Two years after being the first NBA team to abandon its struggling regional television network partner, the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury are celebrating a proof of concept with a new local media rights deal that has virtually replaced the revenue.

The Suns and Mercury have agreed to a two-year extension with Gray Media to broadcast their games free over the air across Arizona through the 2027-28 season. The deal is worth more than $30 million per season, sources familiar with the matter told ESPN, restoring the money they left on the table when walking away from a long-standing partnership with then bankrupt Diamond Sports in 2023.

The lucrative new contract was driven by the Suns' local ratings more than doubling and the Mercury, in addition to a broader increase in WNBA ratings

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