There's pressure for the Phoenix Suns on and off the court in the coming months.
The NBA postseason is nearly here, and while the Suns hold expectations of making a run to the 2024 NBA Finals, the coming offseason is also huge for prominent figures such as owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski explained on NBA Countdown a few days ago:
"Suns owner Mat Ishbia has operated with a relative disregard for the new salary cap realities of the NBA, essentially in a championship or bust mentality over the next couple of years around Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal but here's where the roster complications can start for Phoenix: Grayson Allen has had a career year for the Suns. He's leading the league in three point field goal percentage. He's averaged 27 points over the last two games with Devin Booker out," Wojnarowski said.
"He is later this month eligible to sign a new four-year, $75 million contract extension ahead of his free agency this summer. That would cost the Suns another $65-70 million in luxury tax and along with Royce O'Neale - who they picked up at the trade deadline from Brooklyn - these are two players who the Suns can not replace with anything but minimum players if they were to lose them in free agency. It puts tremendous pressure on this organization to have to pay those players and keep them."
Ishbia himself was adamant the Suns would like to have both Allen and O'Neale back in the fold, and for what it's worth, he's certainly got the pockets to make good on those words.
Phoenix's roster simply can't afford to stretch themselves thinner with potential departures of Allen or O'Neale, especially considering Allen's level of play this year and the Suns' recent move to snag O'Neale at the trade deadline.
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