-30 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mat Ishbia calls out ‘so-called experts’ for thinking Suns would contend

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wnba/dallas-wings/wings-news-paige-bueckers-moment-jalen-green-chet-holmgren-historic-night');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wings’ Paige Bueckers shares moment with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Green after historic night');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Paige-Bueckers-overtakes-Cynthia-Cooper-on-all-time-WNBA-rookie-streak.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Wings’ Paige Bueckers shares moment with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Green after historic night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-21T00:18:08-07:00">August 21st, 12:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-21T05:25:02-07:00">August 21st, 5:25am</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Wings</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dallas Wings guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/dallas-wings/wings-news-fans-erupt-paige-bueckers-unreal-offense-sparks">Paige Bueckers has made a believer out of everybody</a> with her stellar rookie campaign. Her all-around brilliance and fearless play have NBA players also taking notice.</p><p>Bueckers had herself a night on Wednesday, pouring in a career-high 44 points on a highly efficient 17-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, against the Los Angeles Sparks.</p><p>While the Wings lost a heartbreaker, 81-80, Bueckers’ high-scoring masterclass had the entire basketball world talking.</p><p>After the game, the 23-year-old Bueckers was congratulated by Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green, and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., who were <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1958395845189181879" rel="noopener">all on hand to witness</a> the Wings star’s special performance.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr, and Chet Holmgren congratulate Paige Bueckers after her BIG night 🤝</p><p>Ultimate respect!</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/DallasWings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DallasWings</a>)<br> <a href="https://t.co/0eYZOxCwNl">pic.twitter.com/0eYZOxCwNl</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1958395845189181879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Bueckers and Holmgren are <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2025/01/08/paige-bueckers-interview-uconn-womens-basketball-wnba-draft-geno-nike/77542716007/" rel="noopener">almost kindred spirits</a>, having both grown up in Minnesota. The Wings guard has stated that she’s close with the Thunder pivot and Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who also hails from The North Star State.</p><p>“It means everything to be able to represent Minnesota. It is known as a hockey state, but the basketball production is great as well. I’m close with Jalen and Chet and so many other basketball players who have done so well these past few years. It’s really cool to see the growth and the exposure and Minnesota getting a little bit of credit for basketball,” said Bueckers in an interview with USA Today Sports’ Bryan Kalbrosky in January.</p><p>Although the Wings have struggled with a 9-27 record, Bueckers is a frontrunner as Rookie of the Year. It’s hard to merely dismiss her personal feats because of their woeful standing.</p><p>She is averaging team-highs of 18.8 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals on top of 4.1 rebounds. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/dallas-wings/wings-news-paige-bueckers-cynthia-cooper-all-time-wnba-rookie-streak">Bueckers has scored in double digits in 29 straight games</a>, the third-longest streak for a rookie in league history. Many have hailed her high basketball IQ and composure despite being a newcomer.</p><p>Holmgren, Green, and Smith have also made a huge impact on their respective teams in their young careers. They know exactly how special Bueckers is.</p><p>The Wings are already out of contention for the playoffs, although they still have eight games left. Expect Bueckers to go out with guns blazing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wings’ Paige Bueckers shares moment with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Green after historic night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-sad-jalen-green-admission-kevin-durant-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Alperen Sengun makes ‘sad’ Jalen Green admission about Kevin Durant trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Jalen-Green-and-Alperen-Sengun.