Report: Suns Retain Free Agent Forward

Royce O'Neale is coming back to Phoenix, per reports.

Feb 29, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) dribbles against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns are set to retain one of the foundational members of their current core.

ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported this morning that the Suns and Royce O'Neale are set on a 4-year, $44 million dollar contract for him to return to the franchise.

O'Neale has been long expected to return to Phoenix - and this report simply confirms that notion.

O'Neale's agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussakis of
@PrioritySports
have been negotiating on the contract for months and now land a key part of Suns' rotation a new long-term deal. O'Neale arrived in a deadline trade with the Nets.

- Woj on the reported deal

O'Neale, 31, came to Phoenix in a trade deadline deal in February as mentioned above.

He began his tenure in Phoenix as a high-impact player, but the rough four-game playoff run was unfortunately a bad look for virtually everyone on the roster.

Nonetheless, O'Neale had long been a priority to retain due to the Suns only being able to replace him with a minimum contract - and Mark Bartelstein being the wingman's agent likely helped out during the process (his son, Josh, is the CEO of the Suns).

The four-year deal locks O'Neale in through 2027-28 and the $11 million dollar annual salary figure seems steep going that far out, but it adds flexibility to include him in trade packages down the road if the situation calls for it.

The official legal tampering period of free agency is set to commence tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM Phoenix time.

Names such as Eric Gordon, Josh Okogie and Drew Eubanks have already reportedly opted out of their player options and will hit the open market.