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Phoenix Suns exercised Ryan Dunn’s 3rd-year option for 2026-2027 season

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 6:23 PM ET

The Phoenix Suns announced that they have exercised wing Ryan Dunn’s third-year option for the 2026-2027 season. The news was an obvious one after the solid rookie campaign Dunn was able to put together. The 22-year-old averaged 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds, while being the team’s best defensive wing on the roster.

The former 28th overall pick will be making $2.8 million during the 2026-2027 season, which fits well into the franchise’s limited budget. Dunn is a crucial part for the team’s future and is eyeing to make major improvements to his game entering his second year.

Suns Dunn on mentatlity heading into 2nd year:

Ryan Dunn spoke with me about the "guard your yard" mentality their wing group in particular has operated with through training camp pic.twitter.com/yvslwfRgkr

— Stephen PridGeon-Garner (@StephenPG3) October 2, 2025

Newcomers like Nigel Hayes-Davis and Dillon Brooks are trying to enforce this new mantra of “guard your yard” for fellow wings to follow. Phoenix’s wing depth from last season was weak, which forced the team to counteract that by switching constantly to avoid possible mismatches.

However, the additions of Hayes-Dais and Brooks will only amplify Dunn’s defensive intensity as he develops. Brooks came over in the Kevin Durant trade this past offseason. The 29-year-old is a former All-Defensive team member and has this perception of being “the Villain.” That type of mentality and physicality is a crucial part in Dunn’s development.

Dunn played in the background to bigger stars like Durant and Bradley Beal. This season, the Suns will need Dunn to step up and become a focal point of both sides of the ball. He started his rookie season shooting lights out from beyond the arc, before following off as the season progressed. During Summer League, Dunn illustrated his growth over the offseason in his 3-point shooting.

If he can continue that growth from the perimeter, while learning from his new teammates about guarding your yard, then Dunn should be on pace to be a serious player in this league.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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