Few teams have been as active as the star-studdedPhoenix Sunsover the last six months, with new owner Mat Ishbia clearly intent on making this team a perennial title contender in the post-Robert Sarver era.
With the Suns now having superstars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal leading the way, the Suns may have one of the most talented starting lineups in the league but have sacrificed cap space and flexibility as a result.
As the result of the team loading up with three high-priced players, the Suns have to figure out a way to round out what they hope will be a championship roster and may have taken a step forward on Wednesday.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Phoenix has exercised the team option on Ish Wainwright, worth $1.9 million.
The Phoenix Suns have exercised forward Ish Wainwright’s $1.9 million team option to return for the 2023-24 season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Suns currently at six players under contract entering free agency.
Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2023
As Charania points out, the Suns only have six players currently under contract, which means the team has a lot more work to do in order to get this roster to where it needs to be to start the 2023-24 NBA season.
The rest of the team will likely be filled out with veteran minimum contracts, and that will probably be a challenging proposition, as they have to convince players to take less this summer, using the prospect of contending for a title being the most significant selling point.
Although this isn t an impossible task, it does shed some doubt on whether this team can indeed contend with the best of the best in the league next season without the depth needed to do so.
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