Inside The Suns

Former Suns Forward Heading to Israel

Ish Wainwright is departing the NBA.

Kevin Hicks

Feb 4, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Ish Wainwright (12) drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Ish Wainwright (12) drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
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PHOENIX -- One of the fan favorites for the Phoenix Suns over the last few seasons is officially departing the NBA.

Ish Wainwright has officially agreed to terms with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League after rumors revealed themselves to be true of a potential departure from the NBA.

Wainwright, 29, is seemingly leaving his NBA career behind in favor of likely garnering a larger role overseas.

He initially joined Phoenix in 2021, spending two seasons with the franchise prior to being released just days before the 2023-24 season.

He was subsequently claimed off of waivers by the Portland Trail Blazers before being waived by the franchise on January 6 of this year.

He officially made a return to Phoenix on March 4 on a two-way deal, but only ended up appearing in four games over the remainder of the season.

Options were running dry for Wainwright after the conclusion of the year, as his service time in the NBA reached three seasons, thus leading to his ineligibility to sign two-way deals going forward.

Wainwright ultimately had the choice to wait out in the market to get an end-of-the-bench role in 2024-25 on an NBA squad or go to Israel and gamble on himself,

Who knows, Ish might be able to show off in the Israeli league enough that it leads to another future opportunity in the NBA - he has flashed enough as a shooter and defender in the league that it remains a possibility.

Best of luck to Ish moving forward!

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Kevin Hicks

KEVIN HICKS

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