Whatever your feelings are in relation to the Great Ayton Debate, a fact is evident after the Phoenix Suns ‘decision to coincide Thursday with the Indiana Pacers’ 4-year, $ 133 million bid sheet: Phoenix is it promises to win and the price is not. a problem. This update is a pleasant surprise for the Phoenix fan base and sends a message to the rest of the league that the Suns are willing to play among the greats.
The Suns made it clear through free agency that the franchise intended to reclaim Ayton, and pledged to spend to continue competing for a title around NBA star Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Ayton. Phoenix is now investing about $ 15 million in tax. https://t.co/PCVHYtk6OH
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2022
The words “cheap” and “tight” have been synonymous with the Phoenix Suns in their years since Robert Sarver took over the team in 2004.
Stories like Joe Johnson in the low season of 2005, a player who was a restricted free agent and had just given Phoenix 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds – and his left orbital bone – but did not feel that the Suns valued him. Phoenix offered him a 6-year, $ 60 million contract, but it was $ 30 million less than the Suns could have offered him. Atlanta offered him more, and Johnson asked Phoenix not to match. There was a sign and a trade.
Amare Stoudemire was a free agent during the low season of 2010. Instead of bringing him back, the Suns followed a different path. “I wanted to re-sign with Phoenix,” Stoudemire said on the Knuckleheads Podcast in 2019, “and the negotiation tactic was him [Suns’ GM Lance Blanks] he came to me and said, “Well, we have guys who will replace you tomorrow.” I say, ‘What?’ ”
This past has faded into the ether, as many do not remember how the organization of the Suns was perceived nationally by both players and experts. Phoenix has changed its tone in recent years with the arrival of GM James Jones; extending a maximum offer of rookie to Devin Booker, incorporating and then re-signing Chris Paul, the All Star, and extending the eventual homage of the first team defensive team, Mikal Bridges.
The piece of the puzzle that left room for doubt that Robert Sarver had really changed his ways of pinching pennies was the lack of a maximum rookie extension to Deandre Ayton before the start of the 2021-22 season.
There is no doubt that Jones valued Ayton. The CEO recently stated that “DA is still a big part of what we do and he is a free agent, so we will talk about free agency when the time comes.”
While we were playing checkers, James Jones was playing chess.
Jones saved Phoenix a lot of changes, as with the current deal, there are no built-in escalators he would normally receive at a maximum extension for beginners. If the Suns had signed DA to that deal last October, those escalators could have reached $ 207 million, which equates to $ 41.4 million a year.
As we’ve all learned with all Kevin-based commercial machines During this off-season, teams may not have multiple maximum extension contracts for novices in their books unless they are signed by the original team that drafted them. If Jones had executed the maximum rookie deal with Ayton, the Suns would have been handcuffed in the long run if the opportunity had arisen to add another player in a similar deal.
Rumors were that Jones wanted Ayton back last season low, but not with that deal.
Therefore, the market would dictate what Ayton’s value was this offseason. Market value came through an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers. And what the Suns did was take the “cheap” narrative of the past and put it like a Marlboro red.
This coincided instantly.
With the quick response, James Jones and Robert Sarver told the Suns fan base they want to win. And they are willing to pay for it. The Suns will surpass the $ 150.2 million luxury tax threshold with the Ayton extension. With current contracts totaled, the team reaches $ 167.2 million for SpotTrac. Its current estimated luxury tax bill is $ 34.9 million.
And Kevin Durant’s deal is still a possibility.
You don’t have to pursue the luxury task to succeed, but this strategy has equated to success in recent years. Success comes at a cost. The 2022 NBA champion, the Golden State Warriors, spent $ 39.3 million on luxury taxes last season. The Milwaukee Bucks, 2021 NBA champions, didn’t earn a million dollars in luxury taxes the year they won it all.
If Jones is playing his cards right, he sees the future NBA media rights deal as an opportunity to create valuable contracts now. The deal, which is expected to take place before the 2025-26 season, is estimated to be worth $ 75 million. Yes, this is “B” as in “millions”. This will increase the overall limit space of equipment and increase the dollars of maximum contracts.
Remember the last time this happened in 2016? Following a media rights agreement, the salary cap went from $ 70 million to $ 94 million. In doing so, some inflated salaries followed. Joakim Noah won a $ 4 million, $ 72 million contract (a deal the Knicks have finally paid for), Luol Deng also signed a $ 4 million, $ 72 million contract, and Chandler Parsons won $ 94.8 million. dollars for four years.
The same will happen when the new media is agreed upon. 2025-26 will be the final year of Ayton’s new deal, and he will earn $ 35.5 million on his subsequent charging contract. What is a maximum contract will now be valuable as a movable asset, if the Suns general manager decides to follow that path.
The mere fact that the Suns are not only willing to overcome the luxury tax, but keep their young core of Booker, Bridges and Ayton together is a good omen for the Suns in the years to come. Despite your opinion of Ayton, whether or not you believe he is making a maximum player effort, the moment should be celebrated. We don’t have to see a young talent leave the team and flourish in another market.
Its extension is a message to the rest of the NBA. Come to Phoenix and we will take care of you. Come to Phoenix and you will be charged. Come to Phoenix and be a part of something special.