Suns center Drew Eubanks is declining his $2.65M player option for 2024-25 to become an unrestricted free agent, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Eubanks, 27, signed a one-plus-one (second-year player option) deal with Phoenix last summer, appearing in 75 games and averaging 5.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 0.8 BPG as the team’s primary backup center (15.6 MPG).
Most players who decline their options have an idea of potential interest from rival teams — that seems likely to be the case here too, though that’s just speculation.
As Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports observes, Eubanks didn’t fit particularly well in his lone season with the Suns, so the decision for him to opt out could be mutually beneficial. Phoenix will be on the lookout for a backup center with Eubanks presumably switching teams.
A former undrafted free agent who played three years of college ball for Oregon State, Eubanks got his NBA start with the Spurs on a two-way deal back in 2019-19. He spent three-plus seasons with San Antonio before being traded and then released by Toronto. He caught on with the Blazers a couple of weeks later, finishing the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons with Portland.
The 6-foot-9 big man holds career averages of 5.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 0.8 BPG in 323 regular-season games, including 71 starts (15.9 MPG). He has shot 60.6% from the field and 73.4% from the free-throw line over the past six seasons.
The full list of 2024-25 player option decisions can be found here.
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