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Report: Phoenix Suns to re-sign Brandon Knight to same 5/70 deal they gave Bledsoe last year

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Both Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe share the same back court, plan to play equal minutes next year and expect to put up about the same stats: 18 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game.

Now, it appears they will make the same exact money: $70 million over 5 years.

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal-Times reports the contract terms:

I've been told by an NBA official that Knight, who'll become a restricted free agent on July 1, will sign a five-year, $70 million contract with the Suns.

Knight, who is 23, was enjoying an All-Star caliber season - 17.8 points and 5.4 assists -- before the Bucks surprisingly sent him to the Suns.

It's nice to see the Suns learn the error of their ways. The price of free agents is going up, and there's no use fighting against a solid deal like the one Bledsoe signed. Knight is three years younger, and has two more years of starting experience in the NBA.

Both will be good players in the coming years, and to have each starting guard position count only 15% against the cap in a year, 13% in two years, is a good deal.

Good for the Suns to get this done.

Expect Knight NOT to sign until the Suns have already spent their cap space on free agents to improve the team. The Suns currently have just under $13 million to spend as long as Knight only counts $8.9 million as a "cap hold" on his Bird Rights.

The Suns can spend anything on the free agent market up their cap, and then exceed the cap in the re-signing of Knight to a larger annual contract than the $8.9 million cap hold.

Sounds so far like this summer is starting the way last summer SHOULD have started.

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