Suns Now Enter Luxury Tax Territory, Committed to Title Push
When the Phoenix Suns matched an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers to retain center Deandre Ayton, they committed themselves to four more seasons with their former No. 1 pick.
It was a rather easy decision, as insiders such as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro say the Suns immediately matched the offer in minutes with no hesitation.
Now, the Suns are committing to not only the potential Ayton offers for the future, but also the price tag that comes with him.
It's a four-year, $133 million extension for Ayton, surpassing the 2017 deal Otto Porter accepted (which came in four-year, $107 million fashion) as the largest offer sheet in NBA history.
The Suns are committing even more money than usual, but not just specifically towards Ayton. With his contract soon to be officially hitting the books, Phoenix enters the once forbidden waters of the luxury tax.
Suns Already in Luxury Tax
The Suns have only paid the luxury tax in four seasons prior to this upcoming year (details according to Spotrac):
- 2002: $1.89 million
- 2007: $3.87 million
- 2008: $4.92 million
- 2009: $4.96 million
According to Forbes, the Suns' total of $15.632 million paid in luxury tax ranks No. 21 in the NBA since the league introduced it beginning in 2001 (2002 is when teams actually were working against it).
Now, Phoenix's current bill ($16.8 million) surpasses their previous four experiences combined.
Out of the last 16 NBA champions, only four have not gone over the luxury tax: 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs, 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, 2016-17 Golden State Warriors and 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers.
The Suns nearly won the NBA Finals in 2020-21 without paying the luxury tax and would have become just the second team in the last five years to accomplish that feat.
However, theoretical championships get you nowhere, and in a league that continues to see big spenders thrive, paying some extra dough isn't taboo like once considered.
Take in example the Warriors, who paid a whopping $170.33 million in luxury tax during their title run last season.
Golden State got away with avoiding the tax for some of their title runs, but eventually had to pay their stars. The same scenario now dawns in Phoenix, albeit without the established success.
Suns: Contenders to Dive Even Further in Luxury Tax?
Jokes are consistently made about owner Robert Sarver and his unwillingness to open his checkbook (valid points can't be denied, we'll leave it at that) but with a competitive squad that is nothing short of promising, it's apparent the Suns are ready to spend.
"We’re not talking about a luxury tax issues or avoiding those things. That’s not something that’s going to prevent us from continuing to build this team and keep this team together," said general manager James Jones earlier this offseason.
Now, those words have come to fruition, and the spending may not be done with Kevin Durant potentially on the horizon.
As it stands, the Los Angeles Clippers pace the league in luxury tax owed with $41.685 million. It's still early in the offseason, although the Suns rank at No. 6 in that category.
Plenty of things can change between now and opening night, including Phoenix's potential of expanding their pockets like never before.
Yet even if Durant in the Suns lineup doesn't materialize, Phoenix is still spending like never before.
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