While the play of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and in the playoffs Deandre Ayton understandably grabbed the headlines, Mikal Bridges has quietly become a core part of the Suns. He is their best perimeter defender and last season shot 42.5% from 3.
Now the Suns are going to pay Bridges like a member of that core at four years, $90 million, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Phoenix Suns G/F Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $90 million rookie contract extension, his agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of @Excelbasketball tell ESPN. Deal is fully guaranteed.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 17, 2021
Bridges has shown himself to be one of the most productive young, two-way players in the league, and gets a $22.5M a year deal that solidifies him long-term as one of the anchors of the defending Western Conference champions. https://t.co/3pjFhPN0Sc
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 17, 2021
That $90 million is in line with what the better 3&D wings around the NBA are making; this is a fair deal for both sides. If the Suns had not reached an agreement with Bridges, he would have gone into restricted free agency where — in what is generally considered a down class next summer — he may well have gotten a larger offer than this.
Bridges started all 72 games on the wing for the Suns last season, playing the most minutes of any Sun, and was a strong defender — he received the 11th most points from voters for the 10-man All-Defensive teams (just missing out behind Kawhi Leonard for the final forward slot). He averaged 13.5 points a game (fourth on the team) and took 4.4 3-pointers a game, hitting the previously mentioned 42.5%, and he had a team-best 66.7 true shooting percentage.
The Suns are not getting back to the Finals this season or in the next few without Bridges, and they have locked him up at a fair price for everyone. Bridges is going to have generational wealth, and he has earned it.