Suns officially sign Luke Kennard after Bridges trade

Like clockwork, the final domino has fallen as it pertains to the Phoenix Suns’ offseason moves to this point.

After the Miles Bridges trade with the Charlotte Hornets became official yesterday, the necessary cap space was created for Phoenix to utilize its non-taxpayer mid-level exception. With that, the Suns have officially signed Luke Kennard, who most recently played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

In a statement from the team:

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Luke Kennard to a multi-year contract.

“Luke’s work ethic and commitment to his craft have made him one of the most efficient three-point shooters in NBA history,” said Suns general manager Brian Gregory. “His floor spacing, high basketball IQ and connective playmaking bring another dimension to our offense. We’re excited to welcome Luke and his family to Phoenix.”

The move makes plenty of sense. Phoenix lost a significant amount of shooting when Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale were sent to Charlotte in the Bridges trade. The two combined to make 371 three pointers last season while shooting 38% from beyond the arc. Adding Kennard provides the organization with another much-needed perimeter threat.

Advertisement

The challenge isn’t efficiency. It’s volume. The three most three-point attempts Kennard has taken in a single season are 423, which came with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2021-22 campaign. He’s not going to replicate the combined volume Allen and O’Neale provided, but that’s not necessarily what the Suns are asking him to do.

With the number of options Phoenix now has on the wing, Kennard simply becomes another tool in Jordan Ott’s toolbox. He can be deployed based on specific matchups and lineup needs, giving the Suns another way to create spacing and maximize their offensive efficiency. That’s especially valuable when the player you’re adding is a career 44.2% three point shooter over nine NBA seasons.

As an aside, Kennard will wear No. 8, the jersey number previously worn by Grayson Allen. I nailed both of my predictions on the Bridges/Kennard jersey numbers,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/suns-officially-sign-luke-kennard-220000330.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-07-14 22:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.