The Suns Are Paying Bradley Beal $96 Million To Go Away

ByJoey Heldon July 17, 2025inArticles›Sports News

Most people reading this article probably have a job. Maybe your company loves you. Maybe they’re thinking of promoting you! Or maybe… not. Maybe your TPS reports haven’t been submitted on time, and the company is thinking about letting you go.

Now imagine your company wants you gone so badly, they pay you $100 million just to stop showing up. And if you feel like taking another job in the meantime? Be their guest.

This totally unbelievable, too-good-to-be-true scenario is exactly what the Phoenix Suns are doing with Bradley Beal.

Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Sometimes, an NBA team takes a swing on building a roster with star players. It often incurs enormous costs, but the financial expenses are worth it if the players win a championship. The Boston Celtics showed a nice blueprint for this in acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007 before winning the NBA Finals the following season. When the Miami Heat paired LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with Chris Bosh , it led to four straight NBA Finals appearances and two championships.

The Phoenix Suns tried to pull off a similar move in 2023. They acquired Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to team up with Devin Booker , looking to get over the hump and win the first title in franchise history.

To new owner Mat Ishbia and those within the Suns organization, the move made sense. Phoenix had reached the NBA Finals in 2021, and while it had lost a few supporting pieces, Booker had continued improving. Surrounding him with two All-Stars could theoretically work out. Durant spent about two-and-a-half seasons in Phoenix; Beal joined after that first summer, so the Suns Big 3 played together for two seasons. Despite spending more than $450 million in combined contracts across two seasons for Durant, Beal, and Booker, the Suns failed to win a single playoff game with the trio. They were swept out of the first round in 2024, then didn’t even qualify in 2025.

Remember those enormous costs we mentioned earlier? They’re coming into play now.

The Suns have already traded Durant to the Houston Rockets. Phoenix at least got something out of that deal, receiving Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and five second-round picks.

Now, they’re buying out the remainder of Beal’s contract, and it sure is pricey.

Beal originally signed a five-year, $251 million supermax deal with the Washington Wizards in 2022—one of the most bloated contracts in the league at the time. The Suns inherited the final $150 million of that deal when they traded for him in 2023, along with a rare full no-trade clause that severely limited their flexibility.

Bradley Beal’s $96 Million Exit Package

Beal had two years, $110 million remaining on his deal. He also had a no-trade clause, so the Suns couldn’t send him anywhere unless he approved it. Both sides agreed that he could talk to other teams to find the right basketball fit, and Beal made the decision to head to the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal.

If we looked at the salaries of these two contracts alone, it’s an enormous pay cut. Beal is moving from $55 million to $5 million for this upcoming season. Luckily for him, NBA contracts are guaranteed, even after he leaves his former team. He did agree to return $13.9 million of his salary as part of the buyout, but the Suns will still pay him a whopping $96.1 million, even though he’s no longer on their roster.

Beal’s deal also includes a player option for the second year. The Clippers appear to be a better basketball fit for him than the Suns were, so if he can play well, he could potentially sign a long-term deal somewhere next summer.

Meanwhile, the Suns plan to use the waive-and-stretch provision on Beal, meaning they’ll pay out the $96.1 million over five years. It won’t be nearly as bad a hit on their salary cap, though Beal will still be making money from the Suns on his next contract, and possibly even the one after that.

The Suns took their big swing. Now they’re paying $96 million to watch Bradley Beal play for someone else—and maybe still paying him when he retires.

• Bradley Beal Net Worth
• Bradley Beal’s New Deal Puts Him On Target To Sign The Largest NBA Contract Ever
• Bradley Beal Just Signed A Contract Worth More Than A Quarter-Billion Dollars
• Former Washington Wizard Bradley Beal Lists Maryland Mansion For $10 Million
• Next Season The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Just Four Players A Ridiculous Amount Of Money
• The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Devin Booker A Record-Setting $75 Million Per Year For The Next Two Seasons

Next Season The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Just Four Players A Ridiculous Amount Of Money

ByJoey Heldon June 28, 2023inArticles›Sports News

Earlier this year, the Phoenix Suns shook up the NBA with a massive trade to acquire Kevin Durant . The move didn’t result in postseason success, as the team never fully gelled and lost to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets in the second round.

Now, the Suns are back at it again. They traded Chris Paul , Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Bradley Beal , Isaiah Todd, and Jordan Goodwin.

The Suns, a team that reached the NBA Finals in 2021, are clearly trying to win a championship before their window closes. Beal joins Durant, Devin Booker , and Deandre Ayton to create an impressive group of stars. Although it’s going to cost the Suns a LOT of money to field this roster.

