Early Phoenix Suns Free Agency Recap
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We're nearly one full month into free agency, and the Phoenix Suns have dominated nearly every headline in some fashion or another.
The saga following center Deandre Ayton finally reached it's conclusion, while potential pursuit of a superstar is still ongoing and may bleed further into the offseason.
Yet the Suns have seen new faces come and familiar faces go in what they believe will make them a better basketball team moving forward.
Let's take a look at Phoenix's offseason thus far:
*All contract details pulled from Spotrac
Phoenix Suns Signings
Guard Damion Lee
Previous Team: Golden State Warriors
Deal: 1-year, $2.13 million
Last season, Lee averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in nearly 20 minutes per night. He helped Golden State win the 2022 NBA Finals on 38.2% shooting.
More Info on Lee Signing With Suns
Center Bismack Biyombo
Previous Team: Phoenix Suns
Deal: 1-year, $2.91 million
Biyombo played in 36 games and averaged 5.8 points/4.6 rebounds per contest.
More Info on Biyombo Re-Signing With Suns
Forward Josh Okogie
Previous Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Deal: 1-year, $1.97 million
During the 2021-22 season, Okogie played in 49 games (6 starts) and averaged 2.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in ten minutes per contest.
More Info on Okogie Signing With Suns
Center Deandre Ayton
Previous Team: Phoenix Suns
Deal: 4-year, $133 million
Ayton initially accepted an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers but quickly had that matched by the Suns. Ayton averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 63.4% from the field.
More Info on Ayton Signing With Suns
Phoenix Suns Trades
Suns Received: Center Jock Landale
Atlanta Hawks Received: Cash Considerations
Cap Hit: $1.563 million
Landale, who played for the San Antonio Spurs last season, was part of the Dejounte Murray trade to Atlanta on June 30. In 54 games for San Antonio last season (his first in the NBA), he averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 54 games played.
More Info on Suns Trading for Landale
Phoenix Suns Departures
Center JaVale McGee
New Team: Dallas Mavericks
Deal: 3-year, $17.2 million
Last season, McGee played in 74 games for the Suns, averaging 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in just under 16 minutes played.
More Info on McGee Leaving Suns
Center Frank Kaminsky
New Team: Atlanta Hawks
Deal: 1-year, $2.463 million
Kaminsky played a total of 95 games for Phoenix after leaving and eventually rejoining the squad, averaging 8.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest. He was waived by the Suns on April 7.
More Info on Kaminsky Leaving Suns
Guard Aaron Holiday
New Team: Atlanta Hawks
Deal: 1-year, $1.968 million
Phoenix initially traded for Holiday in February of last season for cash considerations and a trade exception from the Washington Wizards. In the final 22 games he played in the regular season, he averaged 6.8 points and 3.4 assists per game.
More Info on Holiday Leaving Suns
Fan favorite Iffe Lundberg, who opted to not play for the Suns in the Summer League, returned to overseas basketball.
Other Roster Moves
Devin Booker inked a four-year, $224.2 million extension with the Suns at the very beginning of free agency. The new extension won't be in effect until the 2024-25 season.
Coach Monty Williams reportedly signed a multi-year extension with Phoenix to keep him tied down to the team with just two years remaining on his original deal. Full details are still unknown.
Player Futures TBD
Forward Ish Wainright
Cap Figure: $1.816 million
Rights: Non-Bird
During the 2021-22 season, Wainright played in 45 games. He averaged 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest.
Guard Elfrid Payton
Cap Figure: $1.766 million
Rights: Non-Bird
During the 2021-22 season, Payton played in 50 games. He averaged 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest.
Still on the Agenda
Kevin Durant Trade?
The Suns have reportedly been in hot pursuit of Durant, and although things have slowed down on Brooklyn's charge of potentially moving him, Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro says Phoenix still has a shot to land the future Hall of Fame scorer.
"I think the Suns are right there. I think the Suns still have a really good chance to get him, but I am hearing that the Celtics are a real contender because they do seem willing to add Jaylen Brown into a package to get Kevin Durant," said Gambo.
Cameron Johnson Extension
Perhaps a bit under the radar due to other prominent storylines, the future status of Cam Johnson is certainly one to monitor over the course of the next few months. Johnson is now eligible for a rookie extension, and some believe he'll hit north of $10 million per season.
While the Suns sort their future out (both on the court and balancing the checkbook), here's a deep dive into Johnson's time with the team and potential factors when negotiating a deal.
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