No, the Phoenix Suns did not cut 21-year old Jalen Smith from the roster yesterday, but it sure felt that way.
The Suns declined Jalen Smith’s team option of $4.7 million for the 2022-23 season, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer. He is still under contract with the Suns this season at $4.4 million.
While that number does not seem large, the $4.7 million would have put Smith in the top half of all NBA player contracts next year. Top half of NBA contracts means Smith should be a top-half of an NBA roster (i.