Jimmer made $198,000 to come back to the NBA and play 6 games for the Suns. He knew that his wife would be having her baby and their team was a mess, but he would get a chance to get ready for Summer League and this upcoming season with a good team. He has turned down multiple other offers to come back but chose to build his resume and show teams that his first season in China was not a one season success. Playing for 2 weeks for the Suns was a brilliant way of making more money than most make in a year to come back to be with his wife and start his conditioning and training with NBA coaches and players again. I don't believe he expected Booker to be such a ballhog but if he was worried about a long term contract, he would have come back earlier and been playoff eligible. His shooting was off but he got back up to NBA speed, showed that he can do more than spot up shoot, and showed that fans and the media still want him to succeed in the NBA.
He has plenty of very lucrative offers to play in China and Europe but is finally confident again and has matured a lot from his success in CHina. His start with the Kings was doomed the second that Westpaul was fired and Malone took over a few weeks in. Malone wanted I. Thomas and that roster was full of jealous players(Cousins being the worst) that had no concept of team. Ironically, Thomas got the Jimmer treatment from Malone in Denver, after being traded by the Celtics and waved by the Cavs. The owners, the Maloofs, were ready to sell if the arena fell through and went on to file bankruptcy, which force them to not only sell the team but all sell the Palms Casino and all of their other businesses. Even their President was corrupt and was sentenced this week to 7 years in prison for fraud against the team($13 million for a home using team money). Almost any other team and coach, his story could have been different and he could have developed like a rookie should. The Kings screwed his confidence up and he admitted it made him not trust coaches. The Spurs loved him but had to choose a big man when Gasol and Aldridge got hurt. Pop was very vocal about liking Jimmer and wishing he could have had another spot. China helped him love the game again and remember who he is.
Golden State is notorious for helping players like Jimmer succeed off the bench. Ian Clark went there and killed it, Mckaw was a real contributor but could not break into Toronto's rotation, despite being a good player. Several players have done well under Kerr's system and because they play a team system that encourages shooters to have the green light and so many great players that players rarely have to play hero ball. I truly believe that Jimmer chose the Suns as a warm up for summer ball and to get a feel back for the NBA game before taking one of the multiple offers that he has turned down the last couple years.
Golden State will be 3 time tax paying team, which means paying $3 to every $1 they are over. In order to pay Thompson, Durrant, Cousins, or even a single one of those players, they are going to need to fill the bench with smaller vet minimum contracts, rookies, or risk losing several of their current players. Jimmer is better than a lot of the usual filler players needed to hit the minimum roster and will probably take a 1 to 2 year non guaranteed contract to prove himself. He will be able to back up Curry or Thompson and play in a system tailored to his strengths. This was a very well planned out strategy by his Agent to finish his NBA years right and on a team that can actually win.
He used the Suns to get paid conditioning, benefits to pay for his baby's hospital bills, and it allowed him to live with his family while getting readyr for the 2019-2020 NBA season and beyond. Brilliant business and career move. Most come home and pay trainers like John Lucas and other places tens of thousands of dollars to prepare them for NBA tryouts. He got paid nearly 200 grand, got benefits, and helped get another year added to his NBA resume to help him qualify for a larger NBA retirement pension and heath benefits when he retires. The NBA pays retirees off of how many seasons they played(have to have a minimum amount of years to qualify) and being that his Suns contract was not a 10 day contract, he gets a full season added to his career total.