The Phoenix Suns have had an offseason of upheaval, most notably trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets as part of a wild seven-team deal. Bradley Beal seems likely to depart via a buyout as well, and nobody could blame the organization if they ultimately settled on a full rebuild.
It doesn’t sound like the Suns have any desire to move on from franchise stalwart Devin Booker, however.
According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, “Booker is eligible for a two-year, $150 million extension beginning Tuesday, one that would take him through his age-33 season in 2030. It seems like the Suns are bullish on going ahead with this, and in their current position, I’m wondering what the hurry is. Booker is signed for three more seasons with no options, so he’s not a flight risk.”
The Suns may view adding two years to his contract as an indication that they remain committed to building around him for the long haul. Nobody could blame Booker for having some wanderlust after this particular offseason (and the failed Durant-Beal experiment), and the Suns may want to offer him some gesture of good faith.
The risk, of course, is that Booker could always decide he wants out in the future if the Suns don’t rebuild a winner around him. As Hollinger wrote, “The question I’d be asking if I worked in Phoenix’s front office is whether Booker has more trade value on this extension or less. I think the answer is pretty clearly the latter.”
More than likely, the Suns will ultimately choose to keep Booker happy in any way they can, even if that means tacking on two more massively lucrative years to his current deal.