How Do Suns Project in Future NBA Rankings?
The 2023-24 NBA season is right around the corner, though it's never too early to start thinking about the future.
We've yet to see how the current collection of Phoenix Suns pans out on the court, though a lineup of Kevin Durant/Devin Booker/Bradley Beal/Deandre Ayton and one more starter should prove to be one of the top squads in not only the West, but the entire league.
There's heavy expectations for the Suns heading into this season, though recent moves made in the offseason made it clear that the chips were pushed in the middle of the table for multiple years.
So - how will the Suns fare a bit down the road - specifically three years down the line?
Bleacher Report recently placed them at No. 4 behind the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
How Do Suns Project in Future NBA Rankings?
Andy Bailey on Phoenix's placement:
"Kevin Durant will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. And by then, the Phoenix Suns might not even be interested in re-signing him.
"He'll turn 38 in September of that year, and he's already coming off a four-year run in which he's averaged just 34.3 games per season.
"But that certainly doesn't bump the Suns outside the top five, because Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton (also a free agent in 2026) will be in the heart of their primes in three years. Bradley Beal will be just beyond his.
"At his absolute ceiling, Booker could be an MVP candidate (he already has a fourth-place finish to his name). Ayton still has 20-10 upside. And Beal and a twilight-of-his-career Durant (assuming he's re-signed) could be ideal floor spacers around that two-man game.
"Of course, this sort of ignores the tension between Ayton and the organization over the years. There's certainly a chance he's gone by 2026. But even if that happens, Booker has already proven capable of attracting top-tier talent to Phoenix.
"There's a good chance he'll be the best shooting guard in the world in 2026, and that should be enough to keep the Suns in contention."
For the 2026-27 season, the Suns only have three active players under contract: Booker, Beal and current rookie Toumani Camara. Those three alone combine for $117 million against the salary cap according to Spotrac's projections.
In terms of projected cap space, only the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers are deeper in the hole when factoring cap holds. Future cap holds for that season are Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton, Iffe Lundberg and Elfrid Payton.
