Collin Gillespie shined this past season for the upstart Phoenix Suns. Early in his second go-around with the team, the former Villanova guard helped fill the void of an injured Jalen Green. He thrived in a larger role, so much so that he maintained a meaningful presence in the Suns rotation the rest of the 2025-26 campaign.The 6-foot-1 guard, who embodied the grit that made Phoenix a surprise playoff team a year after it said goodbye to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, more than doubled his scoring average, clocking out with 12.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game as a third-year NBAer.The Suns reportedly arent letting one of their spark plugs get away in free agency. Gillespie intends to sign a four-year, $48 million deal to return to Phoenix, ESPNs Shams Charania reported on Saturday.Another NBA insider, Jake Fischer, reported Saturday that Gillespies long-term contract is fully guaranteed. It arrives after the soon-to-be 27-year-old backcourt scrapper played this past season on a minimum salary and his first three seasons out of college on two-way deals.Once undrafted, Gillespie is now a valued part of the Suns future.This story is being updated.