2018-19
By the summer of 2018-19 Suns management knows exactly what they have – a successful team needing to continue to improve, or a team destined to blow up quickly and start over.
Hopefully the Suns are looking toward a Championship run because this is the year when things start to get a little financially sticky.
By 2018-19 DeMarcus Cousins is in the first year of his massive contract extension, one that will pay him around $30M a season. Devin Booker is in the final year of his rookie contract – a team option – for about $3.3M. Following the season he will undoubtedly demand near $20M, around seven times what he made in 2018-19. Eric Bledsoe will be in the final year of his cap-friendly $70M contract and will make $15M. If they have Ibaka or another player of similar position and skill, their cap space will be shrinking, though the Suns will retain some flexibility.
If Tyson Chandler is held throughout the entire 2017-18 season, he too will be in a contract year
Sir Charles In Charge
earning near $13.6M. However, at age 36, one can presume that as a backup his role and skill will be that of diminishing return and will be more easily expendable should the Suns want to make a run at several role players to fill in the roster.
Yet there is a good chance the Suns want to allow Tyson to finish up his contract in Phoenix and remain Cousins’ backup center and mentor, in which case his contract is off the books following the season anyway so there shouldn’t be too much pressure to move him. Should Chandler remain healthy, he will still be a formidable backup and provide quality depth in the front court at a reasonable rate. There is no guarantee that he could fill in successfully for any long stretches should Cousins’ go down to injury, but as a backup would be superior to anyone else the Suns could find in both experience, leadership, and character.
The regular season would probably go very similarly to the year before: The Suns would be a 50+ win team and with the growth of their youth they would be a solid contender against any Western Conference foes, although certainly no guarantee that they would be able to knock off San Antonio or Golden State in the playoffs.
As a 52 to 57 win team the Suns would probably find themselves in a first round home-court playoff situation, and at the higher end of the projection have the opportunity at home-court in the second round as well.
Much like the Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers of the late 80s, the 2018-19 Suns would probably still be too young to get past the more experienced upper-echelon teams in the Western Conference. Should they be able to find a path to the Conference Finals, it would still be hard to imagine that they would get by the Golden State Warriors. Again, a little bit of a disappointing outcome, and yet, if the Suns were to trade for Cousins, wouldn’t we all be psyched for the chance at a Western Conference Finals bid in just two short seasons?
Heading into the 2019 offseason, DeMarcus has had two full seasons under his belt in Phoenix. He will have tasted playoff success twice – and playoff failure twice. Will this be a motivating factor to Cousins to remain on the up-and-up? In reality he has never even sniffed 50 wins and doesn’t know postseason success since his single season in Kentucky. Continuing to play with friend and co-alum Eric Bledsoe, plus participating in a winning environment built on a franchise with a winning culture, the hope is, of course, that Cousins recognizes the fragility and specialness of this and not only does not want to lose it, but craves more.