Brooklyn Nets
What are the two best ways of keeping Devin Booker in a Suns uniform for the long term? Win and have friends on the roster he wants to play with.
D’Angelo Russell helps with the winning while also being one of Booker’s boy’s.
While Booker is likely going to be happy with any point guard that comes in that helps him win, if the Suns can snag a guy that is one of his closest friends, it might make losing while the rebuild continues a little bit more palatable.
Russell fits in with the age range of the young core, but too has never been on a winning team. He’ll have to learn how to win with them meaning that they will suffer from growing pains together.
That said, Russell is an exciting young player. A great scorer (17.0 points per game thus far while shooting 48.6% from 3), he is also an improving distributor (he is averaging 6.0 assists for the first time in his career), raising his assists per game average each season of his career.
With better players on his side like Booker and Ayton those numbers too should continue to rise.
I could see him as a Kyle Lowry – type point guard in his prime. While Lowry has never made it to the Finals himself, there is no arguing that his credentials make him one of the top point guards in the league.
If Russell proves to be too expensive (there is no guarantee that Brooklyn would ever even entertain offers for him) as I could see him easily costing at least T.J. Warren or Josh Jackson and a pick, Phoenix could look to press for Spence Dinwiddie.
He should be a little cheaper, and as the backup in Brooklyn is a luxury that the Nets should look to use to bolster a position elsewhere.
The cost for Dinwiddie might be a moderately protected first round pick and Mikal Bridges.