75.47 million in one year! The first salary in NBA history is born, losing Durant, proving that your opportunity has come

Editor|Lao Kankanqiu

Since the NBA entered the offseason, many players in the league have obtained their dream salary contracts. For example, the Thunder, which just won the championship, MVP and FMVP winner Alexander signed a four-year maximum salary contract of 285 million yuan, becoming the first player in NBA history to have an annual salary of more than 70 million US dollars; then Jewish and Holmgren also signed a five-year maximum salary of 289 million yuan and a five-year maximum salary of 239 million yuan. In just one offseason, the Thunder spent 813 million US dollars to renew the team's future "Big Three", which can be said to have invested a lot. In addition, the Magic’s star Bancero also received a five-year maximum salary renewal contract this summer with a maximum salary of 287 million yuan. So far, Wagner and Sargus have also received five-year contract renewal contracts. The young team is slowly replacing traditional giants such as the Lakers and Warriors and appearing on the stage of history.

It is obvious that traditional wealthy families are heading for decline. For the championship, the Suns spent a lot of money to form the core three giants, including Durant, Booker and Bill. Unexpectedly, reality slapped them hard: under the leadership of the Big Three last season, the team did not even find the threshold for the playoffs, which was simply a shame. Therefore, just as the offseason began, Phoenix began drastic reforms, Durant left Houston and made mediocre returns; Bradley Beal's 110 million "poison contract" ended in a buyout, and the star with the veto of the deal finally joined the Clippers to assist Harden Leonard. The three giants once shining with golden light, now only Booker is left to guard the empty city.

In fact, the price paid by the Suns is far more than just the giants' solution:

Avalanche of the record: 35 wins and 41 losses last season fell to 11th in the Western Conference, and even failed to obtain the playoff qualification;

Salary Shackle: The total salary is $188 million, and the operating space is almost no.

Draft Vacuum: The first round of the 2027 pick is the Rockets, and the swap rights in 2028 and 2030 belong to many teams such as the Nets.

Ironically, when Durant formed the Big Three in the transaction, he praised his boss Ishbiya for being "decisive". Did he expect today's situation at that time?

01 Record-breaking contract: a historical bet

Despite this difficulty, Suns management still chose to face the difficulties. After sending off Durant and Bills, the Suns directly chose to reach a two-year, super maximum salary of $145 million with Booker, of which the salary in the 2029-30 season was $75.47 million, which is $50,000 higher than the record of Thunder star Alexander, and once again set the highest salary record in a single season in NBA history.

You should know that ten years ago, the salary cap of a team in the league was only $70 million, and now Booker's annual salary alone is more than the entire team back then, which is really crazy. But for the Sun, this is a gamble about loyalty and value.

" It can be seen that Booker may not be worthy of this annual salary of more than $70 million," ESPN reporter Kevin Pelton bluntly gave a "failure" judgment in his contract renewal rating. His doubts stem from the fact that Booker has neither been selected for the All-Star nor the All-Squad in recent seasons.

02 Point Guard Experiment: The pain of transformation

From sending off Durant to buying out Bill, it can be seen that the Suns' operations this summer are full of contradictions. Subsequently, after the management signed a number of point guards such as Colin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Jared Butler, Phoenix suddenly broke out unexpected news: the team intends to make Booker the starting point guard next season.

This decision caused an uproar in the outside world. Booker has no problem as a point guard. He played 75 games last season, averaging 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game, with impressive data. But in the point guard position, 33.2% three-point shooting percentage and 2.9 turnovers exposed its limitations on the organizational end.

Book's transformation into a point guard faces triple challenges:

Defensive weaknesses: Booker's defensive performance is mediocre, and he has obvious shortcomings when facing a speed guard;

Organizing ability: Last season, the Suns tried to increase Booker's organizational tasks, but the results were not good;

Scoring nature: The top scorer transforms into a point guard, just like restraining the wildness of the Cheetah.

What is even more worrying is Booker's report card alone: he led the team alone for 18 games last season, with a winning rate of only 33.3% (6 wins and 12 losses), and his net efficiency value is as low as -5.72. When the three giants combined, the winning rate was still 53.1% (17 wins and 15 losses). Booker, who is the only one, will be under unprecedented pressure.

03 Thorns in the road ahead: Can Booker prove himself?

As the Suns' scoring champion, Booker led the team to end the embarrassment of missing the playoffs for ten consecutive years, and even led the team to the finals in 2021. Now that Durant and Bill have lost, Booker's chance to prove himself again is here.

But the controversy has never been far away from the 29-year-old scorer: the peak of his career is more like the top 25 players in the league than the top 10 super giants;

has only been selected for the best team twice in his career;

After the 2021 Finals, he was eliminated in two consecutive seasons for two consecutive seasons, and was directly swept out by the Timberwolves in the first round of the 2023-24 season, and he didn't even find the threshold for the playoffs last season.

ESPN's sharp comment pointed directly at the core: "He (Book) can't do the key tough battle."

Next season, Booker will have the best opportunity to cleanse doubts - and the last chance.