Allen Agrees to 4-Year Extension with Suns

The Phoenix Suns did not waste anytime locking up their sharp shooter Grayson Allen before his upcoming free agency.

ESPN’s senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday the team agreed to a four-year, $70 million deal with Allen that includes a player option.

Allen, who will celebrate his 29th birthday in October, just before the start of next season, is coming off his best year after his sixth NBA campaign. He averaged a career-high 13.5 points on 49.9 percent shooting (NBA-best 46.1 percent from beyond the arc) with a 64.9 effective field goal percentage.

The brand-new contract keeps Allen off of the unrestricted free agency market this summer and gives him his flowers for a career-best season with the Suns. Allen is more than just a shooter and plays an all-around game. He started 73 out of a possible 82 contest and had 3.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 33.5 minutes per game.

Allen began his career with the Utah Jazz, who selected the former Duke standout with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Allen could only last one season with the organization, however, after the Jazz shipped him off to the ‘Grind House’, Memphis Grizzlies in a five-player deal that brought Mike Conley back.

Two years later, Memphis traded Allen to the Milwaukee Bucks. After another two seasons there, Allen was sent to the Suns in the blockbuster three-team deal with the Portland Trail Blazers which featured Damian Lillard going to the Bucks after he requested a trade on October 1.

The trade to Phoenix, ‘The Desert’, unlocked Allen’s NBA ceiling and potential. He has become a sniper for the Suns, who have undoubtedly benefitted from his breakout.

In a year where the Suns have overcome a rash of injuries to their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Allen has been a consistent scoring threat for the Suns. He has been red hot from distances, knocking down eight or more 3s on seven different games, including nine on three different occasions.

The 2023-24 season marked a contract year for Allen. As chronicled by Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic, the Suns had the option of offering Allen a four-year, $75 million contract extension by virtue of owning his Bird Rights.

Ultimately, Phoenix ended up bringing him back on a lucrative contract, a smart move to keep a player just entering his prime in
town.