NBA Notes: Suns, LeBron James, Bulls, coaching search, Clippers

Suns

We now have a hypothetical involving LeBron James and the Suns. Whether there’s any real chance of it happening is another story.

Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic recently outlined several reasons why the Suns could make sense as a destination for James, while also acknowledging the odds are “very slim to none.”

Among the connections: James already knows Devin Booker from their time together with Team USA, Suns coach Jordan Ott previously worked for the Lakers, and former Lakers guard Jordan Goodwin is also in Phoenix. There’s also a family connection, with James’ son Bryce attending the University of Arizona in nearby Tucson.

The biggest basketball argument may be that James could once again serve as a primary playmaker rather than sharing those responsibilities as he did alongside Luka Doncic with the Lakers.

Rankin is right. It’s a long shot. But hey, the speculation isn’t likely to disappear until James decides on his future.

Bulls

The Bulls have added another name to their coaching search.

According to ESPN’s Jamal Collier, Chicago has expressed interest in BYU coach Kevin Young, who previously spent four seasons as an associate head coach with the Suns and has long been viewed as a future NBA head coach.

Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter also remains among the candidates being discussed.

New basketball operations chief Bryson Graham is overseeing the search after arriving from Atlanta earlier this month.

Clippers

The Clippers enter the offseason with plenty of options.

According to cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, Los Angeles could choose to operate with cap room or remain over the salary cap while pursuing roster upgrades.

The organization also continues to navigate questions surrounding the Aspiration investigation, though the Clippers are still expected to have significant flexibility as they look to improve the roster around Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland.

How aggressively they choose to use that flexibility could become one of the more interesting stories of the summer.