Phoenix Suns stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal will earn a combined $150 million in the 2024-25 season, according to Spotrac and salary-cap calculations from ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Durant is slated to make $49.85 million in 2024-25, Booker will earn $49.35 million next season, and Beal will make $50.2 million next season as well. Beal, 30, has a no-trade clause and is still owed $160 million.
The salary of the three players is more than 14 teams’ total payroll in 2024-25.
Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant will earn $150M next season.
The salary of the three players is more than 14 teams total payroll in 2024-25.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 27, 2024
In February 2023, the Suns acquired Durant from the Brooklyn Nets after trading away Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029), a 2028 first-round pick swap, and additional draft compensation.
Phoenix then completed a trade with the Washington Wizards last summer to acquire Beal, who at the time had $207 million left on his contract. Beal lifted his no-trade clause to accommodate the deal to Phoenix.
The Suns could be a second-apron team for at least the next three years. This means Phoenix is now forced to rely heavily on minimum contracts to fill out the roster.
Without cap space, the Suns will remain just a good, not great team for the foreseeable future.
Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal allowed Minnesota Timberwolves to take 3-0 series lead
Furthermore, the Suns are currently on the brink of playoff elimination, trailing 3-0 in their Western Conference first-round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota has its first 3-0 playoff series lead in their franchise history. In fact, the Suns have more ejections than playoff wins this postseason, and they have zero first-round draft picks from 2025 through 2030.
The Suns are also without a second-round pick from 2024 through 2030.
Durant, Booker, and Beal may go down as the worst Big Three in NBA history. If not the worst, it could definitely be labeled as the “most expensive mistake.”
Devin Booker closed his postgame press conference with the ‘rightfully so’ to @KellanOlson question about Suns fans booing during Friday’s Game 3 loss to T-Wolves to trail 3-0 in best-of-7 first round series. #NBAPlayoffs #Suns https://t.co/XzcD0QsvnN pic.twitter.com/4CMJSybybZ
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 27, 2024
Of course, this is assuming that Phoenix does not win a championship in the future.
Following the Suns’ 126-109 Game 3 loss to Minnesota on Friday night, Kevin Durant opened up about the crowd boos from hundreds of hometown fans at Footprint Center.
“They expect so much out of us and they pay their hard-earned money,” he said. “They deserve to react how they want to react. It’s on us as players to use it as fuel. Hopefully it ignites us for the next game.”
Phoenix dropped to 49-36 overall under Suns coach Frank Vogel.
“We got killed on the boards. This is a bigger, stronger team,” Vogel said. “We’ve got to compete and win the 50-50 balls. I thought our guys gave the effort, but it wasn’t enough.”
