The Phoenix Suns looking to keep Mike James long term
Mike James has been one of the nice surprises in the NBA this season. The Phoenix Suns now need to do right by him and give him a long term deal.
The Phoenix Suns could have been in worse trouble after Eric Bledsoe was dismissed from the team, instead the team has flourished. Part of that is due to the dismissal of former Suns head coach Earl Watson with Jay Triano taking on the interim head coach position. However, 27 year-old rookie Mike James deserves a lot of credit as well. It appears now that Suns general manager Ryan McDonough wants to make James a part of the team’s long term plans, according to Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
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During an interview on Burns & Gambo of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports Station, McDonough expressed his willingness to get a multi-year contract done with James based on the fact that McDonough sees James as a long term piece of the future. McDonough believes a deal that both sides can agree upon can be reached.
Currently James is on a two-way contract, which only allows for a player to be with an NBA team for a maximum of 45 days before the player has to stay with the team’s G-League affiliate or convert their contract to a full NBA contract. Based on that fact, James’ two-way contract will convert no later than Dec. 6, 2017, according to Nick Silva of ESPN.
James is worth of a long term deal. His stats are more than solid enough.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/3/2017.
In a previous article, I spoke of the grit that James has and brings to the team. He brings a hunger to the Suns that they haven’t had in a long while. James isn’t the best or flashiest point guard in the NBA, but he is the one the team needs. It’s nice that McDonough realizes it too.
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Hopefully, negotiations go well between management and James, so that fans will continue to see him in a Phoenix Suns uniform for years to come.