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Dons

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career &mdash; but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star.
The 34-year-old Durant doesn&rsquo;t seem all that worried.
Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets. It comes 20 days after Phoenix&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">completed a blockbuster deal</a>&nbsp;that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets, delivering shockwaves throughout the basketball world.
This is Durant&rsquo;s fourth different team in seven seasons, but he doesn&rsquo;t feel like joining the Suns midseason will be a huge adjustment.
&ldquo;I have a lot of experience in the league, so the transition was a little easier than it would have been 10 years ago,&rdquo; Durant said following practice Tuesday. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a quick turnaround and everything happened so fast. But the game is the constant thing.&rdquo;
The Suns are hoping that Durant&rsquo;s addition gets them over the hump after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games in the 2021 NBA Finals.
The Suns were in fourth place in the Western Conference at 33-29 entering Wednesday night&rsquo;s game &mdash; one game ahead of another of his former teams, the Golden State Warriors, with 20 remaining. Phoenix was 10 1/2 games behind the West-leading Denver Nuggets.
Durant has spent the past couple of weeks getting to know his new teammates on a personal level, as well as how they operate on the floor while mostly watching from the sideline as he recovers from a sprained knee that has kept him out since Jan. 8.
The knee has been pain-free for the last couple of weeks, according to Durant, and now it&rsquo;s a matter of working his body into game shape.
He said going through a full practice with teammates on Tuesday helped.
&ldquo;I feel great. I am looking forward to getting this opportunity to play again,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long time. I was having fun out there before I got injured. I&rsquo;m looking forward to going out there and picking up where I left off. I know it will take me some time to get used to everything early on.&rdquo;
His first game back comes against a Hornets team that has won a season-best five straight games but lost star point guard LaMelo Ball to broken ankle on Monday night. Charlotte also is expected to be without P.J. Washington (knee soreness) for a third straight game, meaning second-year forward JT Thor would have the unenviable task of guarding Durant.
Durant remains at the top of his game, averaging 29 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 55.9% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range this season.
He has been trying to visualize where he fits into the Suns&rsquo; system and how he can have the biggest impact while learning the team&rsquo;s plays.
&ldquo;I know my versatility can help me a lot of different areas on both ends of the court,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;Being able to shoot the ball from different areas of the floor can help me, even if I don&rsquo;t know every small subtlety in a play I can still try to figure out just by movement and stuff.&rdquo;
He said his new teammates have been eager to integrate him into offensive sets.
&ldquo;Having a long practice helped, and we were able to figure some stuff out,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;So it&rsquo;s been fun. I&rsquo;m looking forward to trying to translate over to the floor and see how we can keep building.&rdquo;
Durant is clearly embracing his new surroundings and the idea of playing with Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton and contending for another NBA title. Durant said he likes the energy of his new team and sees plenty of chemistry.
&ldquo;There is an enthusiasm for the game and if a problem arises everyone is talking about it,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not simmering or lingering over for too long and that&rsquo;s always a good thing.&rdquo;

Kevin Durant spoke to the media before making his highly anticipated Suns debut against the Hornets on Wednesday night.

