Suns F Kelly Oubre Jr. undergoes thumb surgery, out for year

Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is out for the remainder of the 2018-19 season after undergoing a procedure on his sprained left thumb, the team announced in a press release Friday.

Oubre’s recovery time is expected to be four to six weeks, according to the release. The Suns’ season will end April 9 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Igor Kokoskov spoke on Kelly Oubre Jr. today at the #Suns shootaround. Said he felt really bad about the injury, especially with how Oubre’s helped the team and been a factor on offense. Added that he can still help the team from the sideline. pic.twitter.com/DqZPa2nxk5

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) March 21, 2019

“My angle in my mind and my perspective is we feel bad about it because he was, especially lately, a big part of our team and big part of our offense,” Kokoskov said after the team’s shootaround Thursday.

“There’s never a good time to lose a player, especially a player who’s been a significant [presence] and one of our starters, but that’s the basketball life and that’s the NBA season. Staying healthy is a huge part of having a successful season.”

With Oubre’s status as a restricted free agent, the Suns will enter the offseason expected to strongly consider re-signing him after he averaged 20 points and 5.7 rebounds per game since head coach Igor Kokoskov inserted him into the starting lineup following the All-Star break.

Oubre could garner enough attention to receive a contract worth around $15 million annually after his strong showing since departing Washington, but Phoenix will have the ability to match any offer.

The 23-year-old expressed hope that he could remain with the Suns when he joined Burns & Gambo on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station earlier this month.

“Why would I go anywhere else?” Oubre said when asked if Phoenix was his preferred destination across the entire NBA. “I’m here, I’m getting established and I’m not a guy that really wants to be on a million teams in my tenure in the league and I just want to create a dynasty and a legacy here in Phoenix with [Deandre Ayton], [Devin Booker], [Mikal Bridges], all the guys in the locker room. It’s beautiful.”

Oubre is averaging 16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 45 percent shooting since joining the Suns in a pre-trade deadline deal with the Washington Wizards.

Phoenix sent forward Trevor Ariza to Washington in the trade a day after a three-team deal between the two squads and the Grizzlies was botched on a misunderstanding of which players — MarShon Brooks or Dillon Brooks — were to be sent to the Suns from Memphis.

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