Well, it finally happened. For the first time in 11 years, Damian Lillard is no longer a Trailblazer.On Wednesday, the nearly three-month saga that held NBA news hostage all summer came to an abrupt halt after Lillard was astonishingly acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a blockbuster three-team deal that included the Phoenix Suns, nine total players, one first-round pick, and one pick swap.Here is the full breakdown of the trade and my analysis of how it will affect the NBA in 2023-2024 and fantasy basketball. 

The Trade

The Bucks receive - Damian LillardThe Blazers receive - Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Bucks' 2029 first-round pick, Bucks' pick swapThe Suns receive - Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson, ... [More]

The Phoenix Suns are one of two expansion franchises that joined the National Basketball Association in 1968. While they have had their fair share of triumphs over the decades, they are among 12 teams that have never won an NBA championship.However, they've won three Western Conference crowns and eight division titles. The Suns also have the second-highest winning percentage among teams that don't have a Larry O'Brien Trophy in their collection. Despite their lack of an NBA title, Phoenix has had some superstar-caliber players suit up for them through the years.Some of the league's greatest players have kept basketball a hot commodity in The Valley. But of all the players who have donned the purple and orange, here are the ones who stood out. 

Honorable Mention -; Dick Van Arsdale

https://twitter.com/sunsgeek/status/1496163718366904322He is known as the "original Sun" after the franchise made him their first selection in the 1968 expansion draft. Van Arsdale played nine seasons for the Suns before retiring in 1977. Throughout that stretch, he became a three-time NBA All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member. The former Hoosier also served as General Manager, head coach, and Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the Suns. The franchise retired his number five jersey, one of six they have in the rafters. 

10. Devin Booker

https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1656178078731599874Is it too early to put him on this list? Not really, especially considering he was a 2022 All-NBA First Team member. He has been a three-time NBA All-Star since the Suns selected him 13^th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. As of the 2022-23 season, he is already the franchise leader in three-point field goals made with 1,089.He was also the youngest player to score 60 points in a game when he torched the Boston Celtics for 70 points in 2017. Booker will continue to amass individual and team achievements for Phoenix after signing a four-year, $224 million contract extension in 2022. That deal keeps him with the Suns until the 2027-28 season. 

9. ... [More]

It's a crazy time of year around the National Basketball Association. Not long after the Denver Nuggets captured the franchise's first championship, French big manVictor Wembanyama was the top pick of the 2023 Draft.While new talent entering the league is all well and good, nothing turns the NBA upside down quite like the beginning of free agency. Since June 30, many notable players have signed with new teams. There were also more than a few significant trades. In either case, at least a handful of clubs will look very different (for the better?) come training camp. Let's take a look at some of the biggest names on the move and how they might affect the NBA landscape this season. 

Fred VanVleet - Houston Rockets

The Rockets entered the 2022-23 campaign as the second-youngest team in the National Basketball Association, and it showed. The club finished with 22 wins and 60 losses, with the Pistons being the only team with a worse record. As a result, the front office made a point to shake things up after the exhaustingly long year came to a close.The overhaul began when Stephen Silas, winning just 59 of his 236 games in Houston, was relieved of his head coaching duties. In his place, Ime Udoka, who helped guide the Celtics to an NBA Finals appearance in his first season, took the reigns. While Udoka's tenure in Boston didn't end on a positive note, he's still regarded as one of the sharpest minds in the league, even by those who lost respect for him on a personal level.https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1650612243661242369?s=20While having a knowledgeable head coach will help accelerate the growth of an up-and-coming squad, the Rockets needed someone to facilitate things on the floor. With Houston having plenty of cap space entering the offseason, the team signed ... [More]

The Phoenix Suns are one of two expansion franchises that joined the National Basketball Association in 1968. While they have had their fair share of triumphs over the decades, they are among 12 teams that have never won an NBA championship.However, they've won three Western Conference crowns and eight division titles. The Suns also have the second-highest winning percentage among teams that don't have a Larry O'Brien Trophy in their collection. Despite their lack of an NBA title, Phoenix has had some superstar-caliber players suit up for them through the years.Some of the league's greatest players have kept basketball a hot commodity in The Valley. But of all the players who have donned the purple and orange, here are the ones who stood out. 

