In a series of moves that they were fully expected to make, the Pheonix Suns have now officially picked up the third-year options of incoming sophomore studs Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges. This is via The Atheltic's Shams Charania.
The Suns have picked up third-year options on 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton and forward Mikal Bridges, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Phoenix has raved about Ayton throughout summer as he enters sophomore season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 11, 2019
This was obviously something the Suns were going to do sooner rather than later, and with a couple of weeks prior to the start of the new season, this should provide a bit of a motivational boost not only for Ayton and Bridges, but for the entire squad as well as they enter the new campaign.
Ayton was a beast in his rookie year, and perhaps his outstanding debut season was overshadowed by the likes of Luka Doncic and Trae Young. As a rookie, the former Arizona standout logged 16.3 points (on 58.5 percent shooting), 10.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 71 appearances for the Suns last term.
For his part, Bridges played all 82 games for Phoenix last season, averaging 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per ballgame, and while these are not exactly eye-popping numbers, he is still widely considered as an important building block for the team moving forward.
Despite the undeniable potential of these two studs, the Suns are still fully expected to struggle again this coming season. The Western Conference only got more ruthless over the summer, which will definitely make life more difficult for a young and inexperienced Phoenix side. 2019-20 may not be their year just yet, but it would not be surprising if this team starts making noise in the near future.
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