<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-royce-oneal-44-million-contract-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Royce O’Neale on verge of $44 million contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Suns-news-Royce-ONeale-on-verge-of-x-million-contract.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Royce O’Neale on verge of $44 million contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-29T11:02:35-07:00">June 29th, 11:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-29T11:02:35-07:00">June 29th, 11:02am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Royce O’Neale and the Phoenix Suns are set to agree to a <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1807106767806947589" rel="noopener">four-year, $44 million contract</a> with the start of free agency just days away, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.</p><p>“O’Neale’s agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussaskis of Priority Sports have been negotiating on the contract for months and now land a key part of Suns’ rotation a new long-term deal,” reported the NBA insider. “O’Neale arrived in a deadline trade with the Nets.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Royce O’Neale plans on signing a new 4-year, $44 million deal with the Suns, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wojespn</a>. <a href="https://t.co/XxZFBLfnD1">pic.twitter.com/XxZFBLfnD1</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints NBA (@ClutchPointsNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsNBA/status/1807107337507008545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>As a result of the NBA’s new early negotiation window for teams and their own free agents, O’Neale and the Suns were able to avoid the complications of free agency altogether with this new four-year deal. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-oneale-nets-grizzlies-multi-team-deal">O’Neale was traded to Phoenix</a> ahead of the trade deadline by the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal that sent a 2026 first-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies and three second-round picks from the Suns to the Nets. Former Grizzlies first-round pick David Roddy also landed in Phoenix as a result of this trade.</p><p>O’Neale, 31, formed a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-o-neale-grade-expectations-phoenix-frank-vogel-kevin-durant">strong bond with superstar forward Kevin Durant</a> during their time with the Nets during the 2022-23 season. With the veteran forward on the trade block and the Suns in need of an experienced forward who could stretch the floor and provide toughness on defense, O’Neale was a match made in heaven for Phoenix.</p><h2><b>Royce O’Neale’s impact with Suns</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Royce-ONeale-and-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>In a total of 30 games with the Suns, eight of which he started, O’Neale averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6 percent from the floor. O’Neale’s 59 total threes in his two months with the Suns ranked third on the team behind only Grayson Allen (87) and Durant (65) from the moment of his arrival.</p><p>There is no denying that the Suns traded for O’Neale with the intention of re-signing him this offseason. Despite having one more year left on his contract at the time of the trade, Phoenix understood that the veteran was going to be an integral part of their rotation.</p><p>For years, O’Neale has been known for being one of the best “glue guys” in the NBA. Essentially, he holds his teams together with all the little things he can accomplish on the court. Aside from his shooting and rebounding abilities, O’Neale has always been known to be an above-average defender who can virtually guard any position. That is why he is such a valuable player for the Suns to have.</p><p>After locking O’Neale up on a new contract, the Suns’ payroll now exceeds $220 million, giving them the league’s highest tax bill for the 2024-25 season. Owner Mat Ishbia is not afraid to spend money if it puts his team in a better position to win a championship, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-suns-set-re-sign-key-player-4-year-contract">keeping O’Neale</a> was an essential part of the organization’s championship equation.