What will the team with the highest payroll in NBA history do now?
After literally a humiliating season for Phoenix saw them have the highest payroll in NBA history literally hitting the max cap possible under the second apron of the CBAs Salary Cap whats going to happen now?
For some background prior to Matt Ishbia buying the Suns the former owner was a racist POS plus an infamous tight wad with money. Everybody was excited for a guy to buy the team and actually spend some money oh boy did he ever.
He traded away young guys who were part of the team that was 2 games from a Finals title for its first time ever to get Kevin Durant. Dont get me wrong Im from DC originally Durant is the best basketball player to come out of the DMV area ever and the next closest was Grant Hill (South Lakes HS Class of 1990, Varsity all 4 yrs Freshman to Senior) who went to a HS rival of mine and graduated 1 yr before me and dude was doing shit in HS that just made you watch in awe.
People naturally gave KD and Ishbia a pass because KD came in at the trade deadline without a lot of play with the team due to an injury.
Then Ishbia goes full retard Jerry Jones level getting Bradley Beale (ironically in the 6 degrees of separation theory Beale had been playing for the Washington Wizards who well truthfully havent been relevant in the NBA in years) he leaves the team with utterly no real cap space and forced to sign vet minimum guys to fill out the roster pretty much.
So the team salary expenditures to players was 220M roughly. Oh yeah the Luxury Tax Bill Ishbia has to write a check for EXCEEDED the entires team salary at 223M.
Ishbia is a likeable guy and likes to win but he needs to damn well stop trying to channel his inner Jerry Jones. Being a bench warmer for Izzo on an NCAA title winner doesnt make you qualified to make player personnel decisions in the least.
Now the fun part.. KD basically has said he wants out (shocker.. honestly despite his past trade demands on other teams who could blame the guy with the dumpster fire Phx has become. Its rapidly projecting to become the same pile of shit it was prior to and for a time after Devin Booker was drafted which begs the question is DBook going to be asking for a trade as hes under contract till 2028 but considering what Beale is being paid Booker is an attractive trade target at only 53 and 57M the next 2 seasons last year its 61M)
Now the 800lb crippled gorilla in the room Bradley Beale. Beale makes north of 50M a year and missed half the season in fact his history bears out he hasnt been able to stay healthy for awhile now. Which GM short of Lebrons little muppet bitch GM Palinka would dare take on Beale's contract? Not to mention Beale literally has Ishbia and the Suns as a whole by the nutsack because of a no trade clause that Ishbia agreed to allow to stand when he was traded for.
Oh did I mention the Suns essentially gave away basically all their draft picks through the end of the decade too.. Sure theyve recouped a couple this season on a trade with the Jazz but oh the irony that Houston could owe a huge debt of gratitude to Phoenix come draft lottery and draft night because Houston holds the Suns 1st rnd pick that isnt lottery protected even so hey why not kick Phx while there down and have Adam Silver announce Houston has won the draft lottery to boot.
Reality is Phoenix rose from the ashes of shitty nasty ownership built a heck of a team and then a meddling new owner thought he was playing NBA2K in GM mode and now theyre all but guaranteed to slam into the ground at hundreds of miles per hour and crater back to 20-25win seasons till Druff and I are both potentially old enough for every senior discount at 60+ yrs of age.
I dont see anyway for them to fix this except literally dump KD and Booker and somehow find an idiot to take Beale and tear it down and start all over yet again.
