Valley Heat Check: Six Numbers That Define the Suns Tonight

By the Suns Nightly Desk · Wednesday, October 7

The Suns are 0-0 with no regular-season games played yet, but six numbers already sketch how Phoenix is built heading into tonight's preseason game at the Bulls. From Devin Booker's cap hit to three rotation players' minute spikes last season, the figures show where the roster's weight sits.

Suns Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Booker's share of the bill. Devin Booker's $57.1 million salary is roughly a quarter of Phoenix's $216.2 million total payroll. That is the most of any Sun, well ahead of Jalen Green's $36.3 million. It says who the front office is building around, not whether the pieces around him work.

Brooks feeds on extra minutes. Last season, when a teammate sat, Dillon Brooks logged 39 minutes a night over a three-game stretch, nearly eight more than usual, and scored 28.7 points a game in that span. It shows his ceiling with the ball more often, not a guarantee Jordan Ott hands him that workload now.

Green's minutes climb too. Jalen Green's minutes rose by 13 a night across a similar three-game sample last season, with his scoring climbing alongside them. The jump lines up with Brooks' and Ighodaro's, all tied to one absence on the roster. Three games is still a small window to read much into.

Ighodaro gets the call. Oso Ighodaro's minutes jumped 12 a night in that same kind of situation last season, with his scoring rising past his season average. Of the three players who saw bumps, Ighodaro's is the clearest sign Ott trusts him in bigger spots. None of the three stretches lasted more than three games.

Chicago's numbers from last season. The Bulls finished 31-51 last season with a minus-5.3 net rating and a quick 103.2 pace, numbers that explain why Tiago Splitter's team is rebuilding too. Phoenix plays Chicago tonight in the preseason, and none of those figures carry over to a game that does not count in the standings.

A young, inexperienced roster. Five of Phoenix's 21 players — Koa Peat, CJ Huntley, Koby Brea, Rasheer Fleming and Phillip Wheeler — have a year of NBA experience or less. That is nearly a quarter of the roster. It explains why camp has leaned on reps for unproven players, not whether any of them makes the regular rotation.

On deck Phoenix plays the Bulls tonight in Chicago, then hosts the Spurs on October 10 before a return trip to San Antonio on October 14 and a home game against the Jazz on October 16.

Have the Suns played a regular-season game yet?

No. Phoenix is 0-0 in 2026-27, and the games referenced here are from last season or this preseason, including tonight's game at the Bulls.

Who is Phoenix's highest-paid player?

Devin Booker, at $57.1 million this season, the largest cap figure on a Phoenix roster with a total payroll of $216.2 million.