Phoenix Suns 2023-24 updated salary cap table after swapping Deandre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic and more depth

The Phoenix Suns have retooled themselves after trading away former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and acquiring Jusuf Nurkic in return. However, beyond Nurkic, the Suns have also secured promising role players in the transaction, adding intrigue to the team's depth.

The Suns also parted ways with draft pick Toumani Camara and acquired Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson. Among these additions, Allen stands out as a particularly intriguing acquisition for the Suns, given his track record of playing for successful teams throughout his career.

As a result of the trade, Nurkic and Allen have become the team's fourth and fifth highest-paid players, respectively.

The Suns roster primarily consists of players earning minimum salaries, as their star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are all signed to hefty max contracts.

In addition to the standard 15 roster spots, every NBA team is permitted to have two two-way contracts during the season.

Here is a breakdown of the Phoenix Suns’ updated salary cap table following the trade:

Here the latest salaries, according to Spotrac.

Player	Cap figure for 2023-24 season
Kevin Durant	$47,649,433
Bradley Beal	$46,741,590
Devin Booker	$36,016,200
Jusuf Nurkic	$16,875,000
Grayson Allen	$8,925,000
Nassir Little	$6,250,000
Eric Gordon	$3,196,448
Josh Okogie	$2,815,937
Keon Johnson	$2,808,720
Damion Lee	$2,528,233
Keita Bates-Diop	$2,346,614
Drew Eubanks	$2,346,614
Chimezie Metu	$2,019,706
Yuta Watanabe	$2,019,706
Bol Bol	$2,019,706
Jordan Goodwin	$1,927,896 (partially guaranteed)
Ish Wainright	$1,927,896 (partially guaranteed)

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Next roster moves for the Phoenix Suns

The Suns are still required to release two players before the 2023-24 season begins. The most probable candidates for release are Goodwin and Wainright, as they have only partially guaranteed contracts.

Their two two-way players are Udoka Azubuike and Saben Lee.

In the 2023 NBA season, the luxury tax threshold is set at $165,294,000. With a current total salary of $188,414,699, the Suns find themselves exceeding the threshold by $23,120,699.

Consequently, their projected luxury tax payment is estimated to be $56,702,625.

Given that the Phoenix Suns rely heavily on their "big three" and the newly acquired big man, Nurkic, it's intriguing to see which players on the roster could outperform their value.

Kevin Durant's salary cap hit ranks as the second highest in the league, trailing only behind Steph Curry's cap hit of $51,915,615. Beal's ranks at No. 6 in the league.

The Suns, along with the Clippers (featuring Paul George and Kawhi Leonard) and the Milwaukee Bucks (with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the newly acquired Damian Lillard), are the only teams in the NBA to have multiple players in the top 10 for salary cap hits.