Suns officially sign free agent F Diallo

The Phoenix Suns officially signed backup power forward Cheick Diallo to a multiyear free-agent contract, the team announced Tuesday. Though the Suns did not reveal official contract terms, Yahoo Sports had reported a week earlier that Diallo would join the Suns on a deal that would pay him more than $1.6 million in 2019-20 and $1.8 million the following season.

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Diallo, who turns 23 in September, recorded a career-high 6.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game last season in his third campaign with the New Orleans Pelicans. He started just once in 64 appearances in 2018-19, also posting a career-best 14.1 minutes per contest. The Mali native, who did not start playing basketball until age 13, left college after his freshman season at Kansas and was taken with a high second-round pick in 2016 by the Los Angeles Clippers, who then shipped him to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of a draft-night trade. For his career, Diallo is averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.