The NBA market is ripe for superstars. We have seen Jaylen Brown nab a five-year $300 million deal. Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo signed extensions that will pay them more than $60 million per year. These supermax deals imply the nature of the league for the top-level players. You can make major bank if you are in the All-Star conversations. These deals are a big uptick from previous extensions for the superstars. As many of these previous extensions are still in process, teams have been able to pair superstars together.
This is the case with the Phoenix Suns. As they take on the Utah Jazz, which lacks the star power, a stat involving Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal produces a mind-boggling picture.
The overpowering money game involving Kevin Durant
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The Suns managed to land Bradley Beal in the offseason. This followed Kevin Durant’s arrival to the team last season. He joined Devin Booker but the team couldn’t make a deep run because the partnership between Booker and Durant is still in its nascent stages. However, by landing these two mega stars, the team has now formed a super-team. What is the cost of these three put together?
Bradley Beal is going to earn more than $46 million this year. Kevin Durant’s contract is around $47 million. Meanwhile, Booker is going to earn around $36 million. If we add these three contracts, we get a valuation of $130,407,223. Now let us take the total contract sum of Utah Jazz. Their total payroll is $137,658,645. This seven million difference is staggering. A payroll of 18 players is almost equivalent to what three players are going to make this season.
The Jazz is 26th in the league when it comes to their payroll. Their top contract is John Collins, who is going to earn around $25 million. Apart from Collins, Clarkson’s contract is the only one over $20 million.
They are lucky to have an ace scorer like Lauri Markannen for a price of around $17 million. He may as well be set for a $40+ million per year contract in 2025 free agency.
Will the Suns be able to contain him and the Jazz?
Will the trio overpower Jazz on the court too?
Both teams have one win and one loss. But this is way too early and doesn’t reflect the current or expected picture. The Suns did suffer a horrible time on offense against the Lakers, but they have the experience to get out of a funk. The Jazz beat the Clippers 120:118 in their last game, thanks to a spirited 35 points effort by Markkanen. However, playing away from home against a loaded squad can hurt their winning rhythm. There are also chances that after Bradley Beal’s absence, Devin Booker may miss the fixture.
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Will the Suns easily take care of Jazz or will Markkanen and co. hit their mark against another multiple superstar-driven squad?
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