The Phoenix Suns have extended a qualifying offer to Kelly Oubre Jr., Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The 23-year-old will now be a restricted free agent and is expected to attract substantial offer sheets.
After arriving in Phoenix part-way through the 2018-19 campaign, Oubre Jr. averaged 16.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Oubre Jr.’s qualifying offer is worth $4.9 million in 2019-20 but the swingman isn’t expected to sign it, instead he’ll either come to terms with the Suns on a new deal or seek offer sheets from other teams looking to poach him.
The Suns will be able to match any offer sheet that Oubre Jr. signs given the nature of restricted free agency and they could be forced into some difficult decisions. There are no shortage of teams with significant cap space and not all of them will be able to lock down the top tier of free agents.
In nine March contests with Phoenix before undergoing season-ending surgery, Oubre Jr. averaged 21.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
According to Basketball Insiders, Oubre Jr.’s cap hold until he signs a deal is approximately $9.6 million.
Related:All 2019 NBA qualifying offer decisions
Related:CBA Explained – Qualifying Offers
