Suns Bring Back Former Forward
Former Phoenix Suns F and fan-favorite Ishmail Wainwright is being brought back to Phoenix on a two-way deal, per the Athletic's Shams Charania:
Wainwright, 29, endeared himself to the Suns' fanbase in his two seasons with the squad, albeit with generally low amounts of playing time.
Wainwright originally tried to take a shot at making the NFL after being undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Baylor.
He then spent three seasons overseas with three different clubs prior to signing a two-year, non guaranteed deal with the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors released Wainwright two months later before the Suns eventually signed him to a two-way deal on October 22, 2021.
He subsequently played 105 games across the next two seasons with Phoenix - including two starts last season and perhaps his most memorable moment as a Suns player as well in which he hit four threes in the fourth quarter en route to a Suns' victory over the rival Dallas Mavericks.
Wainwright was eventually released by Phoenix prior to this season, which lead to Portland acquiring his services before releasing him on January 6.
Wainwright was in attendance for the Suns' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, and Suns' governor Mat Ishbia has committed to bringing a G-League team back to Phoenix in the fall, so the move could have been in the works for some time.
The two-way contract will be active for the remainder of the regular season, but won't be eligible for the Suns' playoff roster unless the contract is converted to an NBA-scale deal.
Phoenix has a decision to make pertaining to the final roster spot come mid-April.