Bradley Beal (L) shooting over Devin Booker. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

All four players are on max contracts. This upcoming season, the Suns will owe Durant (about $47.6 million), Beal (about $46.7 million), Booker (about $36 million), and Ayton (about $32.4 million). All together, next season these four will earn a collective…

$163 million

Adding to the complexity, the upcoming collective bargaining agreement will impose strict penalties on teams that go over the second apron of the luxury tax. That threshold currently sits at $179.5 million. To avoid going past that number, the Suns will have to figure out a way to split about $16.5 million between ten players.

This isn’t a one-year issue, either. Beal still has $207 million and four years remaining on his contract. Durant has about $149.5 million over three seasons, plus a few extra million in likely incentives. Ayton will make a shade over $102 million in the next three seasons. Booker is in the final year of his deal, but at just 27 years old and still in his prime, the Suns will try to do all they can to retain him.

It’s almost a given that most of the Suns’ bench will consist of players on veteran minimum contracts. The only other players currently under contract are backup guard Cameron Paine; Ish Wainright, who averaged about 15 minutes per game last season; Goodwin, who was productive with the Wizards; and Todd, who’s played 135 minutes total in two seasons.

With the free agency period kicking off on June 30, the Suns probably have more moves to make. If it leads to the first championship in franchise history, all the spending will be worth it.

• 8 NBA Players Have Signed Contracts Worth $200 Million-Plus In The Past Week
• Chris Paul Is Taking A Gamble On Himself That Could Be Worth $100 Million
• The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Devin Booker A Record-Setting $75 Million Per Year For The Next Two Seasons
• Chris Paul Bet On Himself In June… And It Just Paid Off In A Big Way
• Deandre Ayton Just Signed A $133 Million Contract — And Is Probably Upset About It
• Bradley Beal Net Worth

The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Devin Booker A Record-Setting $75 Million Per Year For The Next Two Seasons

ByJoey Heldon July 8, 2025inArticles›Sports News

The Phoenix Suns took a 2-0 lead in the 2021 NBA Finals. They were two wins away from the franchise’s first-ever championship—and that’s when things fell apart. Phoenix promptly lost the next four games to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns won 64 games the following season. However, they lost in the semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks and haven’t been the same since, including getting swept in the first round in 2023-24 and missing the playoffs entirely last season.

Along the way, the Suns swapped out key pieces in Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal , and then turned around and sent Durant to the Houston Rockets this offseason. Through all of these ups and downs, Devin Booker has remained a constant presence within the Suns organization.

The team is rewarding him with a two-year, $150 million contract extension. And in case math isn’t your strong suit, that works out to a mind-numbing $75 million per season .

That sets the record for the highest annual salary in NBA history, topping a record that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set just last week with his 4-year, $285 million deal . Shai’s contract equates to $71.25 million per season. Furthermore, Devin’s contract now ranks as the sixth-largest sports contract in history based on average annual earnings.

The Largest Sports Contracts by Average Annual Earnings

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Athletic’s John Hollinger noted that the timing of such an extension is perplexing, given the circumstances. “I’m wondering what the hurry is,” he wrote. “Booker is signed for three more seasons with no options, so he’s not a flight risk.”

It appears the Suns are stuck between going for a full-on rebuild and trying to compete. The problem is that the Western Conference is absolutely stacked with talent. At present, the Suns’ roster feels less competitive than it was last year, and that team didn’t even reach the postseason.

This new extension, which doesn’t even kick in until the 2028-29 season, now means the Suns owe their star more than $321.2 million over the next five years. Tacking on an extra two seasons and $150 million only makes Booker harder to trade.

Concurrently, the Suns are also looking to buy out the remainder of Beal’s contract. He has one of the rare no-trade clauses left in the league; unlike Durant, who at least returned some assets to Phoenix, the Suns seem content to let Beal walk and pay him to go away.

Maybe Booker’s deal is simply a gesture of good faith. He’s been a pillar in the community since Phoenix selected him in 2015, and the Suns often don’t score a lot of big-time free agents (both Durant and Beal were acquired via trade).

It’s certainly a gamble that the Suns will turn it around. For now, they still believe Booker can help them get there—and they’re willing to spend the money to make it happen.

• The 40 Largest Contracts In Professional Sports History
• Next Season The Phoenix Suns Will Pay Just Four Players A Ridiculous Amount Of Money
• The Suns Are Paying Bradley Beal $96 Million To Go Away
• Chris Paul Is Taking A Gamble On Himself That Could Be Worth $100 Million
• Chris Paul Bet On Himself In June… And It Just Paid Off In A Big Way
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Just Signed A Record-Setting $285 Million Contract Extension With The Thunder