The Phoenix Suns will enter the 2024 offseason with 11 free agents. And after recently hiring Mike Budenholzer as their new head coach, it seems likely the Suns will undergo major changes this summer. However, C/PF Drew Eubanks, who has a $2.6 million player option for the 2024-25 season is hoping to return to the team. According to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic, Eubanks and the Suns have mutual interest in keeping the 27-year-old in Phoenix.
“The full organization wants me back next and I want to be a Phoenix Sun next year,” Eubanks said.
Eubanks has a player option for next season as he has until June 29 to exercise it along with Eric Gordon, Josh Okogie and Damion Lee, who missed the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury.
“I’m going to make the best decision for my family and I when the time comes,” Eubanks said.
Eubanks appeared in 75 games for Phoenix and started six of them. In those games, the Oregon State product averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds over 15.6 minutes per game.
Phoenix Suns Big Man Reveals Free Agency Plans
What Drew Eubanks Brings to the Suns
At 6’9″, Eubanks is a bit undersized to play center and is a better fit playing power forward. However, he plays bigger than he is. Eubanks is a good rebounder and brings high energy and hustle play on the court. Additionally, he is a decent defender and has the tools to block shots at a high rate. He is not a great offensive player and has limited range, but he can perform well in spots. Although he is unlikely to ever take Jusuf Nurkic‘s spot in the starting lineup, he is a decent backup big man and provides solid depth. Eubanks will likely not be a mainstay in Phoenix’s rotation, but he is a decent player given his contract.
The Future of the Phoenix Suns
The Sun’s disappointing season ended in a four-game sweep against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, their focus will be to bounce back and return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2021. After the first round, Suns owner Mat Ishbia talked about the team’s status, saying they are “in a great position.”
“It was never, ‘We’re going to win a championship this year or we got to blow it up,” Ishbia said. “Championship or bust, this isn’t bust. We’re in a great position. We’re going to be in a great position next year.”
Furthermore, Ishbia doubled down by expressing optimism regarding the Suns’ future.
“I feel like the narrative around [here is] the house is burning, it’s incorrect,” Ishbia said. “Fans like to look in the future and say, ‘Hey, I really like that 2031 draft pick because maybe that seventh grader is going to be really good and we’re going to draft him and one day he’s going to be a player.'”
He later added, “Five in the next eight years, we have a first-round draft pick. I know that’s not a cool thing to say out there because people like to say their narratives that we have no draft picks, but we have five in the next eight years and we can trade two of ’em next month if we want. So it is not like people say we have no flexibility.”
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