Do the Phoenix Suns have any hope of contending in the Devin Booker era?
The Suns finally washed their hands of the failed Booker-Kevin Durant-Bradley Beal trio this summer. Phoenix’s front office took care of overdue business, trading Durant and buying out Bradley Beal (who landed with the Los Angeles Clippers). Even so, the Suns aren’t exactly in an optimal position entering 2025-26, and few are convinced they are a well-run franchise under owner Mat Ishbia.
The low-key savvy move would have been to also trade Booker this summer, launching a full-scale blow-up/rebuild. Instead, Phoenix gave Booker an unconscionable amount of money and are hoping he can be the best player on an NBA champion in the near future.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes doesn’t seem convinced by anything to do with the Suns. On Thursday, Hughes basically outed the Suns for being an irrelevant franchise that doesn’t know what it’s doing.
“Don’t get caught up congratulating the Phoenix Suns for trading Kevin Durant and buying out Bradley Beal,” Hughes wrote. “Nobody deserves credit for putting out fires they set in the first place, so the Suns don’t get praise for offloading two players they gave up way too much to acquire and kept too long. Neither returned anything close to maximum value, with Beal a literal write-off Phoenix will continue to pay for five seasons.”
“Those moves aren’t even the ones that should inspire the most concern,” Hughes continued. “Phoenix’s decision to extend Devin Booker earns that distinction. Booker is a tremendous player—a multi-time All-NBA honoree who already holds Phoenix’s all-time franchise scoring mark.”
“But he was already on the books through 2028 and, more importantly, should have been the first player Phoenix shopped over the offseason,” Hughes added. “That the Suns only dealt the stars who already had a foot out the door, rather than turning Booker into a package of picks and assets that could have given them hope over the next five years, was the perfect window into the addled thinking that has defined the franchise under Mat Ishbia.”
Booker’s two-year, $145 extension will see the Suns star making $69 million for the 2029-30 NBA season, provided Booker exercises his player option. We’re pretty sure he will.