The Phoenix Suns have completely shaken off the predicament of the past few seasons, and at that time they have been the bottom team in the league, and because of their lack of progress on the basketball court, they have become the laughing stock of the entire league. But fast forward to today, the Suns have become an iconic business card of the league, Chris Paul's arrival before the 2020-21 season has given the Suns a glory that has never been experienced since the era of Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni, paul used his leadership skills and experience to help the young core players in the team to grow rapidly.
Devin Booker has now become a recognized superstar shooting guard, DeAndre Ayton's growth on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends has qualified him for a maximum salary extension from the team, and Mikael Bridges' elite defensive and three-point shooting ability makes him considered one of the NBA's most underrated players. But Cameron Johnson is probably the most overlooked of all the young core players, and he's now a really pivotal link in the Suns' lineup.
The Suns chose Johnson with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2019 draft, and many people questioned their decision, after all, Johnson's draft estimate at the time was about 20, but just three years later, Suns general manager James Jones should be glad of the decision at that time.
Johnson's only reliable skill before entering the NBA was three-point shooting, but there were still many questions about his defensive ability and his physical support throughout the NBA regular season, but Johnson has now perfectly countered all the doubts while showing where his true ceiling lies, which will undoubtedly increase the value of his next contract.
Johnson, who qualified for a contract extension from the Suns after the 2021-22 season, has become a key player for the Suns, and without Johnson's all-round talent, the Suns would never be sitting on the league number one throne right now. Johnson has scored more than double digits in 18 consecutive games so far, averaging 15.6 points per game, while his three-point shooting rate is as high as 48.8%, ranking fourth in the league and hitting more than two three-pointers in 20 consecutive games. After the Suns' 106-89 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, head coach Monty Williams has publicly stated that Johnson has gained considerable freedom in the team's system.
If nothing else, the Suns will have to give Ayton a maximum-salary contract extension this summer, which will plunge them into the abyss of a luxury tax, which is very rare during Robert Safer's time at the helm of the team, and they should never have thought that one day they would spend so much money to form a team, but the real question is how much money the Suns are willing to spend to keep the current core lineup?
Based on Johnson's recent form, his next contract could be close to $20 million a year, and while the Suns have identified Booker, Ayton and Bridges as the core of the team's future, Johnson should also be included in the core player list. Jacqueline and Saric's contracts expire after the 2022-23 season, coinciding with the first year of Johnson's new contract, and if the timing is good, the Suns can form a Suns starting lineup of Paul, Booker, Bridges, Johnson and Ayton in the next three years, and the other four are fully capable of leading the team forward in the next few years.
During the nash and D'Antoni run-and-run era, Saver once released restricted free agent Joe Johnson for his unwillingness to pay the luxury tax, and the rest of the story is known, and Johnson later played a Hall of Fame-level career on other teams. Johnson will soon repeat history, but this time the Suns will face a completely different situation, they have the opportunity to become a long-term championship team, and Johnson's contribution has played an important role in the success of the Suns, Xiaobian believes that the Suns will renew him with a contract of about 4 years and 80 million US dollars, what do you think?