NBA free agency has already put a Duke stamp on the league, with Mark Williams staying put in Phoenix, Grayson Allen moving on to Charlotte, Luke Kennard landing with the Suns, and Brandon Ingram tied to the biggest reported deal of the opening stretch.
Williams was the first domino. Last week, he agreed to a three-year, $38 million deal to re-sign with Phoenix after his first season there.
He had been a restricted free agent, and the Suns moved fast to keep him. Williams logged a career-high 60 games in 2025-26, averaging 11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while shooting 64.4% from the field.
He did miss 10 games with a stress reaction in his left foot, and he sat out Phoenix’s first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City.
Once the free agency window opened officially, Phoenix became central to the Blue Devils story. Allen is headed to the Hornets in a trade from the Suns, while Kennard is going the other direction and joining Phoenix in free agency.
Allen’s move is part of Phoenix’s deal for Miles Bridges. Reports say the Suns are getting Bridges plus a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick from Charlotte, while the Hornets receive Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 unprotected first-round pick from Phoenix.
Allen remains on the four-year, $70 million extension he signed with the Suns in April 2024. He just turned in a career-best season, averaging 16.5 points per game as Phoenix finished 45-37. He also set a Suns franchise record by burying 10 three-pointers in a 42-point game against New Orleans.
Kennard’s move gives Phoenix another shooter after parting with Allen and O’Neale. The reported deal is for two years and $13 million, with a player option on the second season.
He led the NBA in three-point percentage this past season at 47.8%, and Phoenix coverage noted that he also averaged 11.5 points and shot 47.4% from three during the Lakers’ 2026 playoff run. Earlier in the 2025-26 season, Kennard had played for Atlanta after signing a one-year, $11 million contract with the Hawks in July 2025.
The biggest name in the early wave is Ingram. Multiple reports say he is part of the blockbuster sending Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers back to Toronto, with Ingram headed to Los Angeles.
Toronto is reportedly sending Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 pick swap, and two second-round picks. Ingram is not on an expiring contract, either.
After Toronto acquired him from New Orleans in February 2025, he signed a three-year, $120 million extension with a player option in the final season. He was coming off a 21.5-point-per-game season for Toronto and was named an All-Star replacement in February 2026.
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John Blackwell Could Put Duke On The Verge Of Something Historic
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Dukes recent run on that front has already put the program in rare company, with Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer following a previous stretch that included Shane Battier and Jay Williams. Blackwell will have every chance to keep that line going, but he also enters a roster that is expected to be balanced and deep, which can make the path to an award like this anything but straightforward. If the guard does separate himself, the Blue Devils could be staring at something no program has ever done before, and that alone makes his season worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]