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The Suns have reached a deal to ink swingman Mikal Bridges to a totally assured four-year, $90M rookie contract extension, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Bridges’ brokers at Excel Sports activities Administration, Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler, knowledgeable Woj of the information.
Bridges, the tenth choose within the 2018 draft out of Villanova (the place he received NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018), proved to be an important two-way contributor on a Phoenix membership that broke via for its first NBA Finals look in 28 years in the course of the 2020-21 season.
The 6-foot-6 small ahead loved a breakout 12 months in 2020-21, averaging 13.5 factors, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per sport for Phoenix, whereas showing in all 72 contests in the course of the truncated season. Final 12 months, Bridges posted a superb taking pictures line of .543/.425/.840. He additionally emerged as one of many league’s greatest younger defenders. Retaining Bridges, who nonetheless has All-Star upside, on a deal that may pay him $22.5M yearly via the 2025-26 season is an enormous victory for Suns crew president James Jones.
His teammate Deandre Ayton, Phoenix’s beginning middle chosen in the identical draft class out of Arizona, has but to succeed in phrases on his personal rookie-contract extension settlement with the membership. The deadline for groups to succeed in rookie contract extensions is Monday at 5 p.m. CT.
Woj notes that the Suns are nonetheless having conversations a few attainable extension for Ayton forward of Monday’s deadline, along with newly added reserve taking pictures guard Landry Shamet, the No. 26 choice in 2018 out of Wichita State.
“He’s the participant who buys right into a tradition in addition to units a tradition,” raved Goldfelder. “Mikal has labored tirelessly to convey successful basketball again to the Phoenix Suns,” Gertler mentioned. “That is the end result of his arduous work.”
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