Following the departures of both Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant from the Suns this offseason, the two have both agreed to cheaper contracts in the near future with their new teams. Beal signed with the LA Clippers for two years and just $11 million after being suspended and waived by the Suns, who will continue to pay $96.9 million from his previous contract.
Durant has now agreed to a two-year/$90 million contract extension with the Rockets, which will be much cheaper relative to team salary than what he made in Phoenix.
Beal and Durant’s contracts made life difficult for the Suns front office.
Neither Beal nor Durant are bad NBA players by any means. But their massive contracts last season, when both made over $50 million, made it impossible to add quality pieces around them and Devin Booker.
Beal in particular did not fulfill his contract, or even come close. With no way out, the Suns opted to pay him $19 million per season for the next five years not to play for them.
BREAKING: Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant has agreed to a two-year, $90 million contract extension with the franchise, his business partner and Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman tells ESPN. The new deal includes a player option in 2027-2028. pic.twitter.com/5GdhzgnSPa
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2025
But he’s now a steal for the Clippers on a minimum contract. In his lone preseason appearance, Beal proved effective for the Clippers, scoring 12 points on a highly efficient 6-of-9 from the field in just 15 minutes. He was very active off the ball to get open looks and also made an impact defensively (including one steal and one block in those limited minutes) – which would certainly be the envy of Suns fans.
Once Durant’s contract extension kicks in, he’ll also get a deal that’s more of a bargain and arguably represents his true value at this point in his career. Durant is still one of the best players in the league and could be worth the absolute max. However, he has missed a lot of time in recent seasons and his new contract extension will better reflect his value, taking injuries into account.
During his Suns seasons, Durant averaged 35% of the salary cap, but upon his extension it is expected to be just 26% for the Rockets. This financial sacrifice from him will also allow the Rockets to lock up key young players who can help the team compete for a championship.
Had the Suns received similar sacrifices from Durant and Beal, they might have been able to build a better supporting cast and avoid one of the most disastrous seasons in franchise history. Managing the caps is more important than ever with the current CBA, and small sacrifices from players can go a long way in building a team.
Unfortunately, the Suns were unable to capitalize on Durant and Beal’s upside through bargains. They’ve already doubled down on their last remaining high-priced superstar by giving Booker a 2-year/$145 million extension. But hopefully they can learn from these mistakes and get players slightly cheaper deals in the future.
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