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets’ Alperen Sengun makes ‘sad’ Jalen Green admission about Kevin Durant trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-18T07:19:47-07:00">August 18th, 7:19am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-18T07:23:37-07:00">August 18th, 7:23am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have never experienced an NBA season without one another. The duo joined the Houston Rockets as the headliners of the team’s 2021 draft class. However, following <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/kevin-durant-trade-grades-7-teams-blockbuster">the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets</a>, Green will star for the Western Conference rival Phoenix Suns next season.</p><p>Sengun <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWENVYOCiO8" rel="noopener">admitted it was difficult</a> to see one of his closest friends traded.</p><p>“I was sad when he left. He was like my brother. I was sad when I got the news,” the Rockets star said in an interview with Socrates Degri. “I was very sad—but at the same time, Kevin Durant is coming. Still, Jalen was my brother. I called Jalen right away and told him how I felt: “I hope this trade motivates you even more.” Because I believe Jalen is going to be a really great player. Sometimes he battles with himself, but I think he won’t do that anymore and will mature even more in his game. I truly believe he’s going to be a big player. I wish him all the best. We’re still talking, and I’ll bring him to Turkey too.”</p><p>Green started all 307 of his appearances over four seasons with the Rockets after the team drafted him No. 2 overall in 2021. While he put up big numbers, averaging 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 42/34/80 shooting splits, he didn’t live up to expectations.</p><h2>Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun separating following blockbuster trade</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Jalen-Green-and-Alperen-Sengun-2.jpg"><figcaption>Erik Williams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-jalen-green-106-million-contract-extension">Houston signed Green to a three-year, $106 million contract extension</a> at the beginning of last season. However, many speculated that the team gave him the bloated contract to use him as the main salary filler in a star trade. The Rockets did just that in July, trading the guard alongside Dillon Brooks and the No. 10 pick in the draft for Durant.</p><p>Green will move forward as a core piece for the Suns as they attempt to navigate the fallout from the failed Durant era. Despite fit concerns, he will start in the backcourt alongside Devin Booker.</p><p>Meanwhile, Durant will serve as the star veteran to a young, ascending Rockets core that features Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard. The team also features veterans Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet alongside <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-2025-nba-free-agency-grade-for-every-signing">offseason acquisitions Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela</a>.</p><p>The Rockets have the second-best odds (+500) to win the Western Conference this season, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+140), per FanDuel Sportsbook. They are tied with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets for the third-best odds (+850) to win the NBA title, behind only the Thunder (+240) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (+700).</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Alperen Sengun makes ‘sad’ Jalen Green admission about Kevin Durant trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/phoenix-suns-2025-26-season-predictions-nba-schedule-release');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phoenix Suns 2025-26 season predictions after NBA schedule release');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Devin-Booker.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Phoenix Suns 2025-26 season predictions after NBA schedule release</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-18T05:06:26-07:00">August 18th, 5:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-18T05:06:26-07:00">August 18th, 5:06am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The release of the NBA schedule is always an opportunity for optimism: a clean slate, a fresh 82-game canvas where each team imagines how things could break their way. For the Phoenix Suns, however, the 2025-26 season arrives as more than a fresh start;<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-release-schedule-with-adorable-dogs"> it feels like a referendum. </a>Coming off a 36-46 record in 2024-25, the Suns finished 11th in the Western Conference, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.</p><p>Kevin Durant’s offseason trade to the Houston Rockets signaled the official end of the “big three” era that once paired him with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/phoenix-suns-perfect-move-2025-nba-offseason-devin-booker-extension"> Suns chose to move off a bloated salary sheet</a>, acquire youth (notably Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-phoenix-trades-for-mark-williams-drafts-khaman-maluach-moments-apart">rookie center Khaman Maluach</a>), and retool around Booker while retaining just enough veteran depth to remain competitive.