Are Suns 'Stuck' This Summer?
A wild 2022-23 season from the Phoenix Suns saw a wild rollercoaster of up and downs that featured a new owner taking over, the arrival of a superstar and another early postseason exit.
Expectations are that a crazier offseason will ensue, which has already been underway with the firing of Monty Williams. The search for a new head coach continues while the futures of Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul will be heavily discussed until we have concrete resolutions for each.
A pool of nine free agents with little financial capability leaves the Suns in an awkward position where significant improvements can't quite be made, at least on paper.
The Athletic's John Hollinger went through teams that are potentially "stuck" this summer and highlighted Phoenix:
"The Suns may have gone overboard in their pursuit of Durant, giving up four firsts and a potential All-Star in Bridges. They now owe draft picks through 2029 but have no clear pathway to contention for that whole cycle, making the back end of this trade look particularly dangerous," Hollinger said.
"Durant turns 35 in September and has an elite sidekick in Devin Booker, but the Suns will be pushing the tax line even if they surround Durant, Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton with 10 minimum contracts. Staying below the first apron to use their full midlevel would seem virtually impossible, and even skirting the second one will take some dancing. The out years don’t get much better: Durant, Booker and Ayton combine to make $144 million in 2025-26."
That's quite the lofty dollar amount for a select few group of players, which leaves the rest of the lineup dependent on players emerging out of minimal contracts to out-perform themselves on some nights when needed.
Hollinger says this was clearly pointed out in the Denver series:
"This is particularly notable because Denver already exposed the shortcomings of the Suns’ supporting cast in the playoffs, but Phoenix has very limited capacity to change or add to it," he said.
"The obvious out is to trade Ayton and split his contract into smaller pieces, but if that were easy, he’d already be gone. Ditto for Paul and his $30.8 million obligation for this coming season; only $15.8 million of it is guaranteed, but cutting him doesn’t give the Suns enough flexibility to acquire a replacement.
"The Suns, at least, are early in this process, and it could still work out; Booker and Durant were a phenomenal 1-2 punch this postseason. But the Suns finished with 45 wins and a second-round exit this year, and the back half of the decade could get ugly."
