Pat Spencer Brings Valuable Two-Way Experience to Phoenix

Pat Spencer’s Warriors Breakout Makes Him a Major Two-Way Addition for Phoenix

Written by Logan Dykhouse

The phrase “big-name two-way free agent” sounds contradictory, but Pat Spencer is about as close as it gets to fitting that description.

Phoenix signed Spencer to a two-way contract after his role expanded dramatically across his final two seasons with Golden State. He is not a developmental flyer who has only dominated the G League. He has already played meaningful NBA minutes, started games, handled depleted rotations and produced in the playoffs. For a two-way signing, that is an unusually proven résumé.

From End-of-Bench Guard to Trusted Rotation Player

Spencer’s 2024-25 season was mostly spent on the edge of Golden State’s rotation. He appeared in 39 regular-season games, averaged 6.4 minutes and scored 2.5 points per game. One year later, those numbers jumped to 66 appearances, 14 starts, 18.6 minutes, 7.2 points and 3.5 assists per game. He also improved from 22.7% to 35.7% from three.

Golden State converted Spencer from a two-way deal to a standard contract in March 2025, brought him back on another two-way contract the following fall and converted him again in February 2026. Twice, he played his way beyond the original limitations of the deal.

His First Real Opportunity Came in Indiana

Spencer’s first major NBA performance arrived Jan. 10, 2025, against the Indiana Pacers. Golden State was on the second night of a back-to-back and sat six players, including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. Spencer responded with 17 points in just over 20 minutes, shooting 7-for-12 from the field.

The Warriors lost 108-96, but the game established a pattern that followed Spencer through his tenure: When Golden State’s regular rotation disappeared, he was capable of accepting more responsibility without playing cautiously.

The Rockets Series Showed He Could Produce in the Playoffs

Spencer’s postseason minutes against Houston were often created by difficult circumstances, but he consistently made them count.

In Game 2, Jimmy Butler left early with a pelvic contusion and Brandin Podziemski was limited by an illness. Steve Kerr searched through his bench for a spark, and Spencer scored 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 12 minutes.

He matched that total in Game 5, also adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 14 minutes. Golden State’s starters had been pulled during the blowout, but Spencer helped engineer a 25-7 run that forced Houston to put its starters back into the game. His night ended with an ejection after a confrontation with Alperen Şengün, yet the basketball takeaway was more important: Spencer had again attacked Houston’s physical defense and scored efficiently.

Golden State Eventually Needed Spencer to Lead

His 2025-26 breakout was built on more than low-pressure production.

On Nov. 19 against Miami, with Curry unavailable and several other Warriors sidelined or questionable, Spencer recorded 11 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in 32 minutes.

On Dec. 4 in Philadelphia, Golden State played without Curry and Butler and later lost Green to a foot injury. Spencer scored 16 points in 24 minutes, finished as a +17 and helped erase a 24-point deficit before the Warriors lost by one.

Two nights later, he made his first NBA start against Cleveland. Golden State was missing Curry, Butler, Green, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Seth Curry. Spencer delivered 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds, including 12 fourth-quarter points, in a 99-94 victory.

His career high arrived Feb. 5 against the team that would eventually sign him. With Curry, Green and Butler unavailable amid trade-deadline upheaval, Spencer hit six three-pointers and finished with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Golden State overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 101-97.

Why the Suns Signing Matters

Spencer is still a two-way player, but Phoenix is not evaluating him only on potential. The Suns are adding a 30-year-old guard who has already shown that he can organize an offense, pressure the ball, attack the paint and survive sudden increases in responsibility.

His starting numbers last season — 11.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game — suggest he can function as more than an emergency reserve. He may not enter training camp with a guaranteed rotation spot, but very few two-way additions arrive with 66 games, 14 starts and legitimate playoff experience from the previous season.

That makes Spencer one of the most notable two-way team changes of the offseason. Golden State developed him into a dependable NBA guard. Phoenix now gets the opportunity to benefit from the finished product.

What Spencer Brings to Phoenix’s Guard Room

Phoenix already has high-level scoring and creation in Devin Booker and Jalen Green, with Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin among the guards competing for supporting minutes. Spencer offers a different profile as a low-usage connector who can organize possessions without taking the ball away from the Suns’ primary scorers.

Phoenix has also shown that it can turn two-way guards into legitimate rotation options. Collin Gillespie and Jamaree Bouyea both developed within the Suns’ system before earning larger opportunities, giving Spencer a recent blueprint for how a guard can use the organization’s two-way pathway to establish an NBA role. 

His intelligence as a passer and cutter should allow him to function alongside several types of guards. He can initiate the offense when needed, move the ball quickly and remain involved after giving it up. He also provides experienced injury insurance after repeatedly stepping into larger roles for Golden State. For a Phoenix team with several scoring-minded options, Spencer’s clearest path to minutes may be becoming the steady guard who keeps the second unit organized and competes defensively.

A Balanced Two-Way Room in Phoenix

Spencer joins a Phoenix two-way group containing three clearly defined skill sets.

Koby Brea gives the Suns an elite shooting prospect who made 43.3% of his limited NBA three-point attempts last season.

CJ Huntley supplies frontcourt size, rebounding and athletic finishing as a mobile developmental big.

Spencer is the experienced connector between those two specialists. He can create opportunities for Brea on the perimeter while giving Phoenix a capable ball handler to pair with Huntley in pick-and-roll actions. The combination gives the Suns immediate guard depth, shooting upside and frontcourt development across their three contracts. Spencer is also currently rated as Phoenix’s top player on the Two Way Talents team rankings, reflecting how unusually proven he is for a two-way addition.