</p><p>With the full schedule in hand, the key question is obvious: where do the Suns go from here? Let’s dive into a detailed season prediction: including projected record, playoff seed, award contenders, potential trade chips, injury concerns, and, of course, the must-watch games that will define this new-look Phoenix squad.</p><h2>Setting the stage: The Suns’ new identity</h2><p>To forecast Phoenix’s season, we first need to establish what kind of team this version of the Suns is built to be. Last year’s squad was top-heavy, inconsistent, and hampered by injuries to Beal, Jusuf Nurkić, and a revolving cast of role players. Their offense sputtered to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHO/2025.html" rel="noopener">10th in efficiency</a>, while their defense was porous (28th overall).</p><p>This season, the franchise faces an entirely different landscape: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-rockets-kevin-durant-trade-7-team-deal">Kevin Durant is gone</a>. The Suns will miss his shot-making and defensive versatility, but they gain flexibility and youth in return. On the other hand, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks arrive. Green provides high-octane scoring and transition flair, while Brooks brings defensive toughness and edge, two elements the Suns sorely lacked last season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">5 years ago today 🔥</p><p>Devin Booker hit an iconic shot, followed by an iconic pose and continued Phoenix’s legendary run in the bubble 😤</p><p>(🎥: <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a>)<a href="https://t.co/GWRzFec3en">pic.twitter.com/GWRzFec3en</a></p><p>— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) <a href="https://twitter.com/PHNX_Suns/status/1952408882598629849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Meanwhile, Devin Booker’s burden increases. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/grading-devin-booker-145-million-suns-contract-extension">Booker remains the face of the franchise</a>, but at age 28, he now carries the responsibility of both leadership and production. Therefore, he must elevate the Suns’ ceiling in ways Durant once did.</p><p>The Suns may not be title contenders, but they have shifted from a luxury-tax-choked roster to one with assets, youth, and flexibility. That matters when projecting how this team performs.</p><h2><b>Crucial games on the Suns schedule</b></h2><p>The NBA schedule release highlighted four games that will shape the Suns’ season narrative.</p><h2><b>Nov. 6 vs. Los Angeles Clippers</b></h2><p>The first real test at home against a veteran contender. Bradley Beal’s exit from Phoenix still stings for some fans, and seeing him in a Clippers uniform adds an emotional wrinkle. This is less about rivalry and more about a measuring stick: can the Suns hang with a playoff-caliber roster early in the season?</p><h2><b>Nov. 24 vs. Houston Rockets</b></h2><p>Circle it in red ink. Kevin Durant’s first return to Phoenix in a Rockets uniform guarantees intensity. Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks will be motivated to prove their worth, while Durant will seek to silence critics who believe the Suns sold low. Expect playoff-level energy in Footprint Center, regardless of either team’s record.</p><h2><b>Dec. 31 at Cleveland Cavaliers</b></h2><p>A New Year’s Eve showdown against the Eastern Conference’s top regular-season team last year (64 wins). Cleveland’s size (Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen) will test Phoenix’s reconfigured frontcourt. By this point in the season, we’ll know whether the Suns’ identity leans more toward offensive firepower or defensive grit.</p><h2><b>Apr. 12 at Oklahoma City Thunder</b></h2><p>The season finale against the defending champions could have massive playoff implications. For OKC, it may mean resting stars if seeding is secure. For Phoenix, it might determine whether they sneak into the Play-In or spend another spring on the outside looking in.</p><h2><b>Projected record and p</b>layoff prediction<b>: 40-42</b></h2><p>Improvement feels inevitable without Durant, simply because last year’s team underperformed expectations. With Green, Brooks, and Booker, they now have three perimeter creators capable of manufacturing buckets late in games.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Suns fans shouldn't sleep on Dillon Brooks' underrated post-up game! 💪 <a href="https://t.co/fTjzmKUwSD">pic.twitter.com/fTjzmKUwSD</a></p><p>— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) <a href="https://twitter.com/PHNX_Suns/status/1950753593700548897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>At the same time, the roster remains flawed. Interior defense is suspect outside of Maluach’s development, playmaking is shallow without a true floor general, and injuries are always lurking for a team that invests heavy minutes in Booker and Brooks.