Collin Gillespie Lands 4-Year, $48 Million Deal to Return to Suns After Two-Way Breakout
Collin Gillespie spent the last two seasons trying to convince a team to give him a real contract. The Phoenix Suns are giving him one.
Gillespie intends to sign a four-year, $48 million deal to return to the Suns, multiple reports confirmed over the weekend. That is a massive jump for a guard who was bouncing between two-way contracts a season ago.
This is the part of the cap era that is starting to feel unrecognizable. Two-way guys are now signing for $12 million a year if the production is there. Phoenix decided the production was there and locked him in.
The Suns Need Guard Depth Like This
Phoenix’s roster has been a mess of overpriced veterans and uncertain depth for two years. Devin Booker is still the franchise. Bradley Beal is still on the books. Kevin Durant’s name keeps showing up in every trade rumor that involves a contender. None of that depth chart has solved the actual problem, which is that the Suns have not had a real third creator behind Booker.
Gillespie is not that creator. He is a reliable backup with a good feel and a tight handle. He shoots well off the catch. He keeps the second unit from falling apart when Booker sits. That is worth $12 million a year on the current cap, even if it sounds like a lot for a player most fans could not pick out of a lineup two summers ago.
The Villanova product was a steady fixture in the Suns rotation last season as the team navigated injuries to Beal and a midseason coaching change. He played 22 minutes a night when needed and averaged just under 10 points with a 39 percent three-point clip. The shooting is what got him paid. So is the trust the new staff developed in him.
Phoenix’s front office had a choice. They could let Gillespie walk to a rival, knowing he would have suitors. They could keep him on a smaller bet and risk losing him at the deadline. They went with the four-year commitment instead.
That is a bet on the player, on the cap continuing to rise, and on Phoenix being able to move money around the rest of the roster. The Suns are still trying to figure out what to do with Beal. They are still hoping to extend Booker. Locking in Gillespie at this price is a piece they would prefer to know is solved.
The other read on this deal is what it says about the league’s middle class. Free agency has been brutal for years for non-stars. A guard like Gillespie a decade ago gets a veteran minimum and a one-year deal. Now he gets four years and eight figures because the cap is shooting up and teams need reliable rotation guys at fixed prices.
Villanova alums are also having a great summer. Jalen Brunson is the Finals MVP. Mikal Bridges is in New York. Jay Wright’s coaching tree keeps quietly producing real NBA players who get paid like real NBA players. Gillespie is the latest.
The Suns are not done. They still need help on the wing. They still need a frontcourt answer. Gillespie is the easy decision in an offseason that has plenty of hard ones ahead.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
