Key Arizona State Basketball Financial Figure From 2024-25 Season Revealed

TEMPE -- The next several weeks will be teeming with areas of the checklist to fulfill for the Arizona State men's basketball program.

The search for a new head coach to replace Bobby Hurley will obviously be at the top of priorities for AD Graham Rossini - the hire will then springboard into a number of roster-building areas that need to be addressed, which includes player retention, bringing in top portal targets, and potentially securing 2026 high school recruits.

lm;ml — Dec 21, 2021; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arena workers perform tasks after the game between Florida A&M and Arizona State was canceled due to power issues at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Other concerns include the funding of the program (operating expenses/NIL), the impending renovation of Desert Financial Arena, and engaging the fanbase in a way that it hasn't been for several years - ASU on SI explores a key report that reveals

Arizona State's Operating Budget Revealed

Matt Brown of Extra Points organized and found the official operating budget of nearly every program in division one for the fiscal year 2024-25.

"That number includes all the money a school spends on coaching salaries, administrative salaries, scholarships, travel, software, recruiting, and all sorts of other operational expenses. It does not include athlete revenue share payments. The numbers we are talking about here are not the “salary cap” for each team."

njkbjk — Arizona State forward Andrija Grbović (14) gathers Bryce Ford (4) and Moe Odum (5) during a game against Cincinnati at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State's operating budget of $10,185,948 ranked 50th in division one and 10th amongst Big 12 programs that were measured. The figure could be much better, but also could be much worse - explore potential dynamics with the number below.

Where Does ASU Build Off From Here?

It must be noted 2024-25 team was notoriously NIL-heavy, as Jayden Quaintance and Joson Sanon demanded hefty salaries as five-star recruits on the market, while the program brought in several high-profile transfer portal players as well.

There was much less emphasis on the NIL side in the 2025-26 season - understandably so due to the 13-20 record the previous season - but was there more put into the operational resources in turn?

nkln — Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini speaks to Michelle Gardner, ASU sports reporter for The Arizona Republic, as the countdown to the NCAA Women's Final Four begins at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Feb. 24, 2026. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That will be unclear until next year in all likelihood, but the inference that Hurley's last season was marked with little no no recruiting activity points to that not being the case.

However, there is obviously a drive to improve the influx of resources into Arizona State basketball. The $100 million renovation of Desert Financial Arena is a massive first step, while AD Graham Rossini has been much more willing to be adaptable in the modern era of college athletics compared to his predesessor.

ml;;m — Dec 28, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Willie Atwood (2) reacts after scoring against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners during the second half at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils won 75-59. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The coaching search will go a massive way towards determining the ultimate influx of resources that the program will be working with in the years ahead, as the right hire would almost certainly warrant an uptick in funding that will lead to being truly competitive in a brutal Big 12 on a yearly basis.