The Phoenix Suns want to re-sign forward Royce O’Neale, which would be their first roster re-signing of the summer, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
The Suns acquired O’Neale during the previous season’s trade deadline in return for three second-round selections.
O’Neale finished the season with an average of 25.1 minutes, 8.1 points, and 5.2 rebounds per game while playing for Phoenix in 30 games. O’Neale played a significant amount of time in the starting lineup despite mostly coming off the bench as the Suns struggled with injuries and inconsistent play.
O’Neale had a terrible game during the Suns’ four-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the last three games, he scored a total of six points and shot 2–12 from the field.
The 30-year-old spent five seasons as a player for the Utah Jazz at the start of his career. After that, he spent a season and a half with the Brooklyn Nets before being traded to Phoenix.
Royce O’Neale has played in 44 playoff games during his NBA career, averaging 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. During the 2021 playoffs, he put on a remarkable performance as Utah, the top-seeded team, progressed to the Western Conference semifinals. During that postseason run, O’Neale started all 11 games and averaged 11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and a scorching 50.6% field goal percentage and 46.7% three-point shooting per game.
They are planning to re-sign Royce O’Neale, Brian Windhorst mentioned on a podcast featuring ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon. That will be completed.
With the signing of his four-year, $36 million deal with the Jazz prior to the 2020 campaign, O’Neale becomes an unrestricted free agency this offseason.
