After the deadline, Suns are “really excited” about new faces.
Royce O’Neale and David Roddy are eager to join the Phoenix Suns.
PHOENIX: The Suns of Phoenix have acquired some fresh talent.
Now that the trade deadline has passed, the Suns have acquired Royce O’Neale and David Roddy in a three-team deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets, proving that they were serious about making a move.
In a statement, James Jones stated, “Royce and David both bring a competitive mindset and defensive intensity that improves our team as we continue our drive to win an NBA Championship.”
“Royce is a highly smart and disruptive defender who can play numerous positions. He also gives our team a lot of playoff experience and consistent three-point shooting. Every time David takes the court, his extraordinary physique and power exude enthusiasm.
Additional information on the two players from the official release:
“O’Neale (6′-6”, 226 pounds) is shooting 36.6% from three-point range and averaging 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 24.5 minutes over 49 games with the Nets this season. This season, he has had double-digit points in 15 games, 12 games with a steal and a block, and two double-doubles. On November 26 of this season, against Chicago, O’Neale scored 20 points with six made three-pointers, matching his career highs.
“Now in his sixth NBA season, O’Neale has averaged 6.7 points, 38.1% three-point shooting, and 42.7% field goal shooting across 495 games with the Nets and Utah Jazz. He has also added 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Over his career, he has started 289 games, which has helped his teams win games when he has started them. His starting % is.640. In his 44 career postseason appearances across six postseason trips, O’Neale has averaged 8.0 points on 44.7% field goal and 37.2% three-point shooting, along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.8 minutes with 29 starts. After attending Denver University and Baylor University for his undergraduate studies, O’Neale played two seasons abroad before signing with Utah to play in the NBA.
This season, in 48 games with the Grizzlies, “Roddy (6′-4”, 255 pounds) is averaging career-highs of 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 23.2 minutes. In 2023–24, he has recorded 18 games with ten or more points scored, including a career-high 19 points on November 29 versus Utah. This season, Roddy has also had two games with ten or more rebounds; they have occurred in the previous two weeks.
“Now in his second season of professional basketball, Roddy came to the league as a first-round selection, the 23rd overall choice out of Colorado State University in the 2022 NBA Draft. Roddy has averaged 7.4 points on 41.6% shooting from the field, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 20.1 minutes with 17 starts in 118 career games, all with Memphis. In the previous postseason, he played in all six Memphis playoff games and averaged 3.8 points in 12.7 minutes. In 2022–2023 Roddy participated in four NBA G League games for the Memphis Hustle, averaging 20.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, in addition to his NBA experience.”
