Post-trade deadline look at Suns’ salaries, roster, draft picks

The trade deadline has come and gone with a move by the Phoenix Suns, making it four years in a row for Ryan McDonough making a deadline deal.

With the acquisition of Elfrid Payton, it’s time to reset and take a look at the standing of the team.

Related: Suns acquire Payton from Magic for second-round pick

Below, you will find the salary cap information for the team, followed by the roster and draft pick outlook.

Salary cap

2017-18: 16 contracts, roughly $94 million, roughly $5 million cap space.

2018-19: 13 contracts (nine guaranteed), roughly $78 million (roughly $70 million guaranteed), roughly $23 million minimum cap space (roughly $32 million maximum cap space).

Brandon Knight, 26 years old, G

Salary: $13.6 million this season, $14.6 million in 2018-19, $15.6 million in 2019-2020.

Outlook: After the season he had last season, all the Suns can hope for is Knight to be a serviceable rotation player to play out his contract. If he were on a normal-sized contract it would still be fairly difficult to trade him, but with limited cap space around the league, a contract of his size is impossible to move without significant goodies attached around it. With the current situation at point guard, it seems foolish to rule out the chances of him starting at point guard on opening night.

Tyson Chandler, 35 years old, C

Salary: $13 million this season, $13.5 million in 2018-19.

Outlook: Chandler’s rebounding and veteran acumen are valuable. The problem is a good NBA team finding the space to fit his contract for the role he would play on that team. That makes it more likely he stays put in Phoenix for the duration of his contract, and they will be fine with that. With that in mind, he has rarely been playing back-to-backs and requires the Suns to be ready with two more bodies at center.

T.J. Warren, 24 years old, SF

Salary: (takes a deep breath) $3.1 million this season, $11.7 million in 2018-19, $10.8 million in 2019-2020, $11.7 million in 2020-21, $12.6 million in 2021-2022.

Outlook: Warren is proven as one of the league’s best efficient scorers, but he needs to show where else he can contribute for what will become quite an expensive extension. Will he transition well into a sixth man role as Josh Jackson gets more acclimated?

Jared Dudley, 32 years old, PF

Salary: $10 million this season, $9.5 million in 2018-19.

Outlook: Like Chandler, Dudley’s skills of shooting and on-court savvy are desirable traits for contenders. Where, though, those teams can find space for his contract is the challenge. Once again, his willingness to sit and play when needed while teaching the younger players is worth having around.

Alan Williams, 25 years old, C

Salary: $6 million this season, $5.5 million (non-guaranteed) in 2018-19, $5.5 million team option in 2019-20.

Outlook: Big Sauce is a quality backup NBA center on an awesome contract for the Suns’ situation. If they need the extra money and already have spots filled at center for next season, they can let Williams go. If not, he’s an outstanding personality to have in the locker room and represent the team while he plays well off the bench.

Josh Jackson, 20 years old, SF

Salary: $5.0 million this season, $6.0 million in 2018-19, $7.0 million team option in 2019-20, $8.9 million team option in 2020-21, $11.7 million qualifying offer (RFA) in 2021-22.

Outlook: In 2018 Jackson has taken positive steps forward toward being a viable starter. His two-way upside is showing more and more as the season grows older.

Dragan Bender, 20 years old, PF

Salary: $4.4 million this season, $4.6 million in 2018-19, $5.8 million team option in 2019-20, $7.7 million qualifying offer (RFA) in 2020-21.

Outlook: Bender’s value as a defender and shooter set a solid floor for his value while his offense and overall comfort on the floor continues to grow in year two. With both he and Chriss, the spotlight turns to what the Suns do if they decide to draft or sign someone who will take minutes at power forward this offseason.

Alex Len, 24 years old, C

Salary: $4.1 million this season.

Outlook: Having a career year, Len has shown he’s worthy of an NBA contract next season. If that comes from Phoenix, though, remains to be seen, as he’s not a long-term answer as the team’s starting center.

Troy Daniels, 26 years old, SG

Salary: $3.4 million this season, $3.2 million in 2018-19.

Outlook: Daniels is an elite shooter and that makes him worth his money. Speaking of that money, his affordable contract and Davon Reed’s potential emergence could make him a trade candidate in the offseason. The Suns really need shooters, though, and there aren’t many better around the league in a bench role than Daniels.

Elfrid Payton, 23 years old, PG

Salary: $3.3 million this season, $4.5 million qualifying offer (RFA) in 2018-19.

Outlook: Payton was a cheap gamble for the Suns to take and has the skill to be a long-term piece of the point guard rotation. As a restricted free agent in a very slim market, there’s a chance for the Suns to bring Payton back on a very affordable deal.

Marquese Chriss, 20 years old, PF

Salary: $3.0 million this season, $3.2 million in 2018-19, $4.0 million team option in 2019-20, $5.4 million qualifying offer (RFA) in 2020-21.

Outlook: In smaller and larger increments, Chriss has improved some of the rawest elements of his game. This makes a potential breakout year in one of the next two seasons not a completely outlandish prediction to make, but is also something he needs to be an important piece for the team in the future.

Devin Booker, 21 years old, SG

Salary: $2.3 million this season, $3.3 million in 2018-19, $4.5 million qualifying offer (RFA) in 2019-20.

Outlook: The consensus for kid franchise is he will receive a max extension this summer, somewhere in the range of five years for over $150 million. He’s worth it.

Tyler Ulis, 22 years old, PG

Salary: $1.3 million this season, $1.5 million (non-guaranteed) in 2019-20, $1.6 million team option in 2020-21.

Outlook: Looking like a lock to be a great backup point guard with upside for more after his rookie year, Ulis has been a disappointment this year. His inconsistent role, though, could be to blame. He’s on a very cheap and affordable deal, even if the Suns want to use him as the third-string floor general.

Davon Reed, 22 years old, SG

Salary: $815,615 this season, $1.3 million (non-guaranteed) in 2018-19, $1.6 million (non-guaranteed) in 2019-20, $1.7 million team option in 2020-2021.

Outlook: The Suns are excited about Reed as a potential solid two-way piece who can shoot, and they should be.

Draft picks

Own first-round picks

All owned.

Own second-round picks

2018 second-round pick goes to Memphis if it lands between 56-60.

Other first-round picks

2018 first-round pick from Miami that’s protected 1-7 in 2018 and unprotected in 2019.

2018 first-round pick from Milwaukee that’s protected 1-10 and 17-30 in 2018, 1-3 and 17-30 in 2019, 1-7 in 2020 and unprotected in 2021.

2021 first-round pick from Miami that’s unprotected.

Other second-round picks

2018 second-round pick from Milwaukee that’s protected 31-47.

2018 second-round pick from Toronto that’s unprotected.

Outlook: The Suns’ upcoming first-round pick is comfortably their second most valuable asset behind Booker. After that, though, with so much young talent on the roster and a wealth of draft picks, they can afford to trade a couple of first and/or second-round picks if they need that extra push for a deal. This, and the aforementioned cap space is why all signs point toward general manager Ryan McDonough making big moves between now and the 2019 offseason.

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