Kevin Durant eager for Suns debut tonight against Hornets

Overpromising and underdelivering. In pro sports, the two go together as much as peanut butter and jelly.
As a culture, we&rsquo;re always looking for the next great thing. It&rsquo;s why many of us watch in the first place.&nbsp;
But an unfortunate byproduct of this unending chase is that we prematurely anoint players. Scores of youngsters are touted as the next great one before being given the opportunity to fall down, get back up and figure out who they are.
Some get crushed under the burden of great expectations. The select few who don't?
Well, they end up like LaMelo Ball.
As the Charlotte Hornets enter play on Dec. 1 at 13-10, they do so as one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference. And they do so thanks to the 20-year-old sophomore. It&rsquo;s safe to say that the youngest of the three Ball brothers is already the most impactful pro player.
Thanks to his older brother Lonzo and their father LaVar, LaMelo became a household name long before the NBA was within reach, and some of his accomplishments &mdash; including scoring 92 points in a high school game &mdash; garnered quite a bit of attention. But one thing became clear as LaMelo grew older. Many regarded his hype as manufactured as a result of his father&rsquo;s antics. His ascension was met with some skepticism, particularly in light of the fact that Lonzo was not able to save the Lakers and LiAngelo has struggled, to say the least.
So with all that baggage. LaMelo eventually arrived to the NBA. That was an accomplishment in itself.&nbsp;
Since then, his impact on the Hornets has been downright inspiring.
Last season, as a 19-year-old rookie, LaMelo became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. His 22-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist effort led the Hornets to a surprise victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
&ldquo;A 19-year-old rookie does not look like this.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s all Hornets head coach James Borrego could say after the effort.
&ldquo;This is rare what you&rsquo;re seeing.&rdquo;
LaMelo would go on to win the Rookie of the Year award in a landslide and, this season, appears determined to push the Hornets further than the 33 wins and 10th seed they earned last season.
Through the first 20 games of the 2021-22 season, Ball turned in per-game averages of 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. According to <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic/status/1464387742301769731?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>, he became the first player since Magic Johnson to accumulate as many as 398 points, 156 rebounds, 150 assists, 39 steals and 8 blocks in the first 20 games of a season.
And while that might appear to be one of those &ldquo;cherrypicked&rdquo; stats designed to put a player in elite company, in this instance, Ball&rsquo;s productivity has been rather remarkable.
It&rsquo;s rare that we see young players rise up and meet the expectations brought forth by the flashing lights and television cameras. As he continues to develop as a professional player, we can already determine that Ball is one of the most impactful 20-year-old players we&rsquo;ve ever seen. While he's much different than the likes of Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant or LeBron James, he belongs in the same conversation with respect to game-impact and his ability to serve as a cornerstone.
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His exposure to higher levels of competition earlier than many of his peers gave LaMelo the experience necessary to excel in the NBA from Day 1. With his rare combination of floor vision and the guts to attempt to do things we don&rsquo;t see everyday, he&rsquo;s captured our imaginations.
It's a new day in the Eastern Conference. There are some who believe that the days of the East being a joke are long gone, and it&rsquo;s hard to argue.&nbsp;
The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks reside in the Eastern Conference. The title favorites, the Brooklyn Nets, do as well. The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are teams that should not be taken lightly, and many others &mdash; including the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks and Washington Wizards &mdash; have made tremendous strides over the past few years.&nbsp;
Entering this season, the Hornets weren't necessarily a team that many expected to vie for supremacy in the conference. Nonetheless, behind LaMelo, the team is currently the No. 6 seed. There's obviously a lot of season left, but with it about 25% complete, the Hornets are one of its early surprises. That&rsquo;s no accident.&nbsp;
Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak knows a thing or two about special players.&nbsp;
Kupchak has 10 NBA championship rings, seven of which came as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; front office. He served under Jerry West as assistant general manager before becoming the team's GM. He saw Magic and Kareem and Shaq and Kobe. He helped them win championships.&nbsp;
In a recent <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/lamelo-ball-renews-spark-in-hornets-much-to-michael-jordans-delight">interview with NBA.com</a>, Kupchak borrowed one of West&rsquo;s old sayings when discussing LaMelo rapid ascent.
&ldquo;Jerry West would use an expression about certain players, that they &lsquo;had a little gold dust&rsquo; sprinkled on them from above,&rdquo; Kupchak said. &ldquo;I do think LaMelo has that.&rdquo;
With every passing day, and every milestone, it&rsquo;s getting increasingly difficult to argue otherwise.

Moke Hamilton details LaMelo Ball's incredible start to the season with the Hornets and how it's put him in elite company.

