The Phoenix Suns didn’t waste much time in overhauling their roster after a second consecutive exit in the Western Conference Semifinals, dealing Chris Paul and Landry Shamet to the Wizards for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal and sending waves across Arizona sportsbooks.
The Father’s Day deal gives the Suns a fearsome foursome to build around in Beal, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton — though there’s never a guarantee that those players will stick around for the long haul.
The four-headed attack will make a combined $162,866,661 during the 2023-24 NBA season, eclipsing the league’s luxury tax figure of $162M by themselves, which could ultimately hamper the Suns’ ability to field a championship caliber roster.
It also seems that oddsmakers aren’t necessarily convinced that the Suns’ addition of Beal makes them an overnight championship favorite. Over at BetMGM Sportsbook Arizona, the Suns are +650 to win the franchise’s first title in 2024 — behind the Nuggets (+500), Celtics (+550) and Bucks (+600).
BetArizona.com broke down the hypothetical odds on how long the Suns’ foursome of Ayton, Beal, Booker and Durant will stick around the Valley, giving fans a benchmark to build their expectations around in the season ahead.
Odds The Core Four Stays Together
Will Suns’ Core Players Stick Around For Long?
The longevity of the Suns’ lineup of Ayton, Beal, Booker and Durant across Arizona betting apps remains to be seen, given the high price that each carries against the cap and the lack of continuity that Durant has found with his teammates in Oklahoma City, Golden State and Brooklyn.
Given the Suns' quite public airing of grievences over Ayton’s level of play in the team’s playoff losses to the Mavericks and Nuggets, combined with the 2018 No. 1 overall pick’s $32.4M cap hit, there’s reason to believe that Phoenix could very well move on from the Bahamian big man before long.
That’s why BetArizona.com set such long odds on the Suns’ foursome sticking together through the NBA’s offseason — setting +500 odds on Ayton, Beal, Booker and Durant donning purple and orange when the Suns break camp this fall.
Of the aforementioned quartet, Ayton’s the most likely to be moved during the next NBA season, given his discontent with former head coach Monty Williams and inconsistent play in the postseason.
Ayton could be dealt to an up-and-coming team in the offseason still, as the Suns contemplated letting the former Arizona Wildcat walk during his restricted free agency period in 2022.
Should incoming head coach Frank Vogel, team president & GM James Jones and owner Mat Ishbia decide to roll the dice and eat the hefty salaries of the team’s four main players, then the most likely time that Phoenix could break up their starting quartet would be at the NBA’s trade deadline next spring (+800).
Longer yet, Phoenix could very well decide to keep their starting lineup intact for the entirety of the season, hoping that the four gel out of the gate and get the Suns over the hump after consecutive playoff disappointments.
With a full $5M mid-level exception to use and various other salary cap moves at their disposal, there’s no reason to assume that the Suns will be forced to move one of their highest paid players ahead of the 2023-24 season.
For now, Suns fans can bask in the glory of landing one of the NBA’s top scoring threats, giving Booker and Durant a running mate that can hold his own on the court in the season ahead.
Keep it here for Arizona sportsbook promos ahead of the Suns' next title push.
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