Suns, Oso Ighodaro agree on three-year, $29M extension starting in 2028-29
Oso Ighodaro agreed to a three-year, $29 million contract extension with the Phoenix Suns through the 2030-31 season, his agent Erika Ruiz of Primera Sports told ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday night. The year-by-year salaries, the guaranteed money and whether the extension includes any options were not disclosed, and no official announcement from the Suns has been reported.
Charania reported that the Suns are picking up Ighodaro's $2.5 million team option for 2027-28, so the extension starts in 2028-29. ClutchPoints reported that the deal came together a day before Monday's deadline for rookie-scale and second-round extensions.
According to ClutchPoints, Ighodaro was eligible for up to four years and $92.8 million, and the deal averages just under $10 million a season. That is below the $12.7 million average on Mark Williams' three-year, $38 million deal from this summer.
ClutchPoints also reported that Ighodaro is now signed further out than any other player on the roster, Devin Booker included.
The deferred start comes with the books tight. EssentiallySports reported a 2026-27 tax payroll around $214-216 million, over the $200.4 million tax threshold and slightly over the $209 million first apron.
"The Suns were smart to delay Oso Ighodaro's extension until the 2028-29 season," analyst Keith Smith wrote on X. "The books are still pretty tight through next season."
On the court, the frontcourt is short a starter. Williams had surgery in September to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and is expected to miss multiple months, according to EssentiallySports and ClutchPoints, and no firm return date has been reported. Ighodaro is competing with second-year center Khaman Maluach for the starting job.
Portland selected Ighodaro 40th overall in 2024, and Phoenix acquired him on draft night. In 2025-26 he played all 82 games with 24 starts, averaging 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22 minutes while shooting 65.3% from the field.
He started all four games of the first-round series that Oklahoma City swept. "We know he's an elite defender; he's an elite possession gainer," coach Jordan Ott said during training camp, as reported by The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin.
Per WAGE, Ighodaro's salary ranked 420th of the 435 rated players last season, while his production ranked 89th, a season total.
That ledger returned a WAGE Score of 80 in 2025-26, Smart Money. His cost per unit of production was the 7th cheapest of the 399 rated players whose production was above zero.
That score was earned on last season's roughly $2.0 million salary and does not carry over to the option season or to the extension, which will be read on its own money.
Phoenix opens the 2026-27 regular season at Portland on Wednesday, Oct. 21, ClutchPoints reported.