The Phoenix Suns have put the finishing touches on what looks like the most expensive roster in NBA history after re-signing Josh Okogie to a two-year, $16 million deal. The Suns will officially have a salary bill of $198 million and are expected to pay $223 million of luxury tax in the 2024-25 NBA season, totaling a cost of $421 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Record breaking numbers in Phoenix
The Suns are the first $400M team in payroll
Salaries: $223M
Projected tax: $198M
The Okogie signing is smart and gives Phoenix a $8M trade asset to use during the season.
Because of the rules of the 2nd apron, his salary cannot be… https://t.co/ryY70GvQqX
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 12, 2024
As Marks said, the Okogie re-signing is more about having a player worth $8 million annually who they can later use in a trade, with the team being unable to aggregate multiple contracts for one player in a trade as they’re comfortably above the second apron of the cap.
The contracts on the Suns’ roster for next season are as follows:
Kevin Durant: $51,179,021
Bradley Beal: $50,203,930
Devin Booker: $49,205,800
Jusuf Nurkic: $18,125,000
Grayson Allen: $15,625,000
Royce O’Neale: $9,875,000
Josh Okogie: $8,000,000
Nassir Little: $6,750,000
Bol Bol: $2,919,013
David Roddy: $2,847,240
Ryan Dunn: $2,530,800
Mason Plumlee: $2,087,519
Damion Lee: $2,087,519
Monte Morris: $2,087,519
Oso Ighodaro: $1,157,153
Jalen Bridges: Two-Way
Collin Gillespie: Two-Way
(Contract data taken from Spotrac.com)
Naturally, the three names at the top make up a bulk of the salary, which would put the Suns in a tough spot financially regardless. On top of that, they have to fill out a robust 15-man roster, which has caused some massive spending from the Suns.
Due to the second apron, the Suns will be operating under major financial restrictions this season. They won’t be able to take any extra money in a trade and won’t be allowed to trade two salaries for one either, a tool that will severely restrict them from improving their roster.
The best bet for the Suns is to find like-for-like contractual replacements for the likes of Okogie, Nurkic, and more on their roster if they struggle to open the season.
Is The Suns’ Roster Worth The Price?
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