Booker’s “timeline”
Speaking of Booker, the prism from which all moves should be viewed, the young budding superstar is barely 21-years-old, and already one of the best shooting guards in the entire NBA. He too is only a year away from needing (his first) contract extension, a situation that if somehow made him unhappy, could allow him to force the Suns’ hand and allow him to enter unrestricted free agency like Alex Len, or demand a trade.
Not that Booker has given any indication that he is unhappy in anyway, it is a worthwhile professional courtesy by the Suns to see if they can build a good team around him as early in his prime as possible, to allow him to use his talents to win and for playoff runs for as long as possible.
The longer the team middles around at the bottom of the league’s standings, the longer his incredible talents are wasted and the more he’ll long to taste playoff success, potentially pushing him to make a decision that will not end pretty for the Suns franchise and it’s fans.
When discussing Booker’s “timeline,” his timeline is now, not four years from now. It is extremely rare in this day and age of the NBA to have a player at 21 not only average 24+ points per game, but become a worthy face of the franchise and leader on a team.
We might as well see Booker as a 27-year-old prime-of-his-life superstar and demand talent to be placed around him, than a 21-year-old kid who needs to patiently wait the process out.
By adding Jordan, you open up the opportunity to immediately begin to find more success, waste less of Booker’s career, and prove to him that he has no need to ever seek greener pastures elsewhere, and in fact realize that wins – lots of wins – will come to him in Phoenix.