2019-20
Predicting even to this point in the future is about as difficult as picking accurate lottery numbers. Yet, there is still one particular thing that we can project out this far and know will be an issue: Contracts.
DeMarcus Cousins will be earning above $30M and still only be 29 years old. If he is happy and the team is successful, he will be worth every penny.
Eric Bledsoe will need a contract extension. If he is healthy and at least hovering around the output of the 2016-17 season, at 30 years old he could still garner a five-year deal that will push the $20M mark per season easy, something the Suns would be silly not to work out.
Devin Booker will be receiving his first major contract extension as a pro. If he buds into the superstar he projects to be, it seems safe to say that unless he receives a max contract, in his first season of the deal he will earn between $20-23M and by the end will be up near the $27M area.
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If the Suns did sign Serge Ibaka he will likely still be earning between $15-19M, all told meaning the Suns could allocate near $85 for their core group.
Should Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender still be on the roster and improving, they will remain as bargain-basement depth pieces that will allow the Suns to retain the aforementioned four players for at least one more season.
In a Mike D’Antoni-era system those six names plus one backup point guard would really be all he would need to try and outrun the opposition. Presumably, however, Earl Watson will want to utilize other pieces that would allow Phoenix to have sufficient depth. Unfortunately these players that are impossible to project this far out or whether they should come via trade, free agency, or the draft.
However, the 2019-2020 team may very well be one that if the DeMarcus Cousins trade both goes through and is successful on and off the court, would be a true Championship contender.
One thing must not be over-stated: there are an innumerable amount of variables that cannot be projected in this scenario. But should the next three and a half seasons all play out according to this projection, the Suns will be set up very nicely if come trade deadline 2017, they are able to pull the trigger on a trade for superstar center DeMarcus Cousins.