After firing head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Phoenix Suns are in the middle of serious changes throughout the organization. Through it all, however, the Suns expect that their young star Devin Booker will remain for years to come so they can build around him and start over again.
“Booker was the franchise player before Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal were acquired, and he remains the franchise player. He was the franchise player before Budenholzer and previous one-year coach Frank Vogel, and Booker remains so as he finishes the first season of a four-year, $220 million extension. Booker is eligible to sign a two-year, $149.8 million extension this summer, which Phoenix is expected to offer,” sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Booker, 28, just finished the first year of a 4-year, $220 million contract. He signed the deal last summer when the Suns were still fresh off the trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. A lot has changed since then for both Booker and the Suns but their loyalty to each other remains as strong as ever.
The Phoenix Suns were in a cycle of irrelevancy after the departure of Steve Nash in 2011 but that all changed when they drafted Booker with the 13th overall pick. Ever since Booker’s quick ascension to stardom, the Suns have been a regular force in the West and even made it to the NBA Finals in 2021.
Even during the worst of times, the nine-year NBA veteran has always been the Suns’ most consistent player and the trend continued the trend this season with averages of 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game on 46.1% shooting. In return, Booker has been compensated with over $215 million in career earnings with much more on the way.
Despite how things turned out this season, the Suns know how important Booker’s commitment is to their future, and if there is no price they won’t pay to ensure that he sticks and leads the team. The good news for the Suns is that the feeling is mutual.
Booker has never played for another NBA team besides the Suns and has stated that he has no desire to play anywhere else. Unlike many young stars today, Booker has the patience to see things through with his original team and he has no intention of bailing on the franchise anytime soon. The same cannot be said for Kevin Durant, who has likely already played his last game for the Suns.
Phoenix Suns Recognize The Mistake That Destroyed Their Relationship With Kevin Durant
Devin Booker is known to be close to his teammate and co-star Kevin Durant but not even that relationship will be enough to save Durant from the trade block this summer. As bad as things were on the court (36-46), the breaking point came at the NBA trade deadline, when the Suns let it slip that they were shopping the 2x Finals MVP without his input — a move they now regret.
“Privately, the Suns admit they made a mistake by not involving Durant earlier in the process,” wrote Windhorst. “They had hoped to keep the discussions closed, the way the Dallas Mavericks did with Luka Doncic, but when the Suns inevitably had to discuss scenarios with third teams to find a way to execute a deal, word leaked across the league.”
Like Booker, Durant had been loyal to the Suns and was ready to return for a third season under a new head coach. After hearing his name tossed around in trade rumors, however, he knew the Suns no longer believed in him and he lost his heart to play for them.
Now, Durant is more than likely to be traded in the next few months as the Suns pivot toward a new core to help achieve their aspirations of a championship. They’ll also have to hire a new coach after firing Mike Budenholzer, and the process will no doubt he long and grueling.
It might get worse before it gets better in Phoenix but at least they can rest easy knowing that they have a superstar to build around who is committed to winning now and for many years to come.
