On October 18, Beijing time, according to ESPN, Suns forward Mikale Bridges reached a four-year, $90 million early contract extension with the team! The salary is still fully insured. Good guys, another young player won a big contract!
There have been reports that Bridges' situation is the same as Ayton's, and they have talked to the team about the renewal of the contract, but the two sides have not yet reached an agreement. Now it seems that the problem should be solved, and congratulations to Bridges, you deserve it!
At the 2018 draft, the Digital Man selected Bridges with the 10th pick in the first round and traded it to the Suns. In this way, Bridges spent 3 seasons at the Suns, each season with leaps and bounds.
In the 2020-21 season, Bridges played 72 regular season games and made 72 starts! He averaged 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 54.3% from the field and 42.5% from three-point range, all of which are the highest in his three-year career! He is also one of the team's consistent scoring points. Throughout the playoff journey, Bridges averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22 games!
Bridges was also very happy after completing the renewal of his contract, and he posted a team-mate Paul's emoji on social media to congratulate himself. The two had a good relationship and were impressed that when asked which young player had the best performance, Paul replied: "It's Mikal Bridges." "It's clear that Bridges is a young player paul is very optimistic about.
The contract will take effect from the 2022-23 season. Salary expert Bobby Max said that Bridges will be able to enter the top ten of the league's small forwards with annual salary! Trail Blazers star McCollum teased Bridges: "You treat you to dinner." Congratulations, you deserve it. ”
Before reaching a contract extension with the team, Bridges had already stated: "I love Phoenix, there is no doubt I want to stay here." But all I can do now is wait and then, unaffected by it, and keep training hard and improving myself. I've proven myself capable. ”
Bridges also revealed that he did not stay too long after the finals, and he quickly entered the training hall, trained his ability to control the ball, and became stronger.
Journalist John Hollinger spoke specifically about Bridges' prospects, and after three years of polishing, it's clear that Bridges has grown into one of the top 3D players in the league. If he continues to perform well, he may even get a 4-year contract with a total of over 100 million, whether it is staying at the Suns or joining other teams.
Seeing that Bridges has also completed the contract extension, the Suns should also consider Ayton's contract. The most important reason why Ayton has not renewed his contract is that the team cannot give him a satisfactory salary. 'I love it here, last year the team was only two wins away from the championship and was disappointed that they couldn't renew their contract with the team for the time being. Ayton said in an interview.
Some fans have to ask, what is the contract salary that Ayton himself wants? Referring to the likes of Doncic, Trae Young and Alexander, Ayton wants to get the same respect as his peers in the same draft! He is currently eligible for a five-year, $172.5 million early contract extension for rookies (up to $207 million), and he may have more than that.
In four preseason games this season, the Suns have a record of 3 wins and 1 loss (the first game was lost 106-117 to the Kings). In the end, do you think Bridges is worth this contract? What will be the salary that Ayton finally agrees with the team?