CapmathThe NBA Cap Ledger
Vol. XI · 2026-27 · Computed live
Vol. XI · 2026-27 · Computed live
Phoenix Suns · Salary cap report
Suns are $8.1M over the first apron.
Phoenix Suns payroll for the 2026-27 season is $217.1M against a $165.0M salary cap.
Payroll, the money committed to the roster, is signed salaries, dead money, and drafted-rookie holds: $217.1M. Counting cap holds for their own free agents, the Suns' cap number rises to $229.1M, which is why there is no usable cap space until those holds come off the books. Renouncing every free-agent hold would open -$52.1M of room and give up Bird rights. Drafted-rookie holds count against the cap, not the luxury tax.
Run Suns' offseason yourself→Over the first apron
What the numbers mean
Payroll$217.1M
The salaries actually committed to players right now.
Counts against the cap$229.1M
What the league counts: payroll plus free-agent hold placeholders.
Luxury tax lineOVERby $16.6M
Cross it and the team pays a penalty on every dollar over.
First apron lineOVERby $8.1M
A stricter line. Over it, the bigger roster tools freeze.
Where the Suns land · payroll against the cap lines
Cap$165.0MTax$200.4MApron 1$209.0MApron 2$221.7M
The solid bar is real payroll. The hatched extension is a free-agent hold crossing the cap line. Renounce it and the room clears.
The books
2026-27 focused
| Player | Pos | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signed contracts | ||||
| Devin Booker | G | $57.1M | $61.0M | $63.7M |
| Jalen Green | G | $36.3M | PO$36.0M | – |
| Miles Bridges | F | $22.8M | – | – |
| Dillon Brooks | G | $21.0M | – | – |
| Mark Williams | C | $11.7M | $12.7M | $13.6M |
| Collin Gillespie | G | $10.7M | $11.6M | $12.4M |
| Luke Kennard | G | $6.3M | $6.7M | – |
| Khaman Maluach | C | $6.3M | TO$6.6M | TO$8.4M |
| Jordan Goodwin | $5.9M | $6.3M | $6.8M | |
| Haywood Highsmith | $3.0M | – | – | |
| Ryan Dunn | F | TO$2.8M | TO$5.0M | – |
| Jamaree Bouyea | G | TO$2.6M | – | – |
| Oso Ighodaro | F | $2.3M | $2.5M | – |
| Rasheer Fleming | F | $2.2M | $2.5M | TO$2.7M |
| Signed subtotal | $190.9M | $150.9M | $107.7M | |
| Draft picks · on roster, rookie-scale hold | ||||
| Koa Peat · No. 30ROOKIE | – | $2.9M | – | – |
| Dead money | ||||
| Bradley Beal | – | $19.4M | $19.4M | $19.4M |
| Nassir Little | – | $3.1M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| EJ Liddell | – | $0.7M | – | – |
| Payroll | $217.1M | $173.4M | $130.2M | |
| Cap holds · placeholders, not paid | ||||
| Nigel HayesNON-BIRD | $2.8M | – | – | |
| Amir CoffeyNON-BIRD | G | $2.8M | – | – |
| Isaiah LiversMIN HOLD | F | $2.2M | – | – |
| Koby BreaMIN HOLD | F | $2.2M | – | – |
| CJ HuntleyMIN HOLD | F | $2.2M | – | – |
| Khaman MaluachBIRD 300% | C | – | – | – |
| Ryan DunnBIRD 300% | F | – | – | $15.1M |
| Jalen GreenBIRD 150% | G | – | – | $54.0M |
| Oso IghodaroBIRD 300% | F | – | – | $7.5M |
| Rasheer FlemingBIRD 300% | F | – | – | – |
| Jamaree BouyeaNON-BIRD | G | – | $3.1M | – |
| Dillon BrooksBIRD 150% | G | – | $31.5M | – |
| Haywood HighsmithNON-BIRD | – | $3.6M | – | |
| Miles BridgesBIRD 150% | F | – | $34.2M | – |
| Counts against the cap | $229.1M | $245.8M | $211.3M | |
What they can add
Taxpayer MLEup to $6.1M
A smaller mid-level signing slot, the only one this high. Using it locks their spending at the second apron.
Bird rightsLets them re-sign their own free agents up to the max.
Locked outUp here they lose the bigger mid-level and the bi-annual slot, can't bring a player in by sign-and-trade, and can't take back more salary than they send out.
Trade exceptions
Trade exception · from the Nick Richards tradeup to $5.0M
Absorbs one incoming contract up to this amount with no salary matching. Expires Feb 5, 2027.
Trade exception · from the Nigel Hayes-Davis tradeup to $2.0M
Absorbs one incoming contract up to this amount with no salary matching. Expires Feb 5, 2027.
A trade exception is a credit from an earlier trade, not money on the books, so it does not count toward the cap, tax, or apron. On file as of Aug 1, 2026; may not be complete.
Decisions ahead
Option calls before 2027-28
Jalen Green $36.0M player option, Khaman Maluach $6.6M team option, Ryan Dunn $5.0M team option.
