At 22–34 (.393) in late February, management decided to replace the longstanding MacLeod with Dick Van Arsdale,[2] a former Suns player from the 1975–76 Finals team (coached by MacLeod), who was working as the team's color commentator for TV and radio at the time, despite having no prior coaching experience.
The Suns had another 20-point scorer in Larry Nance, who garnered a career-high 22.5 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds a game.
On April 17, 1987, one day before the Suns would play their final game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Clippers, Maricopa County law enforcement officials revealed that five present at the time or former Suns players were indicted on drug-related charges, with six more present at the time or former Suns players being linked to the case by that time.
[4][5] The scandal would also involve a gambling case regarding a February 21, 1987 game between the Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks where at a nightclub called Malarkey's, James Edwards and two Bucks players named Jack Sikma and Paul Mokeski (according to Malarkey's manager James Jordan) allegedly claimed that the game between them would not exceed a total of 226 points scored (which was correct since it favored the Bucks 115–107 that night).
[6][7] While the scandal would eventually end with no major punishments being involved for any of the players that were named in the case outside of Gondrezick serving three years of probation for tampering with a witness,[8][9] it would lead to a very hectic and uncertain offseason period for the Suns as they entered the upcoming season following this one.