</p><p>Assuming they do not make any drastic moves in the offseason to trade Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns will head into the new season with the same starting group that won a total of 49 games during the regular season this past year. The major difference is that instead of having O’Neale for two months to finish the season, new head coach Mike Budenholzer will be able to turn to the veteran right away for production in the frontcourt.</p><p>The bottom line is that O’Neale impacts winning. The Suns went 18-12 with O’Neale on the court, and his +139 plus-minus was the highest on the team since his arrival on February 10. With the two sides sharing mutual interest in a new deal, they were able to come to terms on an agreement before his unrestricted free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Royce O’Neale on verge of $44 million contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-breaks-silence-block-royce-oneale-shot-suns');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla breaks silence on why he tried to block Royce O’Neale’s shot vs Suns');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-explains-why-he-run-tried-to-block-royce-oneales-shot-vs-suns.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla breaks silence on why he tried to block Royce O’Neale’s shot vs Suns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-14T20:19:21-07:00">March 14th, 8:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-14T20:19:21-07:00">March 14th, 8:19pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-fires-back-at-jayson-tatum-criticism-with-tyrese-maxey-callout" rel="noopener">Joe Mazzulla expects a lot</a> from his players, but he wouldn’t ask them to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. On Thursday night, during a primetime matchup between the Celtics and Phoenix Suns, forward Royce O’Neale went to shoot after a timeout late in the fourth quarter.</p><p>Mazzulla didn’t let him get the shot off cleanly though, as he actually went out on the court to contest.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joe Mazzulla went on the court to play a bit of defense 😂<a href="https://t.co/a1FpMKD3EJ">pic.twitter.com/a1FpMKD3EJ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1768453935608598804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>O’Neale was desperate for any kind of make since he was a brutal 0-for-7 on the evening. But, Mazzulla was determined to not let him find his rhythm because <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredWeissNBA/status/1768455290637238583">that’s the mindset</a> he wants from his players, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.</p><p>“I saw a guy going in to try and get a shot and he hadn’t made one and I didn’t want him to feel good about himself going to the bench,” he said. “If I’m gonna ask the guys to contest, staff’s gotta do the same.”</p><p>Mazzulla has been adamant about contesting after stoppages all season, and while it seemed to work on O’Neale, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-receives-legendary-kevin-durant-praise-ahead-suns-rematch" rel="noopener">Celtics were on fire</a> regardless. Boston shot 52.8% from the field and stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 63 points during the 127-112 win.</p><p>This was the Celtics’ second victory against the Suns in the last week, and they achieved them both without center Kristaps Porzingis. Although Phoenix’s three-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker was healthy and had 65 points altogether, the Suns still couldn’t stop Boston’s 3-point attack.</p><p>With the Celtics’ double-digit win and the Milwaukee Bucks’ 114-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston has officially clinched a playoff berth for the 10th straight season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Boston Celtics have punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs for the 10th straight season 👊</p><p>Will Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Joe Mazzulla get it done this year? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/Z0lT5x7aeY">pic.twitter.com/Z0lT5x7aeY</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1768465729471275079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>A title hasn’t been brought back to Beantown by the C’s in over 15 years, but the 2023-24 Green Team hopes to change that. At 52-14 overall, Boston will aim to close out the regular season strong and enter the playoffs with momentum and health.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla breaks silence on why he tried to block Royce O’Neale’s shot vs Suns

