Devin Booker left Tuesday's game between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors in the first half with a hamstring injury.

Booker appeared to suffer the injury on a drive to the basket in which he was fouled by Otto Porter.

Booker had 10 points in 15 minutes before leaving the game. 

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Former Suns GM Ryan McDonough joins. Topics: what teams are looking at during this point in the season, what the Lakers and Nets need to get better this year, how the Sixers and Nets have navigated the Simmons and Kyrie situations, plus potentially shortening the schedule and a way to deal with players making trade requests early in their contracts.

With host Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA). And if you like this pod, please donate to support Nate and Danny at Patreon.com/DuncanLeroux. Merchandise available at NateDuncanNBA.com.

As the law firm hired by the NBA to investigate the workplace culture of the Phoenix Suns under Robert Sarver, it is unclear whether current and former employees who have signed non-disclosure agreements will be able to speak freely.

The Suns and the NBA declined to answer questions about whether former employees will be released from their confidentiality agreements.

A Suns spokesperson said the organization "is fully cooperating with the investigation" but declined to answer questions about the NDA release, citing the ongoing investigation.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass also declined to answer the question, saying: "It would be irregular to detail the methods of an investigation while it is ongoing -- as doing so could potentially prejudice or otherwise jeopardize the integrity of the investigation. All those participating will be assured that the process will be fair and impartial."

One former Suns employee told ESPN they remain uncertain about whether they can speak freely about their experiences in Phoenix, saying they would be "happy to speak" with the investigators if they are assured they will not face legal consequences. The employee is hopeful that "the NBA would have my back."

Michael Selmi, an Arizona State University law professor who focuses on employment and discrimination law, told ESPN that he would expect all current and former employees who signed non-disclosure agreements to be allowed to speak to the league's investigators.

"If you do go after employees [with signed NDAs] that participate in the investigation, it would be hard to label that as 'full' cooperation,'" Selmi said.

Jalen Suggs will not surgery on his fractured right thumb. Suggs will be reevaluated every two weeks before a decision is reached on his return.

Suggs is averaging 12.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 21 games.

The Orlando Magic selected Suggs fifth overall in the draft.

The NBA has completed a study that recommends booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The NBA's study found Moderna and Pfizer vaccines created higher levels of antibodies compared to Johnson and Johnson and detailed the decline of antibodies over time. 

The NBA is aware of 34 cases of fully vaccinated players or team staff becoming infected with a breakthrough case of Covid-19 through November 19.

The NBA has a 97% vaccination rate among its players, the league says.

LeBron James has entered the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols and will miss Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings.

All members of the Lakers have previously been reported to be vaccinated. 

James has been limited to just 11 games this season due to an abdominal injury. 

Christian Wood will become a free agent in 2023, which could compel the Houston Rockets to entertain trade offers for him.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer writes that the Houston Rockets are expected to "receive significant trade interest" in Wood if they make him available.

Wood signed with the Rockets in 2020 thinking he would join James Harden on a contending team. Wood is on a $13.67 million contract this season and $14.32 million deal in 22-23.

Wood is averaging 16.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season for the Rockets. 

John Wall met with Rafael Stone and Stephen Silas about returning to the lineup of the Houston Rockets.

“Rafael (Stone, the Rockets general manager) and I did meet with John (on Sunday) and he had indicated that he wants to play and work towards that so right now we’re in that phase as far as getting him back in game shape,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “He’s been doing a lot of one-on-oh type stuff and one-on-one type stuff but nothing up and down, nothing four-on-four, five-on-five.

“Right now is the ramp-up time. That’ll probably take a couple weeks. We’ll continue our conversations and try to determine what it looks like.”

Before the season, Wall agreed with Houston's plan to have him sit out while they pursue a trade. Wall has since begun lobbying directly to Stone and on social media to begin playing.

“That’s part of the discussions we’re going to be having,” Silas said. “Yesterday was discussion No. 1. That was very much centered around him getting to a place he can play in an NBA game. He’s in great shape.

“He is diligent as far as his work. He’s been positive and all that stuff. But as far as getting in game shape, our guys have had training camp and they’ve been practicing and they had games. He hasn’t had any of that. Right now, it’s about getting him to that point.”

Silas said it would be a goal to have Wall ready and available to play though there are additional considerations.

“Yeah, if he’s able to play,” Silas said. “It has to be good for everybody. It has to be good for him. It has to be good for our organization. It has to be good for our group. There’s more to it than just one conversation and getting ready to play and now you play.

“There’s what does the role look like? What does it look like for the group? What does it look like for everybody? We’re at stage one.”

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent center DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins, 31, is a 10-year NBA veteran with averages of 20.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocked shots in 606 career regular season games with the Kings, Pelicans, Warriors, Rockets and Clippers.

“DeMarcus is incredibly talented and his size, toughness and experience will help us,” said Jon Horst. “He will provide added depth to our front court rotation and we look forward to working him into our system.”

Cousins most recently played in 41 games (11 starts) last season with Houston (25 games, 11 starts) and the Los Angeles Clippers (16 games), combining to average 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 17.4 minutes per game.

The Golden State Warriors are back on top of the NBA to open the season, but the journey back to the top has been a challenging one. In a candid interview, Curry admitted he understood why many had doubts the Warriors would get back to their winning ways.

“Well, why would they think we could?” Curry said. “We had some of the worst situations happen with (Kevin Durant) getting hurt and leaving, Klay (Thompson) being out and then his Achilles, and our brand of basketball looked different with who was out there on the court.”

Curry admitted he had some personal struggles alongside Golden State's struggles as a team.

“Watching the bubble was the lowest point of those two years,” Curry said. “There was a part of me that felt it was nice to get refreshed, and a part of me really missed playing on that stage. That was the first time in seven years of not being in the playoffs. We know each player had their own experiences in the bubble, but I would have loved to have been there competing. I would say that was the lowest point in terms of my basketball experience because I felt so far away from it. This is what I love to do.”