Phoenix Suns fans are currently waiting out Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves. But is Minnesota not doing the same thing with Devin Booker and Phoenix?
You might be looking at Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ situation with baited breath, waiting for it to implode upon itself until the superstar center becomes available for the Suns to pair him up with Devin Booker here in Phoenix.
But with as bad as things are in the Valley of the Suns, isn’t that exactly what the Timberwolves and Towns are thinking with Booker and the Phoenix Suns?
Do not think for a second that the only way for Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns to pair up in the NBA would be with the two of them finally coming together in Phoenix.
But we may be (as the homers that we are) only blindly placing our fandom of our beloved franchise ahead of the Timberwolves, not keeping an open mind the alternative, praying that the chances of the situation being flipped are simply absurd.
Why shouldn’t – and how do we know they aren’t? – the Timberwolves be looking at the Suns’ situation with Devin Booker with as equal an eye of interest, hoping to pair him with Towns in Minnesota, just as soon as he demands a trade from Phoenix?
In fact, Towns did say, prior to the start of the season, that he hoped that both they and the third piece of the triad, D’Angelo Russell, could all finally come together – in Minnesota.
He was going to “speak it into existence.”
Of course, he has to say that kind of thing as a member of the Timberwolves.
However, has Devin Booker ever made that direct of a statement?
Sure, Book has said that he wanted to build a superteam in Phoenix, but did he specifically mention either Towns or Russell?
Russell said something similar as Towns before the start of the season, but unlike Booker – he said it while standing side-by-side with Book and Towns, and told the media present to make sure they recorded it.
Let’s also keep something else in mind: for Towns’ sake, Minnesota has already attempted to bring in another star to help take the roster over the top (Jimmy Butler – who did help lead the ‘Wolves to the playoffs once), something that the Phoenix Suns, as of today, have not yet done.
For as terribly run or as much bad luck as the Timberwolves have had over the years, they have at least already taken one significant additional step toward winning – more than Robert Sarver has for the Phoenix Suns – and you’d better believe that Devin Booker is aware of this.
How do we (or anybody) know that the Booker is not more upset with the Phoenix Suns as a franchise than Karl-Anthony Towns is with Minnesota?
We, as fans, have always kind of presumed that Towns would demand the trade first (or at least that Minnesota would blink first), giving the Phoenix Suns an opportunity to acquire the star center to pair up with Booker.
But what if the only franchise of the two with an actual track record of attempting to win and making the playoffs during their young star’s career, is actually hoping for the exact same scenario on their end to occur – again?
Phoenix Suns
Could not Devin Booker say “that’s it! I’m done! I’m out! I demand a trade!” first, before Towns makes a similar exclamation – or before Minnesota decides that they cannot go any further than they already have with him?
And believe you me: Timberwolves fans are just as vehement at not trading Towns as Phoenix Suns fans are of not trading Booker.
I look for stories about the topic daily and I read the comments looking for a glimmer of hope that the Minnesota fanbase is for some reason fed up with Towns and clamoring to deal him to Phoenix for Deandre Ayton, Aron Baynes, and a couple of first round picks.
But nope: their fans think that Towns is just as untouchable as any other star in the league.
More importantly: they think that Towns is just as untouchable as we think that Devin Booker is.
Until/unless Karl-Anthony Towns makes a public declaration that he will never play a game for the Timberwolves again, he is just as likely to be traded on a whim as Booker is – and both scenarios are extremely unlikely.
So, who is going to blink first?
Who is going to trade their only star before the other?
Are the Phoenix Suns really that much better of a team now that they could never possibly trade Booker?
Are the Phoenix Suns really that much better run of a franchise that Devin Booker is going to be ultimately loyal regardless of how bad things are (and have been for five years) at the moment?
Are the Minnesota Timberwolves really not that much better of a team and can not afford to hold onto Towns until another star becomes available to play alongside him – even Booker?
Are the Minnesota Timberwolves really that much worse run of a franchise than Phoenix to just let their only star player go to play with his best friend in Phoenix without a grand Jimmy Butler-esque display of unhappiness?
For as significantly better as the Phoenix Suns’ history has been overall, especially when compared to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the good times that have occurred here were a part of Jerry Colangelo’s history.
This is now Robert Sarver’s history, and in 16 years, he has made and signed off on very few decisions that should prove to anybody that he has it in him to be the owner that is guaranteed to be the guy to pull of such a trade as we are all hoping can be pulled off.
Therefore, there is no reason to think that the Timberwolves aren’t waiting out Devin Booker in Phoenix just the same as we are with Towns in Minnesota – and that they wouldn’t be targeting Book with an equal level of intention as we all hope the Robert Sarver and James Jones are with Towns.