We have reached March 4, one of those quiet milestone deadlines that separate the planners from the panicked. Today marks the final day for NBA teams to sign players to two-way contracts. For the Phoenix Suns, it is a day of rest. The work is already done. They moved with a purpose over the last week, waving goodbye to Cole Anthony, converting Jamaree Bouyea to a guaranteed deal, and bringing CJ Huntley back into the fold on a two-way contract.
The roster is officially set. The ink is dry. And when you look at the balance sheet provided by Salary Swish, the picture is almost jarring.
A team that was once so far over the second apron that it became a national punchline now finds itself $1 million under the luxury tax. Read that again. It is a staggering pivot.
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Jamaree Bouyea is owed $574,210 for the remainder of this campaign and is locked in for next season at $2.6 million. That is a team option, which is exactly the kind of flexibility this front office has craved. If he stays, he hits free agency in 2027 with the Suns holding his early bird rights. CJ Huntley, now a two-way fixture through next season, gives the Suns a viable player and a cheap, controllable asset who becomes a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027. The hope is that both develop into more.
For a team that felt financially strangled a year ago, Brian Gregory has performed a Houdini act. There is a way out. There is a path forward.
Of course, the ghosts of the past still rattle their chains in the basement. We are living through the “Dead Cap Era.” The decision to waive and stretch Bradley Beal is going to cost the Suns $19.4 million every year until the summer of 2030. Nassir Little’s $3.1 million follows that same timeline. EJ Liddell’s $706,898 falls off in 2027, a smaller scar, but a scar nonetheless. These are the receipts of old regimes. This is the penance we pay for chasing big-name stars with bloated contracts instead of respecting the process.
For a team that does not control its own draft capital during this same debt-heavy window, they have managed to find a heartbeat. They have an influx of youth paired with the veteran presence required for actual development. They have a blueprint. They have a plan.
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Will it equate to a championship? Time will tell, and the odds are rarely in anyone’s favor. Only one team gets to hold the trophy. But the goal is to stay competitive, to stay relevant, and to avoid the basement. The way the Suns have navigated this season — from the draft to identifying two-way players who actually fit the system — has been a masterclass. Seeing former two-way guys like Collin Gillespie grow and flourish only fortifies the point.
The finances are settled. The roster is set. If I am giving Brian Gregory a grade for his first season at the helm, it is an easy A, regardless of what happens in the postseason. This team has become competitive while simultaneously building a foundation for the long haul.
Yes, it would be nice to not have $23.2 million in dead money hanging over the books next year. Imagine what he could cook with that extra room. But that is the reminder, the nagging cholesterol of our recent history. It is why we now preach patience. We are building something real, and for the first time in a long time, the Suns are in a good spot.