The Phoenix Suns have blown it up this offseason, as they have parted ways with both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, thus ending their failed Big Three experiment with Devin Booker.
While the Suns do have a couple of nice young pieces alongside of Booker, highlighted by the addition of Jalen Green (who came over in the Durant trade), it’s obvious that Phoenix is entering a major rebuild, which may not sit too well with Booker.
Yes, the 28-year-old just signed a massive two-year contract extension with the only NBA franchise he has ever known, but based on how the last several campaigns have gone, you can’t help but wonder if Booker is getting frustrated.
The former first-round pick is just a few years removed from leading the Suns to an NBA Finals appearance, and he was surely expecting to contend for titles the last couple of seasons.
As a result, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale is predicting Booker to request a trade at some point in the near future, noting that he will become trade eligible about a month before the 2026 trade deadline.
“Including Booker is not specific to this season. He clearly wants to make it work in Phoenix. But this extension, player option and all, feels like hush money,” Favale wrote. “… Maybe Booker is cool with going along for that wildly underwhelming ride or hopeful Phoenix will pull a gaggle of unicorns out from the terms and conditions of a United Wholesale Mortgage agreement. This complicity won’t last forever. And it certainly isn’t going to last as long as the Suns stay in the middle of nowhere.”
Booker entered the league in 2015 and has always been a rather polarizing star due to his lackluster defense and his inconsistent efficiency, but should he hit the trade block, there is no doubt teams would be flocking to the University of Kentucky product, who averaged 25.6 points and 7.1 assists per game last season.
At this point, it may actually benefit Phoenix to move Booker, who turns 29 in October and may very well be past his prime by the time the Suns are ready to seriously contend again.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more disappointing team than Phoenix the last couple of seasons, and at a certain juncture, Booker may reach his boiling point.