Honorable Mention -; Dick Van Arsdale

https://twitter.com/sunsgeek/status/1496163718366904322He is known as the "original Sun" after the franchise made him their first selection in the 1968 expansion draft. Van Arsdale played nine seasons for the Suns before retiring in 1977. Throughout that stretch, he became a three-time NBA All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member. The former Hoosier also served as General Manager, head coach, and Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the Suns. The franchise retired his number five jersey, one of six they have in the rafters. 

10. Devin Booker

https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1656178078731599874Is it too early to put him on this list? Not really, especially considering he was a 2022 All-NBA First Team member. He has been a three-time NBA All-Star since the Suns selected him 13^th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. As of the 2022-23 season, he is already the franchise leader in three-point field goals made with 1,089.He was also the youngest player to score 60 points in a game when he torched the Boston Celtics for 70 points in 2017. Booker will continue to amass individual and team achievements for Phoenix after signing a four-year, $224 million contract extension in 2022. That deal keeps him with the Suns until the 2027-28 season. 

9. ... [More]

The Phoenix Suns are one of two expansion franchises that joined the National Basketball Association in 1968. While they have had their fair share of triumphs over the decades, they are among 12 teams that have never won an NBA championship.However, they've won three Western Conference crowns and eight division titles. The Suns also have the second-highest winning percentage among teams that don't have a Larry O'Brien Trophy in their collection.Some of the league's greatest players have kept basketball a hot commodity in The Valley. But of all the players who have donned the purple and orange, here are the ones who stood out. 

Honorable Mention -; Dick Van Arsdale

https://twitter.com/sunsgeek/status/1496163718366904322He is known as the "original Sun" after the franchise made him their first selection in the 1968 expansion draft. Van Arsdale played nine seasons for the Suns before retiring in 1977. Throughout that stretch, he became a three-time NBA All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member. The former Hoosier also served as General Manager, head coach, and Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the Suns. The franchise retired his number five jersey, one of six they have in the rafters. 

10. Devin Booker

https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1656178078731599874Is it too early to put him on this list? Not really, especially considering he was a 2022 All-NBA First Team member. He has been a three-time NBA All-Star since the Suns selected him 13^th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. As of the 2022-23 season, he is already the franchise leader in three-point field goals made with 1,089.He was also the youngest player to score 60 points in a game when he torched the Boston Celtics for 70 points in 2017. Booker will continue to amass individual and team achievements for Phoenix after signing a four-year, $224 million contract extension in 2022. That deal keeps him with the Suns until the 2027-28 season. 

9. ... [More]

The Phoenix Suns are one of two expansion franchises that joined the National Basketball Association in 1968. While they have had their fair share of triumphs over the decades, they are among 12 teams that have never won an NBA championship.However, they've won three Western Conference crowns and eight division titles. The Suns also have the second-highest winning percentage among teams that don't have a Larry O'Brien Trophy in their collection.Some of the league's greatest players have kept basketball a hot commodity in The Valley. But of all the players who have donned the purple and orange, here are the ones who stood out. 

Honorable Mention -; Dick Van Arsdale

https://twitter.com/sunsgeek/status/1496163718366904322He is known as the "original Sun" after the franchise made him their first selection in the 1968 expansion draft. Van Arsdale played nine seasons for the Suns before retiring in 1977. Throughout that stretch, he became a three-time NBA All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member. The former Hoosier also served as General Manager, head coach, and Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the Suns. The franchise retired his number five jersey, one of six they have in the rafters. 

10. Devin Booker

https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1656178078731599874Is it too early to put him on this list? Not really, especially considering he was a 2022 All-NBA First Team member. He has been a three-time NBA All-Star since the Suns selected him 13^th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. As of the 2022-23 season, he is already the franchise leader in three-point field goals made with 1,089.He was also the youngest player to score 60 points in a game when he torched the Boston Celtics for 70 points in 2017. Booker will continue to amass individual and team achievements for Phoenix after signing a four-year, $224 million contract extension in 2022. That deal keeps him with the Suns until the 2027-28 season. 

9. ... [More]

The Phoenix Suns are one of two expansion franchises that joined the National Basketball Association in 1968. While they have had their fair share of triumphs over the decades, they are among 12 teams that have never won an NBA championship.However, they've won three Western Conference crowns and eight division titles. The Suns also have the second-highest winning percentage among teams that don't have a Larry O'Brien Trophy in their collection.Some of the league's greatest players have kept basketball a hot commodity in The Valley. But of all the players who have donned the purple and orange, here are the ones who stood out. 