</p><p>A four-win bump to 40-42 feels realistic, placing the Suns firmly in the 8-10 seed range of the Western Conference. This doesn’t catapult them into contention, but it represents growth and perhaps a foundation to build upon.</p><p>The West remains brutally competitive. Denver, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota headline the top tier. The Lakers, Warriors, and Clippers, while aging, still carry firepower. Houston’s rise with Durant pushes them into the playoff mix. Even teams like New Orleans, Sacramento, and Dallas are fighting for spots.</p><p>In this landscape, Phoenix projects as a Play-In team at best. Slotting them at the 10th seed feels appropriate, though if health breaks their way, they could push into 8th. Conversely, another injury-riddled year could easily sink them to 12th.</p><h2><b>Other predictions</b></h2><p>Beyond wins and losses, here’s what else could define the Suns’ season:</p><h2><b>Devin Booker returns to All-NBA form</b></h2><p>With Durant and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/clippers-news-bradley-beal-officially-suns-buyout-sign-la">Bradley Beal gone</a>, Booker’s usage will skyrocket. Expect him to average around 28 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game, numbers good enough for All-NBA Second Team consideration. While MVP buzz is unlikely given the team’s record, he’ll remind the league he’s one of the premier shooting guards in basketball.</p><h2><b>Jalen Green’s breakout season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Jalen-Green.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The change of scenery benefits Green, who often clashed with structure in Houston.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jalen Green FC, we’re taking that SGA/ANT leap 🔜 🤫 😈 <a href="https://t.co/XTArhuixpo">pic.twitter.com/XTArhuixpo</a></p><p>— Book’em (@dbookownsyou) <a href="https://twitter.com/dbookownsyou/status/1956753269029560331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In Phoenix, where the offense is more open, Green could thrive as a secondary scorer. Averages of 22+ points per game aren’t out of the question. By midseason, he’ll be labeled the “steal” of the Durant trade.</p><h2><b>Dillon Brooks finds redemption</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Dillon-Brooks.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After a turbulent stint in Houston, Brooks has the chance to reshape his image in Phoenix. Expect him to emerge as the Suns’ defensive anchor, guarding the opposition’s top perimeter threat nightly. He’ll also be in the conversation for All-Defensive Second Team if he maintains discipline.</p><h2><b>Khaman Maluach struggles early, improves late</b></h2><p>As a rookie big, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-maluachs-2-word-reaction-to-seeing-his-name-at-summer-league">Maluach will face growing pains</a> against NBA size.</p><p>However, by March and April, he could carve out a consistent rotation role, showing flashes of why Phoenix invested in him. Long-term, he projects as a franchise cornerstone, but this season will be about patience.</p><h2>Midseason trades involving sign-and-trade returns</h2><p>Unsigned free agents Bol Bol, Monté Morris, and Damion Lee loom as potential sign-and-trade candidates. Expect at least one of them to be re-signed and moved by February to balance the roster. The Suns could seek either a veteran backup point guard or another rim-protecting big to stabilize rotations.</p><h2>Coaching stability… for now</h2><p>Head coach Jordan Ott or the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-hire-cavs-jordan-ott-as-new-head-coach">Suns’ chosen voice</a> will likely survive the year, but whispers about long-term direction will grow louder if the team stagnates. Expect the front office to reassess after the season rather than mid-year.</p><p>The Phoenix Suns are no longer chasing championships in the short term. Instead, they are transitioning toward a sustainable model built around Devin Booker’s prime years, with Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Khaman Maluach as pillars of the next era.</p><p>Will they win big in 2025-26? Probably not. A 40-42 record, 10th seed, and Play-In exit feels like the most realistic outcome. But context matters: that’s a step forward from last year’s 36-46 collapse.</p><p>Fans shouldn’t measure success purely in playoff rounds this season. Instead, watch for signs of growth: Booker’s return to All-NBA status, Green’s potential emergence as a star, Maluach’s rookie progression, and the Suns’ ability to develop depth beyond their top scorers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phoenix Suns 2025-26 season predictions after NBA schedule release

