The Phoenix Suns can offer Grayson Allen a four-year, $75 million contract extension starting today and can offer such a deal up until June 30 as the club holds his Bird rights.
Allen was traded to Phoenix as part of a three-team trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers in September. Milwaukee traded the six-year veteran to the Suns.
In exchange, the Bucks traded Jrue Holiday and three first-round draft picks (2028-30) to Portland. Then the Suns sent Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara to the Trail Blazers.
Additionally, Portland sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and traded Keon Johnson, Kassir Little, and Jusuf Nurkic to Phoenix.
Suns’ Frank Vogel on Grayson Allen amid contract extension talks:
“He’s a good all-around basketball player. There’s a lot of shooters in this league that aren’t good basketball players, and he’s a hell of a basketball player in so many different ways.”
More quotes coming in… pic.twitter.com/A1bLW7YhBj
— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) March 27, 2024
Allen is in the final season of the two-year, $20 million contract he signed with Milwaukee in October 2021. His current deal includes $2.55 million in total incentives. He’s making $8.5 million this season with Phoenix.
Through 66 games (all starts) with the Suns, Allen is averaging career highs of 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 33.7 minutes per game. Not to mention, he’s shooting career bests of 50.9% from the field and 47.9% from 3-point range.
His 3-point shooting percentage currently leads the NBA this season. The 6-foot-4 guard also ranks second in effective field goal percentage (66.6%) and 19th in 3-pointers (183).
Plus, he sits second in true shooting percentage (69.6%) and fifth in offensive rating (132.1).
Grayson Allen has made nine 3-pointers in three games this NBA season with the Phoenix Suns
“The consistency of his 3-point shot making would be at the top of the list,” Suns coach Frank Vogel told The Arizona Republic when asked about what has stood out the most about Allen’s play this season.
“He’s a good, all-around basketball player. There’s a lot of shooters in this league that aren’t good basketball players and he’s a hell of a basketball player in so many different ways.”
According to the Basketball-Reference database, Allen and Stephen Curry are the only NBA players this season to make nine or more 3-pointers in three or more games. His three nine-3-pointer games tied the Suns’ franchise record for most in a single game as well.
Grayson Allen games with 8+ 3PM:
7 — This season
0 — First 5 seasons combined pic.twitter.com/JlWMMgq7Vb— Booker Muse (@DevinBookerMuse) March 21, 2024
Although Allen is averaging career-high numbers this season, the contract extension hasn’t crossed his mind.
“I haven’t been thinking about it or playing for the contract or anything. … I feel really blessed to be in a position where I’m on a team I fit perfectly on in an important year for me career wise,” Allen said before Monday’s game at San Antonio.
“Very blessed to be playing this well and given the opportunity I’ve been given to help the team out as much as I have. … You don’t want to count it, start counting stuff too early before it happens. Another part of is it’s March and we’ve got 11, 10 games left.
“We’re getting at a time where you don’t want to have stuff like that on your mind. Right now, it’s the Suns and team stuff. I don’t want to think about that kind of stuff too much.”
The Suns visit the Denver Nuggets tonight.