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-royce-o-neale-grade-expectations-phoenix-frank-vogel-kevin-durant');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns: Royce O’Neale’s true feelings on trade deadline move, expectations for seventh-year defensive-minded wing for Phoenix');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/royce-3.webp"></figure><h1>Suns: Royce O’Neale’s true feelings on trade deadline move, expectations for seventh-year defensive-minded wing for Phoenix</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-14T07:14:06-08:00">February 14th, 7:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-14T07:14:06-08:00">February 14th, 7:14am</time><address><a>Trevor Booth</a>Trevor Booth is a beat writer covering the Phoenix Suns, in addition to working as an associate editor. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in 2021. Booth is passionate about his faith, video games, sports with friends and making the most of his time with his girlfriend when he's not working.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Royce O’Neale <a href="https://twitter.com/TrevorMBooth/status/1756074508681896326" rel="noopener">has a move</a> he calls his “special talent.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Royce on the ball fake. Says it’s his “little special talent.” <a href="https://t.co/DEuZcsI9ra">pic.twitter.com/DEuZcsI9ra</a></p><p>— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrevorMBooth/status/1757607344878600656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>O’Neale, who is in his seventh season in the NBA, has a ball-fake that he uses to juke closeout defenders, before side-stepping into his 3-point shot.</p><p>“It gets me a lot of open threes, (and) drives for my teammates,” O’Neale said.</p><p>O’Neale is someone who will shoot plenty of threes next to the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.</p><p>O’Neale is also a 29-game playoff starter, which will help him be a big factor with the Suns.</p><p>What did O’Neale say about coming to Phoenix, which has top scorers Booker and Beal at guard, where he could be a factor as a defensive-minded player?</p><p>“I’m just glad I ain’t got to guard them no more,” O’Neale said. “Just seeing the way their game evolved over the years, and then now being able to learn from them, being cool with them throughout the time in the NBA.”</p><p>Here is a summary of his game, including a grade for the Suns’ trade. Phoenix dealt three second-round picks and forwards Keita Bates-Diop and Chimezie Metu, for O’Neale. The Suns also traded a pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies along with Yuta Watanabe and Jordan Goodwin for David Roddy.</p><p>Tuesday, the Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-thad-young-buyout-woj-espn-phoenix" rel="noopener">signed</a> wing Thaddeus Young, a 6-foot-8 big, off the buyout market.</p><h2>Strengths</h2><p>O’Neale is someone who spent time with the Utah Jazz following an impressive 2017 summer league run. Utah finished with the best four-game season record, earning O’Neale a three-year contract.</p><p>O’Neale will not take for granted his NBA career. A former college player at Denver, he earned his way to the Baylor men’s basketball team and earned All-WAC third-team honors in his first year.</p><p>Much like former Suns guard Cameron Payne, O’Neale is someone who has an edge. O’Neale started his pro career overseas and later earned his spot with the Utah Jazz.</p><p>“It meant a lot,” O’Neale said of his confidence and approach. “It was one of the setting stones, bringing that overseas international game here, learning more team concepts, different rules and incorporating it into the game I have now.”</p><p>O’Neale has a bit of a rhythm jumper. Because he is so accustomed to creating space with the ball fake, his release can go through a circle rotation, which can each accelerate or force defenders to strip his shot.</p><p>O’Neale’s defense is a staple of his. He has a 6-foot-9 wingspan and is physical with opposing players.</p><p>The 6-foot-4 wing has both guard Clippers guard Paul George and forward Paul George — who he has held to five and 18 points at different points in his career — and has also played next to Kevin Durant in lineups, which should give the Suns some defensive continuity, according to Phoenix gm James Jones.</p><p>“He’s fearless,” Jones said. “That’s what this is about. We’re going into a Western Conference playoff race that is daunting. But it’s fun. And if you’re a competitor, you look forward to it. And lucky for us, we’ve been able to add a guy in Royce who looks forward to that challenge.”</p><p>O’Neale has had to approach the game in a consistent manner to stay in the league. Now that he is in the playoffs, he is looking to bring some of that chip from his early career to the Suns.</p><h2>Approach</h2><p>O’Neale is someone who is going to factor into the Suns’ rotation. However, it remains to be seen how often he will be used in varying combinations of small-ball rotations. O’Neale has familiarity with Durant, so it makes sense he would be paired with the 7-footer in a potential starting lineup with Booker, Beal and center Jusuf Nurkic.</p><p>The Suns’ defense is rated No. 15, or right in the middle, on defense. Phoenix is going to have some small-ball rotations since it is not possible to acquire another capable big on the buyout market it can afford. The Suns will hope Nurkic, who has been the team’s most stable and consistent player from a minute and health standpoint, can stay healthy.</p><p>O’Neale can be used at the three now that the Suns have Young, who can play the four or the five. Young is someone who can post up, so the Suns will be more athletic with one of those two or both on the floor.</p><p>Phoenix is looking to win its first-ever championship. O’Neale, who has guarded some of the best West players, will be relied on to be physical and play at his best.</p><h2>Expectations</h2><p>Here are O’Neale’s advanced stats from Bball Index.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/player-card-player-11.png"></figure><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/player-card-player-12.png"></figure><p>O’Neale is a positive contributor, given he closed the Suns’ game against the Kings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns: Royce O’Neale’s true feelings on trade deadline move, expectations for seventh-year defensive-minded wing for Phoenix

