Kelly Oubre Jr. and Suns agree to 2-year, $30 million contract
Jul 10, 2019, 10:15 PM | Updated: Jul 11, 2019, 8:42 am
Kelly Oubre Jr. #3 of the Phoenix Suns during the first half of the NBA game against the Houston Rockets at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 04, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Tsunami Papi is back.
The Phoenix Suns have agreed to a two-year, $30 million deal with restricted free agent Kelly Oubre Jr., his agent told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station added that the contract declines from $15.7 million to $14.3 million in the two seasons without options.
The contract allows Oubre back into free agency as a 25-year-old, after the 2020-21 season.
Oubre, 23, injected life into the Suns this past season when he was acquired from the Washington Wizards in late December. In 40 games for the Suns, he put up the best numbers of his career, averaging 16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. He also did so efficiently, with a career-best field goal percentage of 45.3.
VALLEY BOYZZZZZZ #Shhh
— Tsunami Papi (@KELLYOUBREJR) July 11, 2019
Due to the Suns holding Oubre’s Bird rights, the team is able to go over the cap in order to re-sign the former first-round pick.
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With Oubre in the fold, the Suns return on the wing with the lefty and second-year pro Mikal Bridges to command a majority of the minutes playing alongside or behind Devin Booker at the other wing spot. Rookie Cam Johnson, the No. 11 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is also expected to be in the mix after Phoenix traded wings T.J. Warren and Josh Jackson this offseason.
The addition of Oubre makes it three signings for the Suns in free agency after they added point guard Ricky Rubio on a three-year, $51 million deal and power forward Frank Kaminsky on what appears to be the room exception, a two-year contract worth just under $10 million.
Oubre was infamously involved in a three-team deal between the Suns, Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies that collapsed due to miscommunication. In the deal, the Suns believed they were receiving Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks while Memphis thought it would be sending wing MarShon Brooks.
In that proposed trade, Oubre was headed to Memphis while the Suns sent Trevor Ariza to Washington and were acquiring guard Austin Rivers from Washington and the Grizzlies’ Wayne Selden.
The morning after on December 15, Oubre was traded to Phoenix along with Rivers in exchange for Ariza. Selden and MarShon Brooks, the two other players left from the madness, were traded to the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 3. The Suns waived Rivers and the veteran guard signed with the Houston Rockets for the rest of the season.
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