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-mat-ishbia-stresses-trust-amid-active-role-with-suns-mercury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mat Ishbia stresses trust amid active role with Suns, Mercury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Suns-owner-Mat-Ishbia-press-conference-.jpg"><figcaption>Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><h1>Mat Ishbia stresses trust amid active role with Suns, Mercury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-15T11:20:08-07:00">August 15th, 11:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-15T11:20:08-07:00">August 15th, 11:20am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia is taking a more hands-on approach with both franchises, stressing the importance of building trust through consistent actions. In a recent interview with Espo of Southwest Bias, Ishbia explained why he believes <a href="https://x.com/Espo/status/1956192829258260715" rel="noopener">fans should have confidence</a> in the direction of both teams under his leadership.</p><p>Referencing a quote from his book Running the Corporate Offense — “Trust is earned through your actions – by what you say or do on a daily basis” — Ishbia detailed how he has applied that philosophy since acquiring the Suns and Mercury.</p><p>“The Mercury and the Suns, it’s all being done the same way now,” Ishbia said. “At the beginning with the Suns, obviously we had a good team and let’s put a little money behind them – let them make decisions and go forward. It didn’t work very well. With the Mercury they were already at the bottom of the league at 9-31, so at that point… the only [press conference] I’ve gotten beat up on was when I hired Nate Tibbetts and Nick Uren. People thought that was bad hires and those are the two best hires we’ve had now looking back two years later with how good these teams are.”</p><p>Ishbia acknowledged that popular moves — such as the trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal — ultimately failed to deliver. He emphasized that his focus is on long-term consistency, building teams the city can be proud of even in years without a championship.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Why should fans trust the Suns and Mat Ishbia?</p><p>I asked the man himself directly. <a href="https://t.co/hJCdecYlaI">pic.twitter.com/hJCdecYlaI</a></p><p>— Espo  (@Espo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Espo/status/1956192829258260715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Mat Ishbia vows Suns will be more competitive as Mercury continue steady climb</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Mat-and-Justin-Ishbia.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“What you’re going to see by my actions and our actions in Phoenix for the men’s and women’s teams is consistency and running it the right way,” Ishbia said. “The right way means the type of players that we want the city to be proud of. We could have the team for 50 years… we’re not going to win a championship for probably 47 or 48 of those years, but you are going to be proud of the team.”</p><p>Looking back on last season, Ishbia said the Suns’ 36–46 record and 11th-place finish in the Western Conference was not acceptable.</p><p>“Last year the men’s team was not a team that people were proud of,” Ishbia said. “It was a team that was not fun to watch – a lot of talent, not a lot of fun to watch, not a lot of success. You’re not going to see that anymore in Phoenix.”</p><p>He pointed to the Mercury’s progression over the past two seasons as an example of steady improvement. After a difficult first year, the team reached the playoffs last season and is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/phoenix-mercury/2-moves-mercury-must-make-after-2025-wnba-trade-deadline">currently 19–12, sitting fourth in the WNBA standings</a> and second in the Western Conference behind the Minnesota Lynx.</p><p>The Suns are entering the 2025–26 season with a new direction under first-year head coach Jordan Ott. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-strategy-kevin-durant-trade-devin-booker-extension">team extended star guard Devin Booker</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/kevin-durant-trade-grades-7-teams-blockbuster">traded Durant to the Houston Rockets</a>, and reached a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-the-210-million-impact-of-bradley-beal-buyout">buyout agreement with Beal</a>, who later <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-bradley-beal-need-ring-declaration-signing">signed with the Los Angeles Clippers</a>.</p><p>Mat Ishbia reiterated that his goal is to earn trust through visible, sustained progress. “The workouts they’re doing, they’re getting better every single day… the whole city of Phoenix will understand that and trust me and our organization by our actions,” he said.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mat Ishbia stresses trust amid active role with Suns, Mercury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-kevin-durant-continues-going-after-twitter-users-over-strong-claims');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Kevin Durant continues going after Twitter users over strong claims');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kevin-Durant-complains-about-a-call.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets’ Kevin Durant continues going after Twitter users over strong claims</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T20:27:08-07:00">August 14th, 8:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T20:27:43-07:00">August 14th, 8:27pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Rockets fans entered Thursday afternoon hyped for the release of their 2025-26 NBA regular season schedule. Kevin Durant and Co. will open up the season visiting the defending NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder on October 21, 2025.</p><p>Until then, however, Kevin Durant continues to go after his critics on social media.</p><h2><b>Rockets’ Kevin Durant continues going after Twitter users over bold claims</b></h2><p>Kevin Durant is no stranger to trolls, and his activity on social media suggest he actually enjoys the banter of going back and forth with fans and haters alike.</p><p>In a few recent exchanges, Durant made sure to give his critics a piece of his mind.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Did you guys play varsity in high school?</p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1956123482926072016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Can you guys answer the question above <a href="https://twitter.com/DimeDropperPod?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DimeDropperPod</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Jacobtheclipper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jacobtheclipper</a></p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1956129080463777827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">No!!! That’s why I reply, your opnion means nothing and I HAVE to consistently tell you that. Not just you, most of the people on here</p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1956128328576065597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This comes after one of the league’s best scorers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-kevin-durant-ruthlessly-eviscerates-fan-diminishing-greatness">responded to a Twitter user</a> who disagreed with the idea of calling him the, “greatest scorer of all time.” </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">30k points on low fga. Ima coaches dream. Dime dropper, I mastered scoring at 24 years old man. Give it a rest, I don’t care about being the best scorer ever. You are diminishing my all time greatness callin me that</p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1954238188148670466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That led to a <a href="https://x.com/KDTrey5/status/1954238188148670466">back-and-forth on Twitter</a>, and that continued into Thursday evening.</p><p>Just a few days ago, when the NBA announced that Durant and the Rockets would open up the season in front of the Oklahoma City Thunder, fans began debates about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-kevin-durants-tight-lipped-okc-jersey-retirement-response">whether or not Durant deserved</a> to have his jersey retired.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">U don’t want me to answer this but what I will say, muse pages and Stan accounts don’t make none of these decisions..</p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1954920188454773220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kevin Durant will be playing for his fifth NBA franchise, but the fourth in 10 seasons. After leaving the Warriors, Durant has played two-and-a-half seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and two-and-a-half seasons with the Phoenix Suns.</p><p>Kevin Durant will be entering his 18th year in the NBA next season, playing 1,123 regular season games and 170 playoff appearances. In his 17-year NBA career, Durant has averaged 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.1 block per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 39 percent from three during the regular season.</p><p>In his postseason career, Durant has averaged 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Kevin Durant continues going after Twitter users over strong claims

