The Phoenix Suns have reached an agreement on a six-year, $79 million contract extension with forward Shawn Marion, ESPN's David Aldridge reported Thursday.

	Marion

The deal makes Marion a key part of the Suns' rebuilding plan, which includes first-round picks Amare Stoudemire and Casey Jacobsen. The deal also is the maximum allowable contract extension for a player in Marion's category, as determined by the collective bargaining agreement.

Marion, the ninth overall pick in the 1999 draft, averaged a career-high 19.1 points per game for Phoenix last season. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound UNLV alum also led the Suns in rebounding (9.9), steals (1.83), field-goal percentage (.469) and free-throw percentage (.845).

Marion will represent the United States at the World Championships, which begin August 29 in Indianapolis. The 24-year-old also played for Team USA at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Australia, starting all five games and averaging 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds for the gold medal winners.