PHOENIX – The 2024-25 Phoenix Suns certainly aren’t among the top tier of title contenders like the previous three teams entered the season, but that’s not because they didn’t try hard enough.

Among the top ten highest-paid players for the 24-25 season are three members of the Suns: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.

Booker is entering the first year of a four-year, $224 million contract extension he originally signed in July 2022, while Durant and Beal have two to three seasons left on max contracts they signed in 2021-22.

The complete top 10 list:

The Suns are one of only two teams, along with the Philadelphia 76ers, with multiple representatives here, symbolizing the general change in roster composition philosophy with the introduction of the “apron” system in the new CBA.

Durant and Booker are a sure thing. They are among the top 12 basketball players in the world and are also very marketable. Both are top players – and will remain so as long as they keep playing.

On the other hand, the signing of Beal can certainly be criticized, but this level of investment being put into the team is in stark contrast to the previous regime, which often tried to cut costs as often as possible.

Beal may not be the player he once was, but the process behind the move and doing everything possible to keep Booker happy going forward are the two most important things to consider here.