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-frank-vogel-royce-o-neale-trade-deadline');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Frank Vogel sounds off on Royce O’Neale, David Roddy plans after trade deadline deals');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/royce-2.webp"></figure><h1>Suns’ Frank Vogel sounds off on Royce O’Neale, David Roddy plans after trade deadline deals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-10T20:14:59-08:00">February 10th, 8:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-10T20:14:59-08:00">February 10th, 8:14pm</time><address><a>Trevor Booth</a>Trevor Booth is a beat writer covering the Phoenix Suns, in addition to working as an associate editor. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in 2021. Booth is passionate about his faith, video games, sports with friends and making the most of his time with his girlfriend when he's not working.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns wings Royce O’Neale and David Roddy are available for the team’s road game Saturday night at Chase Center versus Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, per the team.</p><p>O’Neale is coming off the bench. He is someone who could start for the Suns, but coach Frank Vogel said Grayson Allen will be in the lineup with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, and center Jusuf Nurkic.</p><p>“You can hope for an ideal situation, you get a couple practices under your belt,” Vogel said. “Get to learn the system, all that.</p><p>“I want him to get his feet wet,” Vogel said of O’Neale. “I want to get him into the fold right away.”</p><p>O’Neale was traded to the Suns with just under two hours remaining before the NBA trade deadline Thursday for forward Keita Bates-Diop, guard Jordan Goodwin and three second-round picks. Phoenix also acquired Roddy, a former first-round pick, via trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><p>The Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2-buyout-candidates-suns-must-purse-after-2024-nba-trade-deadline" rel="noopener">have</a> two open roster spots and must add one through the buyout market.</p><p>O’Neale is a former teammate of Durant with the Nets in 2022-23.</p><p>Vogel said the Suns could go small with Durant at the five.</p><p>“We’ve been looking at that on a gamely basis,” Vogel said.</p><p>The Suns are down to the Warriors, 84-82, after three quarters. O’Neale has three points, five rebounds, a steal and an assist.</p><p>O’Neale is someone who brings experience with 29 playoff starts and 44 total playoff games played. He is known as a playoff riser, something that Suns general manager James Jones said at his introductory press conference Friday.</p><p>“That was just something we couldn’t pass up,” Jones said.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Frank Vogel sounds off on Royce O’Neale, David Roddy plans after trade deadline deals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-news-royce-oneale-heartfelt-message-brooklyn-after-trade-suns');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets: Royce O’Neale sends heartfelt message to Brooklyn after trade to Suns');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Nets_news__Royce_O_Neale_sends_heartfelt_message_to_Brooklyn_after_trade_to_Suns_copy.webp"></figure><h1>Nets: Royce O’Neale sends heartfelt message to Brooklyn after trade to Suns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-09T09:03:46-08:00">February 9th, 9:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-09T09:04:19-08:00">February 9th, 9:04am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sportswriter who is comfortable covering many different sports. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets were not ready to blow everything up at the NBA trade deadline, but they did make a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-nets-raptors-trade-spencer-dinwiddie-dennis-schroder" rel="noopener">couple of key moves</a> that figure to have an impact on the rest of the season and multiple teams. That included parting with Royce O’Neale, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-oneale-nets-grizzlies-multi-team-deal" rel="noopener">whom they sent</a> to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.</p><p>Although the veteran 3-and-D wing only spent about a year-and-a-half with the organization, he formed a strong connection with the Brooklyn fan base. Despite diminishing production this season, his effort was always appreciated. O’Neale is returning the favor by sending love to the city in his <a href="https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1755889600092880989" rel="noopener">official farewell message</a>.</p><p>“Thank you Brooklyn for the opportunity and embracing the kid…forever a special place in the journey,” he posted on Friday. </p><p>O’Neale was with the Utah Jazz for the first five years of his career before being traded to the Nets in June of 2022. He quickly fit in with the team and then adjusted when the front office shipped out both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season. Considering the 30-year-old is on an expiring contract, it made no sense for a 20-31 squad to keep him.</p><p>Brooklyn continues to re-supply their haul of assets by acquiring three second-round picks in the deal as it attempts to position itself for better days ahead. Royce O’Neale finds himself in a far more prosperous spot after joining the Suns. His lifetime 38.1 3-point shooting percentage gives Phoenix another reliable floor spacer and should make him a key bench piece the rest of the way.</p><p>Ideally, O’Neale will be embraced by the desert just as he was by the BK in his brief but memorable tenure with the Nets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets: Royce O’Neale sends heartfelt message to Brooklyn after trade to Suns

Kent Bazemore

Jonas Valančiūnas

Cody Zeller

Chris Boucher

Royce O'Neale

Kelly Olynyk

Wendell Carter Jr.

Marquese Chriss

Meyers Leonard

Greg Monroe

Utah Jazz

Brooklyn Nets

Phoenix Suns

Career

1 season

5 seasons

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1633902272613855233/

Jalen going wild right now @BaylorMBB @jalenbridgess 🤝🏾

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1631882705318150147/

Great team win 🤞🏾💫   Stay the course

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623565839814258693/

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623184450501718018/

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623184160679403522/

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623183706893479939/

Bron really finna break this record 
Crazyyyy

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1622439566408880129/

Legendary performance right there 😮‍💨

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1622438200856793089/

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
7.4	4.5	2.8	0.6	0.7

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
7.4	4.5	2.8	0.6	0.7

Royce
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