Suns extend qualifying offers to Alex Len, Alan Williams
Jun 27, 2017, 5:13 PM | Updated: Jun 28, 2017, 11:32 am
Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21) drives to the basket through Dallas Mavericks' A.J. Hammonds during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 9, 2017, in Phoenix. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 124-111. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
The Phoenix Suns extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents centers Alex Len and Alan Williams on Tuesday, giving them the opportunity to match any offer sheet either signs with another team, reports AZ Central’s Doug Haller.
Suns extend qualifying offers to Alex Len and Alan Williams, making them restricted free agents.
— Doug Haller (@DougHaller) June 27, 2017
Extending the qualifying offers of $4.2 million to Len and $1.7 million to Williams means the Suns add salary cap holds of $12.1 million and $1.7 million, respectively, to their books, according to salary data from Basketball Insiders’ Eric Pincus.
With general manager Ryan McDonough unlikely to recruit top-tier free agents this summer as he continues to build around the young core group of players, the Suns had little reason not to extend qualifying offers.
Not relinquishing each players’ Bird (Len) and Early Bird (Williams) rights means the Suns will consider multi-year deals with the two 24-year-old big men if they don’t receive offers from other teams that are too big for Phoenix’s budget.
If no offer sheet with another team nor multi-year deal with the Suns is reached, the players will be able to agree to remain with the Suns for a one-year deal worth the value of the qualifying offer.
Len, the 2013 fifth overall pick, averaged 8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game in 2016-17.
The undrafted Williams averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game but ranked in the top-10 in total rebounding percentage — that included non-qualifying players.
