The Big 3 era of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker has come to an unceremonious end in Phoenix.
The Big 3 era of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker has come to an unceremonious end in Phoenix. Playing two seasons together, the Suns made the playoffs once where they were swept in the first round. Now the franchise looks to rebuild around Booker after trading Durant to the Houston Rockets and agreeing to a contract buyout with Beal.
Thanks to Beal’s buyout, the Suns are around $9 million under the first salary cap tax apron and nearly $21 million under the second apron. Owner Mat Ishbia desperately needed this financial flexibility after shelling out nearly $630 million in payroll over the previous two years.
“With Ishbia’s eager support, the Suns led the league in total payroll over the last two seasons. According to an analysis of Spotrac data, Phoenix spent $626 million between salaries and luxury tax payments. That was $51 million ahead of the second-place Golden State Warriors,” reports ESPN’s Zach Kram. “And that doesn’t even factor in the non-financial penalties that Phoenix faced, due to the league’s new cap environment, as a result of spending past the second apron.”
The $626 million bought the Suns zero playoff wins.
“Even more remarkable is the lack of success all that money bought. Every other team in the top 11 in spending over the past two seasons won at least one playoff game in that span — but not the Suns. Phoenix nearly doubled the spending of the next team that didn’t win a playoff game; the New Orleans Pelicans spent $336 million, or $290 million less than Phoenix,” Kram notes.
When the Suns went all-in with Durant and Beal, they parted with Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Chris Paul, five first-round picks and five pick swaps. They don’t control any of their first-round picks until 2032.
The Suns went 85-79 over those two seasons. Beal played in 53 games last year, while Durant suited up for 62.
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