The Denver Nuggets are reportedly in the market for a backup point guard, which only makes Collin Gillespie's breakout with the Suns sting more. Denver signed Gillespie after he went undrafted in 2022, but he fractured his leg shortly after, missing the entire 2022-23 season. He appeared in 24 games for the Nuggets the following season and did well in the G League before leaving Denver in free agency.
Gillespie signed a two-way contract with Phoenix in 2024. He played 33 games in the 2024-25 season for the Suns, including nine starts. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 43% from the field and 43.3% from three in 14 minutes. It led to the Suns re-signing him in the 2025 offseason to a standard NBA contract.
Jordan Ott, Phoenix's new head coach, praised Gillespie at media day, saying that everything had "clicked" for the 26-year-old guard. Ott wasn't just saying that. Gillespie is averaging 11.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on 42/41/82 shooting splits in 25.3 minutes off the bench. He's averaging 6.2 threes per game, and he's knocking them down at an efficient rate.
Former Nuggets guard Collin Gillespie is breaking out with the Suns
Phoenix has won three straight games and is sixth in the West with an 11-6 record. The season is only a month old, but nobody outside that organization saw the Suns in the position they are now. Gillespie is part of the reason why.
He finished with 20 points (7-of-12), seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in Phoenix's 114-113 unbelievable comeback win over Minnesota in 32 minutes on Friday, including the game-winning shot.
COLLIN GILLESPIE CALLED GAME 🚨 pic.twitter.com/92xt91H8s7
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 22, 2025
Two nights later, Gillespie had 15 points (6-of-13), six assists, three rebounds, and one steal in a 111-102 win over San Antonio.
Gillespie is setting himself up for a nice payday next summer when he'll become an unrestricted free agent. He's made his $2.3 million salary this season look like a steal, especially for a Suns team that has no financial wiggle room. Because of how well he has played, Suns fans are already worried that he'll leave next summer.
Meanwhile, Nuggets fans are wishing that he were still in Colorado. It's a little baffling why Denver let him go, especially after he put up numbers in the G League in what was essentially his first season. He showed enough promise to stick around, but the Nuggets let him go instead. It'd be nice to have him on the bench right about now.
Gillespie received a ring in 2023, but he watched that season play out from Denver's sideline. If only he were helping the Nuggets in their push to win another in 2026. Oh, well.