Former Suns Player Intends to Leave NBA

Former Phoenix Suns player Yuta Watanabe will decline his player-option and head back to Japan.

Jan 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Yuta Watanabe (18) reacts during / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- After being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies at the NBA trade deadline, former Phoenix Suns shooter Yuta Watanabe announced on Instagram live he would be declining his $2.65 million player option for the 2024-25 season.

Watanabe will be heading back to Japan.

"I just want to play basketball. I want to step into the game and do what I do in practice," he said (h/t Kyodo News). "I grinded through my 20's but now I hope to play basketball the way I like."

Watanabe cited mental health reasons as a big part of his decision, as he found himself depressed after being traded from Phoenix, which took him by surprise. Watanabe says when he turned 30, he wanted to return back to Japan and enjoy playing basketball.

"I was finding things tough," Watanabe said. "My goal through my 20's was to keep working in America, regardless of the situation. Never give up, no matter what. It was fun at times but also a lot of hard work."

Watanabe was initially thought to have been a steal for Phoenix on the open market last summer, adding a typically solid three-point shooter with experience next to Kevin Durant thanks to their prior time in Brooklyn.

However, Watanabe struggled in his early tenure with the Suns and was eventually faded out of the rotation.

After being dealt to the Grizzlies, he played just five games for Memphis and missed the end-of-season stretch due to "personal reasons" on the league's injury report.

Best of luck to Watanabe moving forward. It will be exciting to watch him help Japan in the upcoming Olympics and hopefully we see him succeed in a more comfortable environment back home.