Suns ink 2016 NBA Draft picks Bender, Chriss and Ulis
Jul 7, 2016, 5:39 PM
From left to right, Phoenix Suns' second-round draft pick Tyler Ulis and first-round draft picks Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss are introduced to the media, Friday, June 24, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
The Phoenix Suns announced Thursday they have formally signed 2016 NBA Draft picks Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and Tyler Ulis.
Bender, the 7-foot-1 Croatian forward taken fourth overall, is slotted by the rookie salary scale to make $3.6 million for the 2016-17 season with escalating annual amounts while Chriss, who was selected with the No. 8 pick, has a salary beginning at $2.5 million.
As first-round picks, both have guaranteed contracts through the first two years and team options in the third and fourth years of their deals before they could become restricted free agents heading into their fifth NBA seasons.
Ulis, the 5-foot-9 point guard out of Kentucky picked 34th overall, was not certain to land a guaranteed deal because he was a second-round selection. The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro reported the Suns gave him a contract with the same structure as a first-round pick — two guaranteed years with team options the last two seasons.
