After surprising the basketball world by reaching the NBA Finals last June, the Suns are now one of the darlings of any fan of the orange ball. So, with the extension of Chris Paul and a Devin Booker happier than ever, the James Jones franchise is doing well on all fronts, including the salary plan, but will still face many questions and possible extensions this year.
A short practical guide toSalary Capand theExceptions
___
Financial situation in relation to the course
- The Luxury Tax threshold is set at $ 136,606,000 this year.
- The NBA’s Salary Cap is set at $ 112,414,000 this year.
- With $ 130,043,051 contractually committed for this 2021-22 season, the Suns are at their financial zenith with a perfectly managed bank for an ultra-efficient workforce. A sunny picture from top to bottom without any cloud overpaid for the time being but with a lot of bad weather of extensions to be expected.
If we stop at the first four columns of this table, we are clearly on an irreproachable masterclass. Around thirty million for a Booker who is gradually approaching the top 10 of the best NBA players and another for a CP3 still performing and with unparalleled leadership, it’s a cocktail served on a deckchair in the Maldives for Robert Sarver. Behind, it is necessary to make a free fall to arrive at the next contract which is for the moment that of Deandre Ayton. The first pick of the 2018 Draft is finally starting to meet the expectations placed in him years ago and his last playoffs have more than legitimized his dozen fans, to the point of associating his blaze with the famous and dreaded “max contract”, which is far from pleasing the Arizonian management (see below). The experienced and vicious wrists of Jae Crowder and Dario Saric then follow suit, with the extension already recorded by Cameron Payne and the soon-recorded extension (?) Of Mikal Bridges in ambush. Top it all off with veterans like JaVale McGee and promising youngsters like Cam Johnson and Jalen Smith (must see) and you get a logical pay grid, overall respecting the workforce hierarchy and above all with great deals for James Jones .
Players with guaranteed contracts for the following season: 5
- Devin Booker
- Chris Paul
- Jae Crowder
- Dario Saric
- Cameron Payne
Unfortunately, when we look further to the right in the table, we begin to understand that the few brackets slipped in the previous paragraph were not trivial. The duo Devin – Chrissou will still be in charge, and this at least until 2024 with an extended and well-managed contract with Point God, the duo being assisted by Cameron Payne as the perfect sixth man more efficient than ever. The rear triplet will be able to count on Jae Crowder and Dario Saric who will take care of positions 3 and 4 for a more than honest quality / price ratio. Five quality players at low prices, but behind, nobody, nothing, nada, walou. Because yes, the current Suns workforce is largely made up of high-performing and talented young people, but above all in search of financial recognition …
Three players in interesting situations this season
- Deandre Ayton : how much is the pivot worth? A maximum contract according to the interested party, a little (a lot) less according to his owner. The two camps do not agree at all on the subject and for the moment cannot find a common ground. The question deserves to be asked as the pivot performed and impressed during the Playoffs run of his squad which then saw him assert himself as a real inner strength on both sides of the field. A few weeks at All-Star level for three rather disappointing seasons before… enough to prove DA right? Why not, but the Bahamian will quickly have to confirm at the start of the season by continuing his good momentum and thus put pressure on Robert Sarver, who could well end up giving in to the pressure and the fear of seeing his protégé escape him from the next summer…
- Mikal Bridges : same Draft cuvée, same situation, but on a smaller scale. Mikal is also set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and has yet to sign his extension to Arizona. The 3 & D made in Villanova had interfered in the discussions of MIP last year and is clearly one of the best players of Monty Williams now. Unmissable on both sides of the field, it is hard to see James Jones letting the winger with the long wings fly away without doing anything. It remains to be seen now how thick the kichta offered to Inspector Gadget will be, but don’t be surprised if it hits nine digits.
- Cameron Johnson : drafted a year later than his two colleagues, Cameron Johnson will still be eligible for the famous extension. We are not going to redo the whole story because we are generally on the same questions and certainties as for Bridges, again at a lower level. What can be said above all is that James Jones has done a lot of work so far and will have to assume the consequences in about ten months. We wish him good luck in managing all this because the work to be planned and carried out is enormous, and LeBron is no longer there to help anymore.
–