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-release-schedule-with-adorable-dogs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns release schedule with a lot of adorable dogs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Suns-star-Devin-Booker-calls-a-play.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Suns release schedule with a lot of adorable dogs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T14:50:05-07:00">August 14th, 2:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T14:50:05-07:00">August 14th, 2:50pm</time><address><a>Guillermo Guajardo</a>Guillermo Guajardo is a dynamic sports presenter with experience on various television channels and digital platforms, most recently with A Tiempo.TV. He is also a multidisciplinary artist with 10 years of experience in acting, directing, writing, and hosting. His work in film has been recognized at international festivals, earning awards for both his performances and directorial projects.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-bradley-beal-norman-powell-brook-lopez-return-games-announced">unveiled their 2025-26 NBA season schedule</a> with a special touch, releasing a promotional video announcing they would cover the adoption fees for 30 rescue dogs through the Arizona Humane Society — one for each NBA team. In the adorable clip, Suns players are seen playing and spending time with the puppies, <a href="https://x.com/Suns/status/1956072456839684289" rel="noopener">who are having fun with some very peculiar toys</a>, including stuffed animals of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and others.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">READY TO UNLEASH OUR SCHEDULE 🐾</p><p>For schedule release, we sponsored the adoption fees of 30 dogs to represent the 30 teams around the league!<a href="https://twitter.com/Ticketmaster?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ticketmaster</a> | <a href="https://t.co/C5uYk80Ogt">https://t.co/C5uYk80Ogt</a> <a href="https://t.co/0ZOqeKUqzW">pic.twitter.com/0ZOqeKUqzW</a></p><p>— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1956072456839684289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Utah Jazz even responded on X, asking which puppy represented them, to which the Suns replied, “Jazz Bear fighting for his life rn.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jazz Bear fighting for his life rn 😂 <a href="https://t.co/0Ae42OO0c5">pic.twitter.com/0Ae42OO0c5</a></p><p>— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1956080524700876837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The video captures your heart from the first second the puppies appear, but is suddenly interrupted by the schedule reveal. The season will open with a home matchup against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 22, followed by a quick trip to Los Angeles two days later to face <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-bradley-beal-plans-for-2026-free-agency-after-signing-with-la">the Clippers and familiar faces Bradley Beal</a> and Chris Paul.</p><p>Kevin Durant’s first return to Phoenix since joining the Houston Rockets is set for Nov. 24. The matchup could also bring extra intensity with former Rockets Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, both known for their competitive edge.</p><p>The early-season schedule also features intriguing clashes with contenders like the Denver Nuggets, now home to former Sun Cam Johnson. Denver brought in Johnson to play alongside Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Bruce Brown, adding depth on the wing under new head coach David Adelman. The Suns will also face the Los Angeles Lakers four times, including games on Dec. 1 and Dec. 23, with former No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton now wearing purple and gold.</p><p>Several Eastern Conference matchups will help gauge Phoenix’s advancement. The Suns will be tested by teams such as the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers. Orlando has quality depth, like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Cavaliers will challenge the Suns because they are elite in size, with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley as frontcourt players. Lastly, while Pascal Siakam leads Indiana and plays quickly, all these teams present different challenges due to their versatility.</p><p>Phoenix will also compete in the Emirates NBA Cup for the third straight year, facing the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Kings, and Oklahoma City Thunder between Oct. 31 and Nov. 28. The regular season closes with a demanding four-game stretch: hosting Durant’s Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks before road matchups against the Lakers and defending champion Thunder.