Expiring after 2026-27
Miles Bridges $22.8M, Dillon Brooks $21.0M, Haywood Highsmith $3.0M, Jamaree Bouyea $2.6M come off the books.
Front office
Run the Suns offseason
Take these exact books into the GM Machine and re-sign, sign, waive, stretch, and draft, with every cap rule checked and explained as you go.
Draft picks through 2033
The Suns control 5 first-round and 1 second-round pick, 2 carrying swap rights.
2026
2026 1st (via OKC) · No. 30
Oklahoma City's own first landed at pick 30. Dallas held it (from the Anthony Davis trade, routed via Washington and Philadelphia) but traded it on 2026 draft night to Phoenix, which selected Koa Peat.
Their own 1st, owed to MEM · No. 16
Phoenix's own first conveyed to Memphis, landing at pick 16, routed via Orlando from the Desmond Bane trade chain. Phoenix has no 2026 first.
Their own 2nd, owed to DAL · No. 48
Phoenix's own second conveyed to Dallas at pick 48, routed via Washington.
2027
2027 1st (via CLE)
Part of the UTA/MIN/CLE 2027 first-round pool. PHX gets the least favorable of the three from the January 2025 Jazz-Suns deal, and CLE is the strongest of the trio so its slot is the one projected to land least favorable and convey to Phoenix. CLE's first entered the pool unprotected in the September 2022 Donovan Mitchell trade.
2027 2nd (via ORL)
Utah takes the more favorable of the Boston and Orlando 2027 seconds and Phoenix the less favorable; Orlando's own slot routed via Charlotte to Phoenix in the pending June 2026 Miles Bridges trade. From the February 2026 Charlotte-Orlando deal.
Their own 1st, owed to HOU
Phoenix's own first owed to Houston, unprotected, from the February 2023 Kevin Durant trade to Brooklyn and the June 2024 Nets-Rockets pick-swap deal that sent it on to Houston. Phoenix has no 2027 first.
Their own 2nd, owed to PHI
Philadelphia receives the more favorable of the Golden State and Phoenix 2027 seconds and Washington the less favorable; Phoenix's own slot lands with Philadelphia or Washington, never Phoenix. From the June 2023 Bradley Beal trade chain.
2028
2028 1st (own, swap rights attached)Stepien-locked
WAS and BKN hold swap rights tied to the Beal and Bridges deals; PHX ends with the least favorable of the PHX, WAS, BKN, and possibly PHI 2028 firsts, and currently holds the slot pending resolution.
Their own 2nd, owed to CHI
Phoenix's own second sits in a Chicago, Indiana, Phoenix pool from the June 2023 Beal trade: Chicago takes the most favorable of the three 2028 seconds, Indiana the middle, and New York the less favorable of the Indiana and Phoenix picks. Phoenix does not keep it.
2029
Their own 1st, owed to BKN
Houston takes the two most favorable of the HOU, DAL, and PHX 2029 firsts and Brooklyn receives the least favorable of the three; on current projections Phoenix's slot is the least favorable and conveys to Brooklyn. From the Nets-Rockets arrangement via the February 2023 Kevin Durant trade.
Their own 2nd, owed to NYK
Owed to New York, from the June 2026 four-team trade in which Phoenix moved up to pick 30 to draft Koa Peat.
2030
2030 1st (own, swap rights attached)Stepien-locked
WAS and MEM hold swap rights from the Beal and July 2023 Isaiah Todd deals; PHX ends with the least favorable of the PHX, WAS, and MEM 2030 firsts and holds the slot pending resolution.
Their own 2nd, owed to BOS
Phoenix's own second sits in a three-way pool: Boston takes the most favorable of the Phoenix, Portland, and Washington 2030 seconds, Philadelphia the middle, and Washington the less favorable of the Phoenix and Portland picks. Phoenix does not keep it. From the June 2023 Beal chain and the July 2026 Jaylen Brown trade.
2031
Their own 1st, owed to MEM
Unprotected first traded to UTA in the January 2025 Jazz-Suns deal, then to Memphis in the February 2026 Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. PHX has no 2031 first.
Their own 2nd, owed to CHA
Owed to Charlotte, unprotected, from the January 15 2025 Nick Richards and Josh Okogie trade.
2032
2032 1st (own)Frozen · 2nd apron
Their own 2nd, owed to MIN
Phoenix's own second conveys away in a Houston, Phoenix swap: Chicago takes the more favorable of the Houston and Phoenix 2032 seconds and Phoenix receives the less favorable, which then goes on to Minnesota. From the July 2025 seven-team Durant trade and the February 2026 Chicago-Minnesota deal.
2033
Their own 1st, owed to CHA
Phoenix's own first owed to Charlotte in the June 2026 Miles Bridges trade, with Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale. Unprotected, agreed and pending finalization.
Their own 2nd, owed to NYK
Owed to New York, from the June 2026 four-team trade in which Phoenix moved up to pick 30 to draft Koa Peat.
Protections and swap conditions in plain English. Full story on the Suns draft picks page.
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