Honorable Mention -; Dick Van Arsdale

https://twitter.com/sunsgeek/status/1496163718366904322He is known as the "original Sun" after the franchise made him their first selection in the 1968 expansion draft. Van Arsdale played nine seasons for the Suns before retiring in 1977. Throughout that stretch, he became a three-time NBA All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member. The former Hoosier also served as General Manager, head coach, and Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the Suns. The franchise retired his number five jersey, one of six they have in the rafters. 

10. Devin Booker

https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1656178078731599874Is it too early to put him on this list? Not really, especially considering he was a 2022 All-NBA First Team member. He has been a three-time NBA All-Star since the Suns selected him 13^th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. As of the 2022-23 season, he is already the franchise leader in three-point field goals made with 1,089.He was also the youngest player to score 60 points in a game when he torched the Boston Celtics for 70 points in 2017. Booker will continue to amass individual and team achievements for Phoenix after signing a four-year, $224 million contract extension in 2022. That deal keeps him with the Suns until the 2027-28 season. 

9. ... [More]

Phoenix Suns guard/forward Devin Booker continued to shine in the second-round series against Denver on Sunday, scoring 36 points on 14-for-18 shooting and adding 12 assists in a 129-124 win. He missed only one of his four three-point attempts and also notched six rebounds with one steal in 40 minutes. Booker has become the highest scorer in the league in these playoffs, and his work has been extremely efficient in the last two games, with the 26-year-old star hitting 79 percent from the field. He's shooting 51 percent from deep for the postseason and is averaging 36.3 points with 5.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.0 steals.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was unstoppable in Friday's playoff win over the Nuggets. He scored 47 points, going 20-for-25 from the field and 5-for-8 from deep. He also had nine assists, six boards, three steals, and one block, so it was an overall efficient night. Although the Suns are still down a game in this series, Booker has done all get can to keep his team in it, averaging 36.3 points and shooting 52.9% from behind the arc. It's clear the 26-year-old has momentum on his side, so DFS managers will surely keep him in mind for Game 4 on Sunday.

Phoenix Suns guard/forward Devin Booker led the squad with 35 points on 14-for-29 shooting in Monday's Game 2 loss to Denver. He added five rebounds and six assists to his tally, shooting 2-for-4 from outside, but the Suns' offense collapsed in the fourth quarter and they head back home with a 2-0 deficit. Booker now boasts four 30-point efforts in total for the 2023 playoffs. He is averaging 35.4 points per game, which is just 0.1 fewer than Jimmy Butler, who tops the postseason scoring charts.

Phoenix Suns guard/forward Devin Booker filled up the stat sheet with 27 points, four rebounds, eight assists, one steal and two blocks in Saturday's Game 1 defeat to Denver. He shot a good 10-for-19 from the field and was 7-for-8 at the foul line but bizarrely attempted only one shot from deep, missing it. Booker's four-game run of 30-point performances came to an end, but it was still a good performance from him and he should be fired up to do even better next time out after starting off the series with a loss. With Kevin Durant scoring 29 points Saturday, Booker became part of history, as for the first time ever in the NBA, two teammates have each scored at least 25 points in six consecutive games to start a postseason.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker saved his highest-scoring game of the series for the final game that sent the Los Angeles Clippers on vacation. The superstar wing finished the game with 47 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, and two steals while shooting 19-for-27 from the floor and 4-for-7 from deep. Through this five-game series, Booker ended up averaging 37.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. The Suns will advance to play against the Denver Nuggets starting on Saturday.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker went for 38 points in Game 2 and then decided he was going to drop a 40-ball in Game 3. The 26-year-old finished a red-hot Game 3 with 45 points on 18-for-29 shooting while adding six rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks. He also went 3-for-7 from deep and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. The Clippers seem to be in a lot of trouble if Booker is going this crazy in back-to-back games. On one hand, Kawhi Leonard missed this contest, but on the other hand, Booker is going to score regardless of who's playing.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker flipped the switch into playoff mode and went off to lead the team to a Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Clippers by a score of 123-109. The superstar wing ended the game with 38 points, nine assists, one rebound, and one steal while shooting 14-for-22 from the floor and 4-for-7 from deep. With Paul George out for the series, it was only a matter of time before either Booker or Kevin Durant would have an offensive explosion. Now, the Suns need to grab a road win despite having one of the worst road records out of this year's playoff teams.

