The Suns added a pair of cornerstone frontcourt pieces in the 2016 draft when they selected Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss in the top eight, then saw backcourt players like Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis take promising steps forward during the season. However, Phoenix’s 2016/17 record (24-58) was virtually the same as 2015/16’s mark (23-59), and Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and Tyson Chandler weren’t thrilled to be benched after the trade deadline. Going forward, the Suns will have decisions to make on how to balance their youth movement with playing time for their veterans.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Suns financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Eric Bledsoe ($14,500,000)
- Brandon Knight ($13,618,750)
- Tyson Chandler ($13,000,000)
- Jared Dudley ($10,000,000)
- Dragan Bender ($4,468,800)
- T.J. Warren ($3,152,931)
- Marquese Chriss ($3,073,800)
- Devin Booker ($2,319,360)
- Tyler Ulis ($1,312,611)
- Leandro Barbosa ($500,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Total: $65,946,252
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Leandro Barbosa ($3,500,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Elijah Millsap ($1,524,305)
- Derrick Jones ($1,312,611)
- Total: $6,336,916
Restricted Free Agents
- Alex Len ($4,187,598 qualifying offer / $12,059,053 cap hold)
- Alan Williams ($1,671,382 qualifying offer / $1,671,382 cap hold)
- Total: $13,730,435
Cap Holds
- No. 4 overall pick ($5,090,040)
- Ronnie Price ($1,471,382)
- Total: $6,561,422
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $28,332,478
- The Suns have nine players on fully guaranteed contracts. If they were to waive their non-guaranteed players and renounce all their free agents, they’d also have to account for cap holds for their first-round pick and two empty roster spots, creating a total team salary of $72,667,522. That would be enough room to make a play for a maximum-salary restricted free agent, but not enough to fit a max contract for a veteran with seven or more years of NBA experience.
Footnotes:
- Barbosa’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 3
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Bledsoe – Kentucky
Knight – Kentucky
Booker – Kentucky
Ulis – Kentucky
Suns 1st Round Draft Pick 2017: Monk or Fox? lol
Don’t forget we used to have Goodwin
If the Suns plan to take Fox, assuming Jackson isn’t there for them, which I think he could be unless someone trades into the top 3, I wonder if a trade with indiana could work. Can’t entirely remember the length on these contracts, but I think Bledsoe has 2 years after this one remaining. How about Bledsoe, Alex Len, Derrick Jones, and the Heat’s 2018 and 2021 1st round picks, plus 2 of Phoenix 2nd rounders this year (I’m pretty sure they have multiple) for Paul George, #18 overall this year, rakeem christmas, and Kevin Seraphin?
Or replace the 2021 pick with 1 of Phoenix 2019 picks, and if you have to, I guess add TJ Warren
…actually, maybe Bender instead of Warren
They’re are bot giving all of their tradeable assets for a 1 year rental of George. We have cap space we can just go after him as a FA.
You obviously didn’t read the trade. It’s essentially Bledsoe and future picks for PG and this year’s 1st rounder, plus a big that they can use.
You guys probably don’t have a good shot to sign PG, unless you trade for him ahead of time and imores him. He would be a really good missing piece for this team…again, it’s just speculation. It’s not going to happen. I’m just wondering if it would make sense. Indiana isn’t going to just give him away, plus give away their 1st pick this uear. Other teams have better draft assets. This scenario gives them a great PG to offset that. Ultimately, I would just take Josh Jackson of I’m phoenix, and grow organically, and try to move knight and Len if possible, but if he isn’t there, that obviously means they can’t draft him. Also, we saw reports the other day they’re interested in Fox. If that’s true, I thought it could make sense to move Bledsoe in a deal like this, where you aren’t entirely giving up on trying to compete right now, while growing with a really talented team in the next 2-3 years
Trade Bledsoe
If I was the GM I would build through the draft and stay the course. I’d grab either Jackson or Tatum at #4 and trade Bledsoe and warren with picks for the opportunity to draft Fox either with Sacramento or Orlando. Fox lit up Ball in the sweet 16 and fultz is a better version of Bledsoe but fox will end up being the best PG in this draft.