On Saturday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that unrestricted free agent guard Collin Gillespie intends to sign a new four-year $48 million contract to return to the Phoenix Suns.
Free agent guard Collin Gillespie intends to sign a four-year, $48 million deal to return to the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN. Gillespie spent three straight seasons on two-way contracts after going undrafted out of Villanova in 2022 and now earns a lucrative long-term deal. pic.twitter.com/HIBFG0dDMU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 20, 2026
Gillespie’s NBA journey is an inspiring tale of playing exclusively on two-way contracts for the first two seasons of his NBA career, with the Denver Nuggets from 2022 to 2024 and the Phoenix Suns during the 2024-25 NBA season, and landing his first full-time NBA contract with the Phoenix Suns for the 2025-26 NBA season.
The 6’1” point guard was a prime contributor to the 2025-26 Suns upstart regular season campaign that returned the franchise to the NBA Playoffs after a one-season hiatus.
Averaging regular-season stats of 12.7 points per game, 1.2 steals per game, 4.6 assists per game, and shooting 40.1% on 7.2 three-point attempts per game, Gillespie provided strong value on his one-year veteran’s minimum contract that expired at the conclusion of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Ideally, Gillespie could have been a desirable value-free agent signing for the Chicago Bulls in the 2026 NBA offseason. However, with Gillespie off the market, another value free agent guard the Bulls should seriously consider signing is Gary Payton II.
Rebuilds need veteran presence with a value price tag
Gary Payton II brings a variety of player intangibles that would quickly become benefits to a young, rebuilding Chicago Bulls franchise. Payton II is a 10-year NBA veteran who has acquired a full spectrum of NBA player experiences.
Obviously, Payton II delivered critical contributions to the Golden State Warriors, capturing their fourth NBA title of their Steph Curry era during the 2022 NBA Finals.
On the other end of the spectrum, Payton II spent the early portion of his NBA career bouncing around the league on two-way contracts or 10-day contracts, notably with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, to carve out an NBA career for himself.
Payton II’s NBA journeyman experiences would be valuable sources of mentoring for both a Bulls front office and coaching staff that will place a high priority on player development.
Intangibles aside, Payton II still can impact the game on the court in addition to in the locker room. Payton II appeared in 73 regular-season games for the Golden State Warriors, mostly in a reserve role, averaging 15.6 minutes per game and maintaining his defensive reputation, averaging 2.1 steals per 36 minutes, according to Basketball Reference.
Gary Payton II would be a great veteran free agent signing for the Bulls, who can mentor players in the locker room and also lead by example in his game minutes.
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