West Notes: Suns, Chris Paul, Timberwolves, Nuggets

Suns

Chris Paul isn’t taking being a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary All-Time team lightly, he told Kameron Hay of Complex.

“For all these years I have just kept my head down and done the work, and I can honestly say that being named to the NBA 75 team, the day we did that huge photoshoot, I’ll never forget it,” Paul said, via Hay. “I met a number of players that I had never met for the first time.

“Being in the same setting, all of us, at the same time, was the craziest feeling. Standing there and taking a picture with John Stockton and Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, all of these guys that I have watched since I was a kid. It’s something that will live forever, I’m grateful.”

• Zach Harper of The Athletic has the Suns at No. 3 in his latest power rankings, writing that they “need to hope a healthy playoff appearance in 2023 looks more like what we saw in their 2021 finals run. They’re still a great matchup to face the defending champion Warriors.”

Timberwolves

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor discussed a number of topics in an interview with Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, including the Rudy Gobert trade, and how new head of basketball operations Tim Connelly and coach Chris Finch approached him about the deal.

“What I did when Tim and Chris talked to me about this trade is to ask (Finch) is there a system that he knows how to utilize these players,” Taylor told Wolfson. “And he was very confident that he did understand how to utilize their skill sets, being two big guys. We talked about a lot, so he convinced me that this is something that is going to take us to a winning situation, and gave us the go-ahead to make the trade.”

Taylor added that the Jazz pushed for Jaden McDaniels ahead of the trade, prolonging the talks.

He touched on several other topics as well, including an extension for D’Angelo Russell. Taylor suggested it might be best for both sides to wait.

“(Finch) believes that with the new lineup, and with Russell in that lineup, that he’ll have a much better year just because of the way we’re going to play,” Taylor said. “He says he thinks there’s a big upside for Russell with this group of (players). That’s to his advantage and to our advantage if it works out.”

Nuggets

• Nuggets scouting coordinator Jon Wallace has bolted for the Timberwolves, where he will serve as director of player personnel and general manager of the G League’s Iowa Wolves, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Wallace reunites with Connelly, the former head of basketball operations in Denver.
• Former Nuggets guard Will Barton said he was a little surprised by the trade that sent him to the Wizards. “It was just like a shock, but not too much of a shock,” Barton said, via Singer. “It was a shock in that, obviously, I had been there eight years, did so much there together, so it’s always shocking when you’ve been somewhere for so long and you’re moving on. But, at the same time, I embraced it, I’m welcoming a new chapter.”
• Speculation around the league is that the Nuggets could potentially look into signing Carmelo Anthony, an unrestricted free agent. For now, though, it’s mere speculation, sources told Hoops Wire.