PHOENIX — Ed Lesaca first heard it brought up a couple weeks ago while listening to the radio. With the Suns slipping out of contention in the Western Conference, suffering one bad loss after another, the sports talk show hosts discussed tough decisions the Phoenix front office might have to make.
One involved trading Devin Booker.
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“I could not listen,” said Lesaca, a die-hard fan who has liked Booker since the Suns drafted him in 2015. He found such speculation irritating.
Before a recent Suns home game, The Athletic walked around PHX Arena, stopping fans wearing Booker jerseys and presenting a scenario that once seemed impossible to consider. To get out of this funk, to jumpstart an organizational rebuild, what if the Suns had to trade perhaps the most popular player in franchise history?
“I don’t have time for that talk,” said Caleb Wood, a 31-year-old who had purchased a Booker jersey about 10 minutes earlier.
“Gut-wrenching,” Adrian Nuanez said of the possibility. “I would still be a fan, but it would hurt for a while.”
The Suns might be the NBA’s biggest disappointment. They have regressed since reaching the NBA Finals during the 2020-21 season. Last year, built around a high-scoring nucleus of Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, they reached the playoffs but were swept in the first round. This season, with the NBA’s most expensive roster, they are fighting simply to make the Play-In Tournament.
This no longer can be blamed on injuries or (insert name of starting center here). Phoenix’s pieces don’t fit well. The chemistry is shaky. The defense is poor. Big changes are likely in store. This could include a front-office shake-up, or it could mean a roster revamp, designed to get younger, more athletic and below the second-apron salary threshold.
Devin Booker has been the face of the Suns’ franchise and a strong figure in the community. But the team has backslid since making the Finals in 2020-21. (Jeremy Chen / Getty Images)
It’s worth noting that Phoenix considered changes at February’s trade deadline. Beal was the obvious place to start, but his no-trade clause and hefty contract proved difficult to move. The Suns had discussions with Golden State, and possibly others, about Durant, but Durant wasn’t thrilled about leaving.
A 15-time All-Star, Durant is under contract for one more season. Barring a strong finish, he could be the starting point in offseason discussions. And he seems to understand this. On Feb. 11, Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. In his postgame media session, he was asked about his journey to stardom. He also was asked if he’d like to finish his career in Phoenix.
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He laughed.
“Ah, man. I’m going to focus on Houston tomorrow,” Durant said of Phoenix’s next opponent. “We ain’t going to go there right now.”
Durant remains basketball royalty. This season, his scoring and shooting numbers compare favorably to his career output. He’ll also turn 37 in September. The Suns could get a nice return for him, but it probably wouldn’t touch what they sent to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire the legendary scorer at the 2023 trade deadline, a haul that included starters Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, along with four unprotected first-round draft picks.
The Suns prefer to build around Booker. As they should. He’s 28 and in his prime. Plus, he’s everything an organization should want in a star. He remained loyal through difficult times. He helped the Suns reach the finals. He’s tremendous in the community. He’s the organization’s career scoring leader.
Still, this shouldn’t be a sentimental decision. It should come with questions. Does keeping Booker, who after this season has three years left on a $220 million supermax deal, give the Suns the best chance to rebound? Would trading him accelerate the process? Nothing should be ruled out.
Loyalty is tricky in sports. It often comes with an expiration date. Situations change, feelings change. Allen Iverson was with the 76ers for 10-plus seasons before wanting out of Philadelphia. Damian Lillard was in Portland for 11 seasons before getting traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Klay Thompson played 11 seasons with Golden State before signing with Dallas.
This season, only Stephen Curry (16 years with Golden State), Draymond Green (13 with Golden State) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (12 with Milwaukee) have been with their original teams longer than Booker’s 10 with the Suns. (Indiana’s Myles Turner, Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Golden State’s Kevon Looney also are in their 10th seasons with the teams that drafted them.)
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Breakups can be difficult. Dallas fans experienced as much in February with the out-of-nowhere trade of star Luka Dončić. They may never recover. A Booker trade could produce a similar reaction. As he waited for tipoff, C.J. Jensen said his wife still hadn’t forgiven the Suns for trading Bridges.
“Like, she doesn’t go watch them anymore,” he said.
Others understood.
“I’d be sad to see Devin Booker go; we’re all big fans,” said Sudarone Thihalolipavan, who’s attended Suns games the past three seasons. “His face is synonymous with the organization. But at the end of the day, I think nobody wants a losing basketball team. Basketball players look out for themselves. I think teams have to look out for themselves to some degree.”
“This team needs wholesale improvement,” said Brad Larsen, a Suns fan for 12 years. “When you lose 151-148 (like Phoenix did Feb. 25 at Memphis), you’re playing an All-Star Game, not NBA basketball. You got to have some defense.”
Patrick Nash considered the possibilities as he walked the arena concourse. He said he would understand if Booker wanted to leave given the situation. But he hopes not. He appreciates everything the Suns star represents, which is why he has five Booker jerseys.
Would it shake his confidence in the organization if the Suns traded his favorite player?
Nash smiled.
“It’s already on the edge,” he said. “I don’t need that push.”
(Top photo of Devin Booker during a game last month against Memphis: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Doug Haller is a senior writer based in Arizona. He previously worked 13 years at The Arizona Republic, where he covered three Final Fours and four football national championship games. He is a five-time winner of the Arizona Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow Doug on Twitter @DougHaller
