Keita Bates-Diop is on the move.
According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the former Ohio State men's basketball standout agreed to a two-year, $5 million deal with the Phoenix Suns when the NBA free agency window opened Friday at 6 p.m.
Free agent F Keita Bates-Diop has agreed to a two-year, $5M deal with the Phoenix Suns, co-head of @CAA_Basketball Austin Brown tells ESPN. Deal includes a player option. Bates-Diop will have a chance to earn a starting forward spot.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023
Bates-Diop will team up with NBA stars Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal and talented center DeAndre Ayton in Phoenix. He will compete with Josh Okogie, Drew Eubanks and others for the fifth spot in head coach Frank Vogel's starting lineup.
The Minnesota Timberwolves picked Bates-Diop 48th overall in the 2018 NBA draft, a selection that came after the 6-foot-8, 229-pound forward was named Big Ten Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in his fourth season at Ohio State. Overall, Bates-Diop averaged 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest across 109 appearances and 70 starts for the Buckeyes from 2014-18.
Bates-Diop spent his first two NBA seasons with the Timberwolves, averaging 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He was then traded to Denver in 2019, but the Nuggets waived him after seven appearances with the franchise. In 2020, Bates-Diop signed with the San Antonio Spurs and played three seasons under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich, collecting a career-best 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest in 156 games and 56 starts.
Following his signing with the Suns, Bates-Diop will aim to build upon the best seasons of his NBA career while playing for the Suns, who will garner significant attention and compete for an NBA championship with its superstar core and talented supporting cast.