Phoenix Suns guard/forward Devin Booker was red-hot against the Thunder on Sunday, shooting 18-for-28 from the field en route to 46 points. It's the fourth-most points he has put up in a game this season. Booker, who was 3-for-7 with the three-ball, added three rebounds, one assist and one steal to his line. Despite Booker's monster effort, the Suns ended up dropping the game 124-120, and they now find themselves on a 1-4 run. The times are worrying for the team, but it should be great news for fantasy managers, as this means Booker will have to perform at his very best for the team to avoid the play-in tournament.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker couldn't be stopped during the team's 31-point blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. The superstar wing ended the game with 44 points, three rebounds, four assists, and one block while shooting 17-for-23 from the floor and 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. Since Kevin Durant (ankle) turned his ankle during warmups, someone had to come out and step up against a Thunder team that can usually put up some big points. Booker is always the one to answer that call on any given night.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker put up a big-time stat line against his rival Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The 26-year-old posted 36 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and one steal while shooting 15-for-25 from the floor and 1-for-3 from deep. Booker now has posted two 30-point games in a row and he's currently averaging 30.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game on 48.9% shooting. While playing with a distributor like Chris Paul and another scorer like Kevin Durant, Booker's value will likely increase down the stretch.

On Tuesday, the Charlotte Hornets made it official when they shut down their star guard LaMelo Ball for the remainder of the 2022-2023 NBA season.Many fantasy managers' worst fears were realized when Ball's non-contact injury in Monday night's game against Detroit turned out to be a fractured ankle. Charlotte's season was already lost, but fantasy managers were hoping to get a few more weeks from Ball who, when healthy, was putting up huge numbers this season.To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NBA, make sure to favorite or bookmark the RotoBaller Fantasy Basketball Newspage, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy basketball mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news. 

2022-2023 Season Recap

LaMelo Ball will finish his third NBA season with the following numbers.23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 4.0 3PM, 1.3 STL, 0.3 BLK, 3.6 TO, 41.1% FG%, 83.6% FT%He played in only 36 games this year and is currently 32nd overall in per-game value for 9-cat in Basketball Monster's player ratings.When he was on the floor, he was a triple-double threat on a nightly basis. His talent is undeniable. Just look at what he did to the Spurs only a few weeks before getting hurt.

Highlights LaMelo Ball Spurs ... [More]

LeBron James has dominated the National Basketball Association since entering the league straight from high school. He's won numerous awards and has led several teams to an NBA Championship. During the 2022-23 season, the Akron, Ohio, native continued to get it done, despite battling several nagging ailments along the way.However, James' latest issue, a right foot injury, is expected to keep him out indefinitely. So what does this mean, and will we see James back on the court this season? Is there a chance he won't return?To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NBA, make sure to favorite or bookmark the RotoBaller Fantasy Basketball Newspage, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy basketball mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news. 

LeBron James Injury Update

James injured his right foot during the third quarter of Sunday's comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks. It was a tense few seconds after the multi-time MVP clutched his foot after suffering what was deemed a "non-contact injury." The concern grew to greater heights after he was overheard saying, "I heard a pop." Situations like this are never good, as many were concerned that an Achilles tear could be the culprit.https://twitter.com/FanDuelTV/status/1630602449227595777?s=20Yet, after James gathered himself, he tightened his shoe and finished the game, totaling 26 points, eight rebounds, one block, and one steal. Head coach Darvin Ham appeared optimistic while speaking postgame, stating the 38-year-old was "good."However, that couldn't be further from the case, with The Athletic's Shams Charania reporting that James would "miss an extended period of time" because of the foot injury. Charania later added that the all-time scoring leader would "require multiple opinions."https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1630363560051187712?s=20 

LeBron James' Season Recap

Despite James' advanced NBA age, he's still productive. In 47 appearances, he's averaged 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. While his three-point percentage has regressed, that's never been his strong suit.James was also named an All-Star captain while recently passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time scoring leader.https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1623184801284104192?s=20That said, despite some high-level accomplishments, the year has been a rough one for the 2003 No. 1 overall pick. He's battled left foot soreness for nearly the entire season, so much so that he routinely carried some type of injury designation heading into almost all of his games over the last few months.... [More]

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has been removed from the injury report ahead of their game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday. This helps the Suns' chances of grabbing a win since they still won't have any of the players they received in trades and while Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot) are both out. Fantasy managers that have Booker will probably see an even bigger increase in production due to the usage that will be available even during his minutes restriction.