Miles Bridges is expected to stay in Phoenix for the long haul, but the extension talks may have to wait until after the offseason.
The Suns addressed their starting power forward spot this summer by landing Bridges in a deal that sent Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and a first-round pick to Phoenix, with a first-round pick and a second-round pick going back the other way.
For now, Phoenix and Bridges still haven’t agreed to an extension. Even so, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said the Suns clearly see him as part of their future.
“ [Phoenix] not only has an intent to pay him, but they have an intent to really give him a big role,” Windhorst said, adding that Bridges will try to wait and extend his contract later.
The Suns do have other young options at power forward in second-year player Rasheer Fleming and rookie Koa Peat, but Bridges is the only natural four on the roster with real NBA experience.
There’s also a real basketball case for why Phoenix wants him in that role. Bridges, an athletic 6’6″ forward, had a rough scoring year with the Hornets last season, when he fell below 20 points per game for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign.
Over the last four seasons, he has shot 33.1% from three, and his defense has been inconsistent. Still, he brings the kind of transition ability the Suns can use, especially next to athletic guard Jalen Green.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer also expects Phoenix to extend Bridges after the trade and after the new deal it gave Dillon Brooks, though he didn’t say when he thought that move would happen.
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