Earlier this year, the Phoenix Suns shook up the NBA with a massive trade to acquire Kevin Durant. The move didn’t result in postseason success, as the team never fully gelled and lost to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets in the second round.
Now, the Suns are back at it again. They traded Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Bradley Beal, Isaiah Todd, and Jordan Goodwin.
The Suns, a team that reached the NBA Finals in 2021, are clearly trying to win a championship before their window closes. Beal joins Durant, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton to create an impressive group of stars. Although it’s going to cost the Suns a LOT of money to field this roster.
Bradley Beal (L) shooting over Devin Booker. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
All four players are on max contracts. This upcoming season, the Suns will owe Durant (about $47.6 million), Beal (about $46.7 million), Booker (about $36 million), and Ayton (about $32.4 million). All together, next season these four will earn a collective…
$163 million
Adding to the complexity, the upcoming collective bargaining agreement will impose strict penalties on teams that go over the second apron of the luxury tax. That threshold currently sits at $179.5 million. To avoid going past that number, the Suns will have to figure out a way to split about $16.5 million between ten players.
This isn’t a one-year issue, either. Beal still has $207 million and four years remaining on his contract. Durant has about $149.5 million over three seasons, plus a few extra million in likely incentives. Ayton will make a shade over $102 million in the next three seasons. Booker is in the final year of his deal, but at just 27 years old and still in his prime, the Suns will try to do all they can to retain him.
It’s almost a given that most of the Suns’ bench will consist of players on veteran minimum contracts. The only other players currently under contract are backup guard Cameron Paine; Ish Wainright, who averaged about 15 minutes per game last season; Goodwin, who was productive with the Wizards; and Todd, who’s played 135 minutes total in two seasons.
With the free agency period kicking off on June 30, the Suns probably have more moves to make. If it leads to the first championship in franchise history, all the spending will be worth it.