Bender made his 2019-20 season debut with the Bucks Nov. 23 during a win over the Pistons. He played two minutes and posted one assist and one block. He appeared in seven total games with Milwaukee, averaging 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 13.0 minutes. The 7-foot forward was waived by the Bucks on Feb. 10. He then signed two 10-day contracts with the Warriors. When Bender made his Golden State debut Feb. 23, he posted six points (2-8 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one block in 20 minutes. Appearing in nine games for the Warriors before the season went on hiatus, the four-year pro averaged 9.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 21.7 minutes. Overall, Bender set single-game season highs of 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. He shot 44.6 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from three and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line. In games that Bender saw 20-plus minutes, he averaged 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Bender appeared in 46 games (27 starts) with the Suns in 2018-19. He saw 18.0 minutes per game and averaged 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He shot 44.7 percent from the field (career high), 21.8 percent from distance and 59.3 percent from the charity stripe. Per 100 possessions, he set career highs in points (13.3), rebounds (10.6), assists (3.2) and steals (1.0). Bender's 9.5 Player Efficiency Rating also marked a career high. Across his 27 starts, he averaged 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists while totaling 21 blocks and 17 steals. During a seven-point win over the Pelicans, Bender had his best performance of the season, racking up 11 points (4-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-6 FT), 10 rebounds, seven blocks (career high) and six assists. That marked one of his five double-doubles on the season and one of his three games with at least five assists. Bender was part of a successful five-man lineup that was plus-3.1 points per 100 possessions in a 64-minute sample, and it included De'Anthony Melton, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton. Bender was also more effective at home, posting a better true-shooting percentage (55.2) than on the road.

After playing 43 games as a rookie, Bender took the court for all 82 contests in 2017-18, including 37 starts. He nearly doubled his playing time, going from 13.3 minutes to 25.2, while posting career highs across the board. Bender averaged 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He also shot 38.6 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three and 76.5 percent from the charity stripe. Arguably his best performance of the season was Feb. 10 during a 10-point loss to the Nuggets. In 33 minutes, Bender recorded 23 points (9-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal. Bender also tallied three double-doubles, 16 games scoring in double-digits, 38 games with at least five rebounds, four games with at least five assists, 19 games with one or more steals and 37 games with at least one block. Bender's most productive month of the season was April. In five games, he averaged 13.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 block. Plus, he shot 53.3 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from three and 60.0 percent from the free-throw line. The Suns finished the season 21-61 and did not make the playoffs.

The No. 4 overall selection in the 2016 draft, Bender struggled with an ankle injury for a good portion of his freshman campaign. Despite being limited to just 43 games, the 18-year-old put together some impressive performances. Bender began his NBA career with a 10-point effort in an opening night loss to Sacramento on Oct, 26. He nailed a pair of three-pointers in that game. All told, Bender posted double figures in scoring on five different occasions. That included a season-high 11 points against Houston the day after Christmas. In that same game, Bender added a season-high 13 rebounds. The 7-foot-1 big man also displayed an ability to chip in defensively throughout the course of the year. Bender logged four multi-block efforts. He also posted one three-steal tally.