Drew Eubanks addresses 'mutual split' with Phoenix Suns, signing with Utah Jazz

Drew Eubanks cleared the air on his departure from the Phoenix Suns after one season and decision to join the Utah Jazz in free agency.

“The interest was always there for me to return (to Phoenix),” Eubanks said. “The notion of it being a ‘mutual split’ is just factually false. There were a lot of conversations about me coming back this next year from the moment the season ended and into free agency. At the end of the day, there were other opportunities and I had to make the best decision for myself and my family. Loved my year in Phoenix.”

The athletic 6-10 big declined his player option with the Suns for $2.6 million and signed a two-year deal for $10 million with the Jazz.

“I'm really excited about getting to Utah and getting to play with that group,” Eubanks said. “It's a young, talented, and competitive group that I think I'll fit right in with.”

Eubanks’ time in Phoenix didn’t go according to plan for the team and for him individually.

The Suns fell way short of championship expectations as the Minnesota Timberwolves swept them in the first round and Eubanks only averaged 5.1 points on 60.1% shooting, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 75 games (six starts) last season.

Eubanks, 27, was coming off an impactful run with the Portland Trail Blazers where he averaged a career-high 8.4 points on 64.3% shooting, six rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 100 games (50 starts). Phoenix signed him hoping he could bring that same energy and production as a backup to 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic, but he didn’t appear to be the right fit under Frank Vogel.

The Suns fired Vogel after one season and hired former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, whose coaching style may have unlocked more of what Eubanks brings in terms of dives to the rim and being a lob threat. But they ended up signing Mason Plumlee to a one-year deal for $3.3 million this offseason.

Plumlee, 34, spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6-10, 254-pound big averaged 5.3 points on 56.9% shooting and 5.1 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 46 games (11 starts) for the Clippers.

“There's so much talk about this skill, that skill, whatever,” Plumlee said earlier this month in Phoenix. “I see myself as a competitor first. That's something I want to bring here.”

A knee injury hindered Plumlee during the first half of the season, but Phoenix hopes he can stay healthy and have a bounce back year.

“It feels great to be healthy,” Plumlee said. “I look at every season like a fresh start. Just excited to be here. I’m thrilled to be here this year and looking forward to getting to work.”

The Suns also drafted 6-10 big Oso Ighodaro in the second round out of Marquette to give them even more depth at the center position.

While Phoenix moves forward, Eubanks is reuniting with Jazz coach Will Hardy.

Hardy was an assistant in San Antonio where Eubanks started his NBA career in the 2018-19 season.

“My relationship with Will Hardy was a huge reason I wanted to go play for him,” Eubanks said. “He really helped catapult my career early on in San Antonio and knows how to use my strengths effectively. I'm excited to come in and be a leader right away.”

Eubanks spent three full seasons with the Spurs before being traded to Toronto prior to the 2021-22 trade deadline. The Raptors later waived Eubanks, who joined the Trail Blazers on a 10-day.

Eubanks averaged 4.6 points on 56.5% shooting and 3.8 rebounds in 148 games (15 starts) for the Spurs.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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