One of the longest-tenured members of the Suns will not be returning, as forward Ish Wainright reportedly signed with the Portland Trail Blazers today.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns waived Wainright on Thursday, and coach Frank Vogel said he hoped the team could bring him back. The Suns have one more two-way spot and could’ve signed Wainright to it had he cleared waivers.
Now however, Wainright joins former Suns’ Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara in Portland, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Portland Trail Blazers are waiving Kevin Knox and picking up former Phoenix Suns forward Ish Wainright off free agency waivers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 21, 2023
Between Vogel’s comments and Wainright attending the last two D-backs’ games, all signs pointed to the fan-favorite returning to Phoenix if he cleared waivers. The Suns even deleted a post thanking him for his time in the Valley.
Ish Wainright (has not played yet this preseason) and Yuta Watanabe putting up shots #Suns pic.twitter.com/2TpyBxqQVY
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) October 17, 2023
Wainright had not played in a game for the Suns this preseason, as he has been nursing a right calf strain.
Even though he didn’t play many minutes per game during his time with the Suns, Wainright, a former NFL player, became a fan-favorite in Phoenix since joining the team in 2021-22 season. The Suns exercised their team option on him this summer for the 2023-24 season. However, Wainright’s $1.9 million salary for this season was non-guaranteed until Jan. 2024. The 29-year-old, 6-foot-5 forward averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in just over 15 minutes per game last season. He played in 60 games total for the year.
Now we will see how Wainright does in a new home in Portland. The Suns currently have 16 players on standard contacts on their roster and need to trim it down to 15 by 2 p.m. MST on Monday. However, they still have one more two-way spot to sign a player with.
Suns “Hoping” to Bring Ish Wainright Back after Waiving Him Today
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
