Monty Williams said that Cam Johnson will start at power forward for the Phoenix Suns this season.

Johnson averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 26 minutes last year.

Johnson's increased role comes at the expense of Jae Crowder, who is drawing trade interest from several teams. The Suns told Crowder that he would likely lose his starting spot prior to training camp. 

Williams added that he hopes Johnson and Mikal Bridges will take a larger role in facilitating the offense this season.

“The hope is he and Mikal can help out with offensive initiation. Those guys have the ability to facilitate and I just haven’t given them the chance. And we’ve talked about being comfortable with uncomfortable change. There’s going to be times where it doesn’t look great but I think that’s where they’re going to grow," said Williams. 

Forbes ranked Steve Ballmer as the richest sports owner in America for the eighth consecutive year.

Ballmer's wealth is estimated to be around $83 billion, down $13.5 billion from last year due to a drop in Microsoft stock.

The Clippers, whom Ballmer purchased for $2.2 billion, are now valued at $3.3 billion.

Grizzlies' owner Robert Pera and Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert were also in the top 10.

Anthony Davis said that a wrist injury he suffered last January contributed to his shooting struggles.

"A lot of people don't know this, but since January I was battling a wrist injury the whole year. So it was affecting my shot and everything. That's not an excuse but it was tough for me to shoot how I wanted to shoot. I couldn't really follow through.

"I couldn't follow through. Anytime I followed through it was very painful," said Davis on Wednesday.

Davis, who missed 42 games last season due to injury, shot 18.6% from the three-point line.

The Lakers as a team ranked 22nd in the league from three.

Davis added that he was fully healthy and shooting the ball well heading into this season.

"I'm 100 percent healthy. I feel great. You can ask guys around here, I'm really shooting the ball. So, I'll be ready. Wherever coach puts me on the floor, midrange, post, perimeter, if I've got a shot, I'm going to shoot it."

Steve Nash praised Ben Simmons' versatility on Wednesday, adding that Simmons can still be an effective player without ever "shooting a jump shot for the Brooklyn Nets."

"Very unique. That's what makes Ben great. That's why I don't care if he ever shoots a jump shot for the Brooklyn Nets. He's welcome to, but that is not what makes him special and not what we need.

"He's a great complement to our team, and he's an incredible basketball player because of his versatility," said Nash.

Nash would go on to describe Simmons as "our playmaker and point guard."

Nash then expressed his excitement for Simmons' fit alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

"I think they'll have a certain element of cohesion out of the gates. Because they're all really good basketball players, but hopefully it's something that evolves. And they can continue to find ways to make each other better," said Nash.

Simmons added that he's currently learning how to play alongside his two superstar teammates.

"For me, it's just playing alongside them, figuring out where they want their shots, how they move, different spots on the floor where I need to be. It's just timing," said Simmons.

Marvin Williams has joined the basketball operations department for the Charlotte Hornets, reported Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Williams will be involved with player programs and player development.

Williams played for the Hornets between 2014-19. 

The Boston Celtics are seeking permission to talk to Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga about joining Joe Mazzulla's staff this season, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Larranaga was with the Celtics organization for nine seasons before joining the Clippers in 2021. 

Tom Thibodeau said that the New York Knicks vetted Rick Brunson amid concern that the team did not conduct an investigation into the events that lead to the assistant coach's resignation while with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Brunson, who was hired by Thibodeau this summer, was accused of improper conduct toward women while on the job in 2018. A woman, who did not work for the team, filed a complaint to the Wolves alleging that Brunson made unwanted advances towards her during the playoffs. 

“I would just say in general, our organization is gonna vet everyone. That’s a normal protocol now. But I’m not sure exactly of everything that was done, but I know whenever they hire anyone, they’re gonna vet them," said Thibodeau.

Thibodeau then deferred to team president Leon Rose when asked to clarify his comments. 

Rose has previously declined to comment on the situation. 

Dennis Schroder is "working through visa issues" in Germany and may not report to training camp until next week, according to Rob Pelinka.

Schroder recently signed a veteran's minimum contract with the Lakers following his performance at EuroBasket. 

Anthony Davis said that he was approaching this season with the Los Angeles Lakers with an underdog mentality during media day.

"We're treating this season like we have a chip on our shoulder. We're the underdogs ... they're not talking about us, and that's fine. You know, we'd rather be under the radar," said Davis. 

The Lakers failed to make the playoffs last season, with Davis missing 42 games due to knee and ankle injuries.

Davis admitted his struggles but vowed to be more aggressive heading into this year.

"Be more aggressive. I started getting in my own head a lot last year. I don't think a lot of people know that ... Just knowing how much better I could have been."

Canada announced that it will drop its COVID-19 border restrictions for travelers entering the country on October 1.

“We are announcing that the government of Canada will not renew the order in council that expires Sept. 30 and will therefore remove all COVID-19 border requirements for all travelers entering Canada,” said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.

Travelers entering Canada will no longer have to show proof of vaccination or wear masks on planes and trains.

Unvaccinated players were not allowed to enter Canada under previous restrictions.