Leandro Barbosa is on his way back to Phoenix, according to the AZ Republic. The Suns reportedly plan to ink the veteran guard to a 10-day deal:
The Suns are planning to sign former Suns favorite Leandro Barbosa to a 10-day contract to assess whether the 31-year-old guard can bolster the offense, especially in light of Eric Bledsoe being sidelined at least a week for a knee sprain.
Barbosa has not played in the NBA since Feb. 11, 2013, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing for Boston when Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough was the assistant GM there. Barbosa was part of a later trade to Washington but the torn ACL made him just a salary-slotting part of the Jordan Crawford deal while he was at home rehabilitating in Brazil.
After going unsigned this season, Barbosa began playing for Pinheiros in Brazil to try to get his body ready for a NBA opportunity. Barbosa averaged 20.8 points, 3.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals in eight games while making half of his 3-pointers. Barbosa is expected to join the Suns in Chicago, where they begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday and where Barbosa made a game-winning shot for the Suns in 2007. The 10-day contract is pending a physical. Barbosa was recently considered by the Lakers, who later signed ex-Suns point guard Kendall Marshall.
