The Suns spent the summer tearing down the Kevin Durant era, retaining a run of players under 25 and handing Jordan Ott his first season as coach. They also kept Devin Booker on the richest annual salary in NBA history and pushed payroll to $216.2 million, above the $209.0 million first apron.
The teardown. Phoenix sent Kevin Durant to Houston on July 6 in a seven-team deal, landing Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the draft rights to Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea and a 2026 second-rounder. Ten days later the Suns bought out Bradley Beal, clearing him to sign with the Clippers.
Youth at every spot. Maluach is 20, Koa Peat is 19, Ryan Dunn is 23, Kennedy Chandler is 24, Koby Brea is 23 and Rasheer Fleming is 22. Jordan Ott, the third head coach in three years, inherits a roster built to get younger around Devin Booker.
Booker's price tag. Booker signed a two-year, $145 million max extension through 2029-30, the richest annual salary in NBA history. He is still the one certainty on a roster rebuilt around him, at 29 years old entering his 11th season.
The apron math. Payroll sits at $216.2 million, above the $209.0 million first apron. Green's $36.3 million, Bridges' $22.8 million and Brooks' $20.0 million join Booker's $57.1 million, leaving little flexibility despite a roster stocked with players on rookie deals.
A thin draft future. The 2027 first-rounder is already owed to Houston from the Durant deal, and the 2029 second goes to New York. Everything else on the board through 2030 is a swap, not a pick Phoenix fully controls.
The Williams gamble. Charlotte got Vasa Micic, the draft rights to Liam McNeeley and a 2029 first-rounder for Mark Williams. He has not played since left shoulder and arm surgery, with an estimated return of February 3, 2027.
Where it lands. Both things are true. Phoenix got younger and gave Ott a roster built for 2028 and beyond, but it is still paying top of market for Booker and still above the apron waiting on an injured center. The rebuild has a timeline; the balance sheet does not.
Is Mark Williams playing for the Suns this season?
No. He has been out since September 11 with a left shoulder and arm issue tied to a reported surgery, with an estimated return of February 3, 2027.
How much is Devin Booker making with the Suns?
Booker signed a two-year, $145 million max extension through 2029-30, the richest annual salary in NBA history, and remains the core of Phoenix's rebuilt roster.
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