The Phoenix Suns have locked in Ryan Dunn for the long haul, picking up his fourth-year option ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The move, announced through the team’s social media, keeps Dunn in Phoenix through the 2027-28 season. He’ll then be a restricted free agent the following offseason. According to Spotrac, his cap hit will sit just north of $5 million.
Dunn entered the league as the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and his value has already been defined by what he does on the defensive end. The wing stopper has quickly become part of the Suns’ young core, a group the organization believes can grow alongside its established talent.
"We have a playoff-level team, got superstar, great players on top of that, and we got young guys that are getting better. Not too many teams in the NBA have that up-and-coming opportunity along with a team that's in the playoffs and keep getting better," Suns owner Mat Ishbia said at the team's Media Day.
Through his first two NBA seasons, Dunn has appeared in at least 70 games each year and has logged 19 minutes per game. The scoring numbers haven’t popped yet - he’s averaging 6.4 points for his career - but Phoenix hasn’t been asking him to carry the offense. His job has been about defending on the perimeter and making life harder on the other side.
That part of his game took a step forward last season, when Dunn posted a 112.6 defensive rating as a perimeter defender. If the shot comes along too, especially after connecting on 32% of his three-pointers, the Suns’ wing rotation gets even stronger.
Phoenix has already moved on from Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale, but the competition on the wing is still real. The team brought in Miles Bridges and Koa Peat to the frontcourt, and second-year Rasheer Fleming is also in the mix behind starter Dillon Brooks.
So this is the season where Dunn has to keep proving he belongs. He said at Media Day that he spent time sharpening the parts of his game that could make him more complete.
"I think the biggest thing I worked on was shooting and then trying to find more ways to get to the rim and being in more control at the rim, like finishing off two [feet] and playing in that way and finding more footwork to get there" Dunn said, who also emphasized being more consistent in his jumpshot.
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Bridges defensive growth may be the real swing factor here, because the Suns do not just need another scorer, they need combinations that can hold up when the game tightens. If he can take another step on that side of the floor, Phoenix could have more options for pairing him with Brooks and exploring smaller, more aggressive looks. The intrigue is less about one player alone and more about whether his defense can help unlock a lineup the Suns have been trying to find. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Green Is Suddenly Squeezing One Suns Roster Hope
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For Chandler, the path has gotten steeper because the Suns are not just evaluating guards in a vacuum, they are also trying to map out how the rotation fits around Khaman Maluach, who is expected to have a meaningful role. The added wrinkle is whether any reserve guard can carve out a niche beyond simply surviving camp, and right now Green's growth is making that a tougher sell for everyone else in the room. [Read more 🡒]