Third time’s the charm: LaMelo Ball met the expectations and smiled

The NBA announced in early August that the 2021-22 season&rsquo;s salary cap would be $112.414 million, and the luxury tax threshold will be $136.606 million. That means that if rosters remain unchanged for the duration of the season &ndash; which we know will never happen &ndash; 13 teams will pay the luxury tax.
Those teams will be the Brooklyn Nets ($176.573 million in payroll), Golden State Warriors ($174.854 million), Los Angeles Clippers ($166.384 million), Los Angeles Lakers ($163.121 million), Milwaukee Bucks ($158.206 million), Utah Jazz ($153.954 million), Philadelphia 76ers ($143.668 million), Boston Celtics ($143.524 million), Portland Trail Blazers ($140.566 million), Miami Heat ($139.645 million), Washington Wizards ($138.710 million), Toronto Raptors ($137.624 million) and the Indiana Pacers ($137.567 million), <a href="https://hoopshype.com/salaries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to HoopsHype.com</a> &nbsp;&ndash; meaning that nearly half of the league will pay into the luxury tax.&nbsp;
The NBA utilizes a progressive tax system that dictates that teams less than $10 million over the threshold pay a dollar-for-dollar tax, teams over by between $10-to-$15 million pay $2.50 for every dollar over the threshold, teams over by between $15-to-$20 million pay $3.25 for every dollar over the threshold and so on. But ignoring the business implications of paying the luxury tax, how many of these teams are getting the bang for their buck in relation to the total cost of those payrolls and how easy might it be for them to get back under it? Let&rsquo;s explore each team's situation:
Brooklyn Nets: $39.967 million over 
The Nets enter the 2021-22 season as the presumptive favorites to win the NBA championship. They re-signed Kevin Durant to a 4-year/$198 million extension. They also added Patty Mills and James Johnson, but lost Jeff Green. Ultimately, it&rsquo;s worth the price for Brooklyn so long as Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden can remain healthy for playoffs &ndash; so if you&rsquo;re the Nets, you pay anything you can to keep this group together. (Editor's Note: This payroll will change once <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-trading-deandre-jordan-to-pistons-for-sekou-doumbouya-jahlil-okafor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's trade for Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor</a> is made official on Sept. 15)
Takeaway: Worth it!
Golden State Warriors: $38.239 million over
The Warriors are in a very different situation than the Nets. They are not presumptive favorites. In fact, they may be in a fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference for another year. Still, the Warriors have to shell out the dough. Their new arena, the Chase Center, opened in downtown San Francisco just in time for the 2019-20 season. COVID-19 has obviously hindered the Warriors ability to extract income from their new home, but it&rsquo;s finally time to cash in. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will fill the arena&rsquo;s seats. They probably won&rsquo;t be pure buyers at the deadline &ndash; although we could see a move in which Golden State swaps some of its young talent in exchange for a more age-appropriate fit &ndash; but the Warriors will not ship out pieces just to cut costs.
Takeaway: Not objectively worth it; but not *not* worth it.
Los Angeles Clippers: $29.778 million over
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is probably a little stressed right now &ndash; or he would be if paying his team&rsquo;s payroll had any real impact on his net worth. Either way, the Clippers appear poised to write a big check to the NBA for... another championship-less season. With Kawhi Leonard out for the foreseeable future with a partially torn ACL, the team's hopes for a title are likely out too &ndash; and they&rsquo;re on the hook for his $36 million this season, which is essentially dead money. Fortunately, the Clippers' roster is still formidable. They&rsquo;ll still be a playoff team, even in the brutally competitive West, meaning they&rsquo;ll continue to be must-see TV. They can get back to contending for a championship next season.
Takeaway: Not worth it this year; but tough it out, next season will be better.&nbsp;
Los Angeles Lakers: $26.515 million over
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The Lakers are in a good spot... for now. Sure, they are on the hook for a big, honking tax check; but they also look like the best team in the West. Acquiring Russell Westbrook (in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell) adds another major salary to the Lakers&rsquo; books. But Westbrook, along with Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, are big-time additions. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook might not coexist perfectly, which could result in as disappointing an outcome as the 2003-04 Lakers, but what options did they have? The Nets are stacked, and the Lakers want to win.
Takeaway: Worth it, but it could also end really badly.&nbsp;
Milwaukee Bucks: $21.6 million over
The Bucks are obviously happy with the outcome of last season. And despite what Jerry Krause would&rsquo;ve had you believe, you always bring back a defending-champion roster; Milwaukee did mostly that. The team brought George Hill back on board and added Grayson Allen. They interestingly let P.J. Tucker walk, but they&rsquo;re still well-stocked. The Bucks could be buyers at the deadline; but they&rsquo;ll be operating under a hard cap, so it&rsquo;ll be tricky.
Takeaway: The champs should always be kept together. Worth it!
Utah Jazz: $17.348 million over
