Valley Suns acquire rights to Kaleb Johnson in trade with Austin Spurs

The Valley Suns, the new G-League affiliate for the Phoenix Suns, acquired the rights to Kaleb Johnson in a trade with the Austin Spurs, the team announced on Thursday.

The Suns dealt the rights to forward Justin Smith.

Johnson is a 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard who has spent the past four seasons with Austin in the G League. He has yet to make his NBA debut.

His younger brother, Keldon Johnson, has spent the past five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Last season, Kaleb Johnson played 39 games between regular season and showcase appearances, averaging 8.1 points per game on 62.5% shooting, albeit he did not make a 3-pointer. The southpaw shooter shot 53.7% from the free-throw line.

The 27-year-old also added 0.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game.

Johnson played his college ball at Georgetown, spending four seasons with the Hoyas before going undrafted.

The Suns took Smith in the 2024-25 G-League Expansion Draft from the Delaware Blue Coats.

Who are the Valley Suns?

The Phoenix Suns introduced their G-League affiliate in May, and the team will play its home games at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena. Their home opener is on Nov. 11 against the Stockton Kings.

The G League schedule is sectioned into two parts: The 16-game Tip-Off Tournament and a 34-game regular season.

The Valley Suns hired John Little, a former assistant coach for Boston’s G League affiliate, as head coach. Among their expansion draftees were former top-10 NBA Draft picks Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Having a player’s rights does necessarily mean he is going to play for the Suns’ G League team, as they could consider pro leagues in other countries.

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