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns release schedule with a lot of adorable dogs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-bradley-beal-norman-powell-brook-lopez-return-games-announced');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bradley Beal, Norman Powell, Brook Lopez return games announced');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Bradley-Beal-Los-Angeles-Clippers-Norman-Powell-Miami-Heat-Chris-Paul-San-Antonio-Spurs-Brook-Lopez-Milwaukee-Bucks.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Bradley Beal, Norman Powell, Brook Lopez return games announced</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T12:21:55-07:00">August 14th, 12:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T12:23:01-07:00">August 14th, 12:23pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers are hopeful to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/la-clippers-perfect-move-in-2025-nba-offseason">compete for an NBA Championship</a> after an offseason that many would <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/why-james-harden-was-superstar-la-clippers-needed">consider a home run</a>. The franchise lost Norman Powell, but was able to add Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez, and Chris Paul to the team.</p><p>With the NBA’s schedule release on Thursday afternoon, the Clippers will have some big return games on the docket.</p><h2><b>Clippers’ Bradley Beal, Norman Powell, Brook Lopez return game dates announced</b></h2><p>Bradley Beal played two seasons with the Phoenix Suns, but struggled to develop any kind of chemistry or consistency with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and his teammates in the Valley. The teams were never well-constructed, which led to a number of disappointing games for everyone involved.</p><p>But Suns fans won’t have to wait long to boo their former player.</p><p>Bradley Beal and the LA Clippers will head to Phoenix to take on the Suns on Thursday, November 6, 2025. It will be one of four matchups for the division rivals.</p><p>Norman Powell had a career year with the Clippers in the 2024-25 season, nearly earning an All-Star selection. This past offseason, however, the Clippers targeted size as a need for the roster. Powell was traded to the Miami Heat in a three-team deal that also sent John Collins to the Clippers.</p><p>The Clippers and Heat won’t have to wait long to get that game out of the way either.</p><p>Norman Powell and the Miami Heat will come to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Monday, November 3, 2025. It will be one of two matchups for the teams on opposite ends of the coast.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Brook-Lopez-Milwaukee-Bucks-Los-Angeles-Clippers.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><p>Brook Lopez was a splashy move for the LA Clippers to start free agency. The floor-spacing center elected to leave the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency after seven seasons and an NBA Championship.</p><p>The Bucks, however, will have quite a while to prepare their tribute video for the guy nicknamed, “Splash Mountain,” due to his three-point shooting prowess.</p><p>Brook Lopez will make his return to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks as a member of the LA Clippers on Sunday, March 29, 2026. That will be about two weeks before the NBA’s regular season is expected to end.</p><p>Chris Paul was the final player to sign a standard contract with the Clippers this summer, capping off what was an incredible summer for the franchise.</p><p>Paul only played one season with the San Antonio Spurs, but if you ask guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and Stephon Castle, one season can be incredibly impactful on one’s career.</p><p>For the second time as a Los Angeles Clippers guard, Chris Paul will return to San Antonio for the first time to take on the Spurs on March 6, 2026.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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Suns NEWS

Suns News: Get the latest Phoenix Suns news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Suns News

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PhoenixSuns NEWS

Suns News: Get the latest Phoenix Suns news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Suns News

Mark Cuban reveals he tried warning Mat Ishbia on ‘all-in’ strategy with Suns

Kendrick Perkins argues Suns hold most embarrassing franchise crown

Mat Ishbia sued by Suns minority owners

Nike Book 1 ‘Air Safari’ releasing September 2025

Mat Ishbia calls out ‘so-called experts’ for thinking Suns would contend

Wings’ Paige Bueckers shares moment with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Green after historic night

Rockets’ Alperen Sengun makes ‘sad’ Jalen Green admission about Kevin Durant trade

• Phoenix Suns 2025-26 season predictions after NBA schedule release

• Mat Ishbia stresses trust amid active role with Suns, Mercury

• Rockets’ Kevin Durant continues going after Twitter users over strong claims

• Suns release schedule with a lot of adorable dogs

• Bradley Beal, Norman Powell, Brook Lopez return games announced

Phoenix
Suns NEWS