Oubre Jr. agrees to deal to stay with Suns

Restricted free-agent forward Kelly Oubre Jr. has agreed to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns for two years and $30 million.

Nima Namakian, Oubre’s agent, relayed the news to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The reporter also mentioned what the two-year deal means for Oubre in forthcoming years.

The Suns previously extended a qualifying offer to Oubre on June 26.

Oubre, 23, averaged 20.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 12 games after the Suns named him a starter after the All-Star break. Phoenix went 6-6 in that span, which included wins over the 60-22 Milwaukee Bucks and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

He saved his best game for last, dropping 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting in a 138-136 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Suns went 13-57 otherwise, so putting the forward in the starting lineup clearly rejuvenated Phoenix. However, he suffered a left thumb injury and was forced to miss the season’s final 11 games.

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For the year, Oubre averaged 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 44.5 percent shooting for the Washington Wizards and Suns.

A Dec. 17 trade sent him from Washington to Phoenix, where he posted 16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 45.3 percent shooting in 40 games (12 starts).

Oubre’s second-half performance could foreshadow a significant breakthrough for the 15th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, though the question is whether he’ll continue his torrid pace. If so, the Suns would be getting a steal.

The only negative for Oubre in his stint with the Suns was a thumb injury that required a minor procedure and ended his season in March. 

That didn’t temper Phoenix’s feelings for the 23-year-old ahead of free agency. 

“I’ve said before: We love Kelly,” Suns general manager James Jones told reporters in April. “We want Kelly here.”

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