The Phoenix Suns are off to a disappointing start to the season to warrant fans wondering about the future of Devin Booker. NBA teams often to look to trade players on massive contracts at this stage to rebuild their roster and get the star on a contending team. However, it appears that neither Booker nor the Suns want to end his tenure with the franchise as an all-time great.
NBA reporter Mike Scotto revealed that Booker and Phoenix hope to contend together without ending the partnership:
“From every indication I’ve gotten, the Phoenix Suns want to keep Devin Booker, and they want to make the team better around him. From Devin Booker, every indication I’ve gotten is that he still wants to be a Sun for life, ideally. He did an extension recently with them, and he’s been the face of the franchise for a while now. For Phoenix right now, it’s about trying to make the team better around him.”
The report confirmed the most likely result, but one thing of note came from the quote. Scotto reminded fans that Booker hopes to spend his entire career in Phoenix for his legacy. The rest of the Suns roster is expendable with flawed names like Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges as his best teammates.
Devin Booker Has Strong Phoenix Suns Goal
The clear goal of Booker is to retire as the greatest player in Suns history. Fellow active players like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are likely going to be remembered as the best overall players from their respective franchises.
However, Booker lacks the NBA Championship or MVP award that those names have on their legacies. Phoenix remains one of the NBA franchises yet to win an NBA Championship to make Booker’s NBA Finals appearance more pivotal before they fell short against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The path for Booker to be the Suns GOAT is there for the longevity and overall contributions. Charles Barkley and Steve Nash may have been better players as MVP Award winners, but Booker spending his entire career in Phoenix would put him over them rather easily.
How Suns Can Contend With Devin Booker
The other aspect of the Scotto report is that the Suns want to improve the roster to contend for a title in the near future. Booker needed Chris Paul and general roster depth to have his only chance at title contention, but that only lasted a few seasons.
Khaman Maluach is the youngest prospect that Phoenix hopes to develop as a core part of the future. Roster flexibility does make it easier for the Suns to let contracts expire or trade said expiring deals to add new players to help Booker chase the title.
Phoenix needs another superstar since they don’t have a major sidekick nor a deep roster of great talents. Jalen Green has failed to play well with Booker to see his standing with the team less secure. Expect the Suns to ship Green and other talents to try to give Booker a co-star within the next year.
Devin Booker’s Phoenix Suns Future Receives Major Update