In 1995 the Phoenix Suns showed the league they were faithful to their stars by following through on Danny Manning‘s handshake deal. Robert Sarver should show such faith towards Devin Booker.
On the heels of a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets in the 1994 Western Conference Semifinals, Danny Manning and Jerry Colangelo came together on a handshake deal to top all handshake deals.
One of the league’s better scorers, a very good power forward capable of scoring like the best of them, Manning was able to sign a very large contract with almost anybody in the league. However, he wanted to win more than anything and decided to sign with the Suns for far less than market value: $1M.
This was where the handshake came in: Colangelo could not afford Manning at the market value price he should have cost in 1994, but offered that if he signed a one-year deal at a lower sum, he would guarantee a deserved long-term contract before the following season. The two agreed and in 1995 Manning signed a six-year extension worth $40M, at the time the highest and most expensive contract in team history.
Phoenix Suns
There was a catch though: in early February 1995, during his $1M season, Manning tore his left ACL in practice ending his season and creating a recovery time that would carry through the following season. But Colangelo, a man of his word, fought through a changing salary cap brought on by the 1995 lockout and re-signed Manning anyway. He showed that he was a man of his word, and he gave faith to all stars who might consider coming to Phoenix that they would be taken care of.
Today the Phoenix Suns are trying to figure out how to get Devin Booker re-signed following the end of his rookie contract which expires following the 2018-19 season. While the contract will not take effect until the summer of 2019 even if he signs it now, it would effectively immediately allocate millions of dollars that could be used to sign or trade for other players in the mean time, making the team deeper and more competitive right away and for the long term.
However, people fear that by putting the signing off, the Suns might not only rub Booker the wrong way, but also potentially force him to play differently this season for fear of risking a terrible injury that might initially hurt his re-signing value, which at the moment stands to be nothing short of a max contract.
Robert Sarver needs to do right by Devin Booker and channel his inner Jerry Colangelo. He needs to offer Booker a handshake deal: no matter what happens this season, short of a career-ending injury, if the Suns delay re-signing him until the actual summer of 2019 saving the franchise money in order to go after additional talent, then Devin Booker will receive a full max contract extension in 2019, no hesitation, no hemming or hawing, and no worry.
The reason the handshake needs to take place is in case Booker does get injured. What if, like Danny Manning, Booker were to suffer a similar injury? The affect could be catastrophic to him financially, especially in the near-term. For him to have assurance that he will get the contract that his talent deserves will presumably allow him play the way he needs to to not only help the Suns win, but also keep him mind off of any “what-if” scenarios that might run through his head throughout the season.
The benefits could also be plentiful for Sarver and the Suns as well in the event of an injury happening to Booker. At least from the fan base’s perspective (although I hesitate to think that this particular opinion permeates throughout the league), Robert Sarver is a cheap owner. History shows that it’s not a completely logical opinion, but I digress. If Booker were to have an injury that not only took him out of the rest of the 2018-19 season but could potentially lead to significant rehab through the 2019-20 season, should the Suns re-sign him to a max contract in the summer of 2019 even in the midst of Booker’s rehab, players would take notice. The impression that Sarver would be willing to still pay for a player to stay that is still recovering form such an injury would be noticeable, and seen as a positive act of professional charity that would benefit future free agents as they contemplate signing here in the future.
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Maybe such an understanding has already taken place behind the scenes but has yet to be made public similar to how everyone knew such a deal was offered to not only Manning but both A.C. Green and Wayman Tisdale as well back in the mid-90’s. Maybe it doesn’t need to be made public and we just have to trust that Sarver and General Manager Ryan McDonough won’t screw Booker and that Booker understands the team’s necessity to juggle finances this offseason to be able to put together a competitive team right away.
In the end it just needs to happen. Sarver needs to offer the handshake, Booker needs to be made to feel imminently comfortable, and the Suns need to get back into the game of winning, something that appears only likely in the near-term if their star player is kept around.