Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia sat down with Tim MacMahon of ESPN for a lengthy interview. When MacMahon tried asking Ishbia about the possibility of trading Devin Booker in the offseason, the billionaire didn’t even let him finish the question, shutting him down and praising Booker as a championship-level superstar that they need to build a contender.
“Never happen,” Ishbia said, interrupting the question. “It’s silly. So here’s what I’ll tell you: I have Devin Booker in his prime. In order to win an NBA championship, you got to have a superstar. You got to have a great player.”
MacMahon added in his report that Booker does not intend to demand a trade either, as he told the analyst that he envisions spending the rest of his career with the Suns, something he informed Ishbia, team CEO Josh Bartelstein, and GM James Jones. The Phoenix Suns will continue to build around Devin Booker as they look to bring an NBA championship to the city for the first time.
“Nor will Booker request a trade, regardless of how the Suns finish this season. Booker says he is fully committed to spending his entire career in Phoenix, sharing that vision with Ishbia and the Suns’ lead executives, CEO Josh Bartelstein and general manager James Jones.”
“‘I mean, it’s a rare breed,’ Booker told ESPN… ‘I take pride in the community in Phoenix, the people that have supported me since I was 18 when things were ugly. And the people that are with us, we just fell short of accomplishing what we want. So I want to do it, and I want to do it here.'”
“That’s the responsibility of being a franchise player, and I wear that with honor. So it might not look the most pretty right now, but we got to get it done, and I’m going to do it.”
It was reported earlier this week that the Suns could get a massive haul of four first-round picks and a young player in exchange for Booker. However, it appears the former All-Star has no interest in leaving the team that he has represented for 10 seasons.
The Suns are virtually guaranteed to trade a superstar this summer, and it most likely will be Kevin Durant. Bradley Beal is unlikely to waive his no-trade clause, and with the Suns’ future mortgaged for what has turned out to be an average team, the only path to a rebuild would be by trading the former MVP.
The Suns reportedly want three first-round picks along with a young player in exchange for Durant. Given that KD turns 36 this year, it is hard to see any team offering up such an expensive haul for him. One of the teams interested in landing Durant is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are willing to trade any player except Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels in exchange for him.
The Dallas Mavericks are another team that is looking to land him, as Nico Harrison looks to build a contender in the wake of trading Luka Doncic away. Trade talks are reportedly imminent for Durant, and the Suns will look for a quick solution to this situation and avoid this devolving into a saga.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
