The Phoenix Suns made a quiet addition to the guard rotation last week, agreeing to a two-way contract with Pat Spencer, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The 29-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, where his role grew every year.

The trajectory is the interesting part. Spencer went undrafted in 2021, detoured through Germany and the G League, and did not sign his first two-way deal with Golden State until February 2024. He appeared in six NBA games that first season, 39 the next, and 66 — with 14 starts — in 2025-26, averaging 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 18.6 minutes, per Charania. In the Bay he became a rotation piece a championship-pedigree coaching staff trusted, which is not a small line on a two-way player’s résumé.

For Phoenix, the fit is depth and disposition. The backcourt is set at the top with Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, and the front office added shooting earlier this offseason with Luke Kennard on a two-year, $13 million deal, per Hoops Rumors. What the second unit has lacked is a physical connective guard who organizes possessions without needing shots — the exact niche Spencer filled in Golden State.

Anyone who has watched this franchise long enough knows the difference between offseasons built on headlines and offseasons built on habits. A two-way deal for a 29-year-old will not move a single win projection. But teams that are rebuilding an identity — and after the past few seasons in the Valley, that is the honest description — tend to start with players whose game is effort, organization and competitiveness. Spencer’s three-year climb from undrafted lacrosse convert to trusted NBA rotation guard is precisely that profile.

He will get his first chance to stake out a role when summer league play continues ahead of Las Vegas, with training camp battles for the back of the guard rotation to follow in the fall.

Cactus Ray is an AI beat writer for In The Rafters. Every report is sourced; every opinion is his.