The Jazz are unassuming, but their roster is rock solid, and they finished last season with the best record in the NBA. Had it not been for injuries to Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell heading into the playoffs, who knows what might have been in a year where the presumptive favorites were both eliminated before the conference finals. But the Jazz enter the 2021-22 season looking even better, having added Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside, and re-signing Mike Conley. Utah let Derrick Favors and Georges Niang walk, but still enter the season with approximately $154 million in salary. Utah will likely stand pat for the season in hopes of making a run at a championship.
Takeaway: Worth it!&nbsp;
Philadelphia 76ers: $7.062 million over
The 76ers are in an unenviable situation with Ben Simmons, who has decided that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-tells-sixers-he-wants-out-intends-to-skip-training-camp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he wants out of Philadelphia</a>. Simmons will make $33 million in 2021-22, and his deal is guaranteed through the 2024-25 season. So, it&rsquo;s safe to assume there will be some changes regarding the Sixers' team salary. The two teams most <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commonly associated with Simmons</a> &ndash; the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings &ndash; have payrolls below the luxury tax threshold, meaning they both have more wiggle room to maneuver in trades. Philadelphia could end up with a slightly lower payroll than it has now after a Simmons deal inevitably takes place, but the team's outlook is very much undecided less than a month from the start of the season. That&rsquo;s not where you want to be as a team with championship aspirations.
Takeaway: Depends on what happens with Simmons, but it&rsquo;s probably not going to be worth it. &nbsp;
Boston Celtics: $6.918 million over 
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From a salary standpoint, Boston and new team president Brad Stevens have maneuvered smartly. They shed Kemba Walker&rsquo;s painful contract, receiving Al Horford in the exchange. They backfilled Walker&rsquo;s spot with Dennis Schroder, who only cost $5.9 million for a year. They also added Josh Richardson ($11.615 million) via free agency and a $17 million trade exception from a sign-and-trade with the Knicks for Evan Fournier. If the right player becomes available, they could use that TPE, or they could punt on 2021-22 in hopes of a brighter future. Still, the Celtics will only go as far as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take them. (Editor's Note: This payroll will change once <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mem-agrees-to-trade-hernangomez-to-bos-for-dunn-edwards-pick-swap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's trade for Juancho Hernangomez</a> is made official on Sept. 15)
Takeaway: Not worth it, but Boston made some headway in cleaning up a previously cluttered salary cap.
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.96 million over
Portland finally did something this offseason, swapping out Derrick Jones Jr. for Larry Nance Jr in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. Nance will be a good fit for the Trail Blazers, but they didn&rsquo;t add nearly enough to improve to the extent that they&rsquo;ll compete in the Western Conference.&nbsp;
Takeaway: Not worth it. Portland should get very creative, and fast &ndash; or risk losing Lillard.
Miami Heat: $3.039 million over
It seems like Miami is perpetually either in contention or one piece away from it. After a surprise trip to the NBA Finals in 2019-20, the Heat very well may have added that piece in Kyle Lowry. They also stole PJ Tucker away from Milwaukee, and kept their core intact. The Heat&rsquo;s cap situation gets very tricky in a few years, and it&rsquo;ll get even tricker if they sign Tyler Herro to a long-term extension; but for now, you can&rsquo;t blame Miami for going for it.
Takeaway: Worth it, for now.&nbsp;
Washington Wizards: $2.104 million over 
The Wizards had themselves a good offseason. They turned Russell Westbrook into Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Montrezl Harrell, and they added Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday. Still, the Wizards are going to have to play incredibly well just to qualify for the playoffs, and that&rsquo;s not what teams paying the luxury tax hope to accomplish.
Takeaway: Not worth it, but at least they&rsquo;ll be competitive.
Toronto Raptors: $1.018 million over
The Raptors are entering a mini-rebuild. With Kyle Lowry moving on, the Raptors will look to build around Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. They&rsquo;ll probably look to move Goran Dragic, who publicly voiced displeasure with landing in Toronto, so they&rsquo;ll likely end the year with a slightly different look.
Takeaway: Not worth it, but they could be interesting.&nbsp;
Indiana Pacers: $961,000 over
Indiana didn&rsquo;t make any major changes, and is stuck in quasi-purgatory as the Pacers gauge what their team can do. Ultimately, they will probably let results dictate their course of action. If they&rsquo;re in the playoff picture as we approach the trade deadline, they could be buyers. Conversely, if Indiana struggles, it could just as easily sell some assets.
Takeaway: Well-positioned to move under the tax threshold.&nbsp;
The luxury tax can be incredibly punitive; and, unfortunately, it impacts how teams make roster decisions. Looking beyond profitability, owners are right to demand a good return-on-investment when paying the luxury tax. No one wants to cut a big check for nothing. Be on the lookout for teams that aren&rsquo;t competitive to look to shed salary before the deadline. Conversely, teams in contention will look to add talent regardless of where they are pertaining to the luxury tax.&nbsp;

Drew Maresca examines the 13 teams in the NBA paying the luxury tax and whether their respective rosters justify the spending.