The Phoenix Suns are championship contenders with their best players under contract for at least three more seasons.
The Suns fifth best player probably won’t get better than a league minimum salary offer on the open market this summer.
These statements might seem incompatible but they’re quite true.
A typical 15-man NBA roster has a balance of big ($20+ million), middle ($3-19 million) and small contracts (under $5 million) that looks something like a bell curve, yet the Suns cap sheet if more top-heavy than most.
The Suns are very top heavy at the moment, with only half of last season’s roster under contract for the upcoming season.