{"id":125967,"date":"2025-02-27T12:56:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=125967"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:56:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:56:03","slug":"suns-rebuild-booker-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/27\/suns-rebuild-booker-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"A Suns Rebuild Should Not Include a Devin Booker Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last two seasons have been a disaster for the Phoenix Suns<\/a>, and have led to reports of a rebuild in the summer, which could include a Kevin Durant<\/a> trade, and perhaps more shockingly, Devin Booker\u2019s<\/a> departure.<\/p>\n

No reports suggest an impending break-up between the franchise and its much-loved star; however, the Dallas Mavericks\u2019<\/a> recent trade of Luka Doncic<\/a> shows any player is expendable. Dealing Booker would be a last resort, a scenario where the Suns have got to a point of no return. The Suns would much rather part ways with Durant, whom they tried to trade at the deadline, or Bradley Beal\u2019s<\/a> more difficult contract; Beal is owed a large sum and has a no-trade clause.<\/p>\n

A Suns Rebuild Should Not Include a Devin Booker Trade<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Booker is Embedded in Phoenix Suns’ History<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As a team over the second apron, the Suns’ financial flexibility is non-existent heading into the offseason. The team must trade one of the big three to get under, and it appears that will be Durant. Although, some have suggested a full rebuild, starting from scratch. This, of course, would include trading away Booker. The 28-year-old recently broke the record for most points in franchise history<\/a>. This already cements him as a legendary figure in Arizona sports, despite the lack of hardware. It\u2019s hard to imagine a world where Booker is anywhere but Phoenix, though most thought the same about Doncic.<\/p>\n

That may be a unique case, however, as owner Mat Ishbia has been very vocal about Booker\u2019s importance to the franchise and community. But the NBA is a business, and teams will do whatever it takes to win. While not a player of the same caliber, a trade would cause a similarly negative reaction in Phoenix as it did in Dallas. Many of the younger generation would have grown up watching his decade-long career. Most adore Booker, both on and off the court. He reportedly wants to emulate his idol, Kobe Bryant<\/a>, and remain a one-team man.<\/p>\n

Only Booker\u2019s desire for a move elsewhere should prevent him from staying with the Suns. This may not be the case currently, though it remains a possibility if the team\u2019s trajectory continues to worsen. But if a rebuild is on the cards and he is happy, it should be around him. The ownership has been clear in their intent to stay competitive and they will remain able to do so with Booker at the helm.<\/p>\n

Houston Rockets Are Lurking in Booker Trade Talks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A key team in the Suns\u2019 future is the Houston Rockets<\/a>. Armed with a boatload of picks from the Durant and Mikal Bridges<\/a> trades, the Brooklyn Nets<\/a> made a significant deal with the Rockets<\/a>. The Suns\u2019 2025 and 2027 first-round picks, given up in the Durant trade, are now owned by Houston. This is significant because the Rockets have a strong reported interest<\/a> in both Durant and Booker, which could tempt the Suns.<\/p>\n

The Suns have a very limited pool of draft picks, and the idea of regaining their assets could be too good to turn down. This year\u2019s pick in particular, as it stands, would be in the lottery, making it a valuable piece. Houston stands as a likely destination for Durant, but could they go bigger and offer the picks in return for Booker?<\/p>\n

While a potential top-five pick is incredibly enticing, the Suns and their fans have already endured the process of a tanking rebuild, both pre-Booker and in the early years of his career. Would they really accept going through it again in the hope that they will find a player as talented as Booker, or better, five or 10 years down the line? It was a miserable period for the franchise, in which Booker played a huge part in helping them come through it. This also seems against what Ishbia believes in, and why he bought the franchise in the first place. The duo of Booker and Durant had a championship ceiling, but decisions since have taken away their ability to win. If a future with both Booker and Durant is impossible for the Suns, they must commit to building a competitive team around their franchise star.<\/p>\n

Suns Ownership Has Been Ambitious But Na\u00efve<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fans have long been disgruntled with the direction the Suns have taken since their run to the NBA Finals in 2021. Booker is the only remaining member of that team, less than four years later. But you cannot fault them for their ambition. Ishbia\u2019s first act as owner was to trade away fan favorites, Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson<\/a>, as well as most of their draft picks for Durant. While a huge haul, they had to make that trade for a player of that caliber.<\/p>\n

Beal came next in a deal that raised eyebrows but commanded a minimal return due to his leverage. They parted with Landry Shamet<\/a>, an aging Chris Paul<\/a>, and several second-round picks. The commitment to spending money and winning a championship was clear, albeit now a mistake in hindsight. Disappointing playoff exits followed, the most recent a first-round sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a>. A postseason run may not even occur this year, with the side four games under .500.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it was a little naive to expect three highly paid players to guarantee success. After all, most winning teams have deep, balanced rosters. Look at the dominant contenders: the Boston Celtics<\/a>, the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a>, and the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>. The Suns have a very flawed roster outside of their big three, who themselves are not even the perfect fit. Injuries have stunted their development, and they are unable to build chemistry and cohesiveness, especially under two different head coaches. The construction of the rest of the team is questionable. An undersized, guard-heavy focus in the offseason has led to many defensive problems. Plenty of work will need to be done in the summer via free agency and trades. Regardless, Booker must remain the face of Phoenix.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo credit: \u00a9 Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last two seasons have been a disaster for the Phoenix Suns, and have led to reports of a rebuild in the summer, which could include a Kevin Durant trade, and perhaps more shockingly, Devin Booker\u2019s departure. No reports suggest an impending break-up between the franchise and its much-loved star; however, the Dallas Mavericks\u2019 recent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5293,"featured_media":125996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,28],"tags":[311,352,69,1133,49213],"class_list":["post-125967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-suns","tag-bradley-beal","tag-devin-booker","tag-kevin-durant","tag-luka-doncic","tag-mat-ishbia"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125967"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125997,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125967\/revisions\/125997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}