Phoenix's payroll sits at $216.2 million, clear of the $209.0 million line separating normal spending from the first restricted tier and not far from the $221.7 million second one. That leaves Devin Booker's max extension, Jalen Green's salary and three other deals doing nearly all the work on the books.
The payroll line. Phoenix enters the season paying $216.2 million across 18 contracts, well past the $165.0 million salary cap and over the $209.0 million mark that separates ordinary spenders from teams facing roster and trade restrictions this season.
Tax versus apron. The $200.4 million tax threshold is already in the rearview; the real ceiling now is the $221.7 million second apron. Phoenix sits in between the two thresholds, restricted on trades and roster moves but not yet at the hardest cap.
Booker anchors the sheet. Devin Booker's two-year maximum extension pays him $57.1 million this season and $61.0 million next, the single biggest number on either year of the sheet and the reason Phoenix has little room to maneuver.
The next four deals. Jalen Green ($36.3 million), Miles Bridges ($22.8 million), Dillon Brooks ($20.0 million) and Bradley Beal's $19.4 million player option round out the five largest contracts driving the total past both lines.
Beal's option swings it. Beal can opt into $19.4 million for 2026-27 and, if he stays, the same figure repeats for 2027-28 too. That single decision moves Phoenix's numbers more than almost anything else left on the sheet.
Relief further out. By 2027-28, Booker rises to $61.0 million and Brooks to $22.5 million, but Green's option could drop, and Khaman Maluach, Ryan Dunn and Rasheer Fleming all stay cheap, giving Phoenix some flexibility beyond this season.
Picks already committed. Phoenix's 2027 first-rounder is owed to Houston from the seven-team Kevin Durant trade, and a 2029 second-rounder is owed to New York. Swap rights run on both rounds from 2027 through 2030, leaving few picks fully Phoenix's own in the near future.
Are the Suns over the luxury tax this season?
Yes. Phoenix's $216.2 million payroll clears the $200.4 million tax threshold and the $209.0 million apron mark, though it remains under the $221.7 million second apron.
Which team owns Phoenix's 2027 first-rounder?
Houston owns Phoenix's 2027 first-rounder, acquired in the Kevin Durant trade.
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