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The Phoenix Suns now have 17 players under full NBA contracts, though one of them is non-guaranteed and another is only slightly guaranteed. They will have to reduce the roster by 2 before the regular season starts next month.
Today, the Suns signed their fifth rookie of the offseason. De’Anthony Melton has signed a two-year, $2.3 million contract with the Suns a few short weeks after being acquired in the Ryan Anderson trade.
Sources: New Phoenix Suns guard De’Anthony Melton — the 46th pick in June’s NBA draft — has signed a guaranteed two-year, $2.3M rookie deal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 21, 2018
What’s interesting to me is that Melton signed for two years but the Suns did not get another two years of club options after that.
Recent Suns trends have them signing their high second round picks to rookie contracts that mirror those of first round picks — two guaranteed years, plus club options for years three and four. They gave such contracts to Tyler Ulis in 2016 and Elie Okobo earlier this summer.
Conversely, they gave two-way contracts to late second round picks Alec Peters in 2017 and George King earlier this summer. King can make a little under $400,000 this year if he and the Suns maximize his Phoenix roster time.
It seems they split the difference with Okobo, who was drafted in the middle of the second round this year.
Okobo will have a chance to compete for point guard minutes, along with Okobo and returnee Shaquille Harrison.