Devin Booker is eligible to sign a two-year, $149.8 million extension this summer. The Phoenix Suns are obviously going to offer it. Whether he actually signs it remains to be seen. But he might not. And if he doesn’t, well, the Suns shouldn’t freak out.
It’s just Booker setting himself up to sign a larger deal next summer.
Of course, the conversation following a decision to pass on this extension won’t frame it in these terms. Talking heads will claim that this is Booker’s way of agitating for out, and that if he doesn’t request a trade this summer, he will do so in February, or over next offseason.
This could technically be true. The Suns are in a precarious position entering this summer’s transaction cycle, and are unlikely to be much better off once they ship out Kevin Durant.
But Booker’s happiness will be monitored regardless of how this offseason plays out. That’s the nature of having veteran superstars. His approach to extension talks doesn’t suggest anything that may not already happen over the next year anyway. If anything, his involvement in the Suns’ coaching search speaks to his enduring preference to stick around.
Devin Booker can lock in more money from the Suns by waiting
Signing the extension now will keep Booker on the cap sheet through 2029-30, his age-33 season. If he puts pen to paper on a deal next summer, though, he can lock in three years and $233.5 million. That’s an extra $83.7 million in guaranteed salary. Rumor has it that’s a lot of money.
Now, the way extension eligibility works, stars have typically signed the shorter deals when eligible, and then negotiated additional ones as soon as they are able. Booker could go that route as well.
Still, there’s no guarantee he continues to be an automatic max-deal candidate as he ages. This isn’t a shot at Booker. The Era of Aprons is going to raise the bar for who gets max deals. Stars in the back end of their primes who are no longer surefire top-15 to top-20 players may no longer receive default windfalls.
Booker doesn’t have to worry about that this summer. More importantly, he doesn’t have to worry about it next offseason. He will be on the verge of turning 30 that coming October. The Suns won’t think twice about offering him a three-year, $233.5 million deal that pays him into his age-34 season.
So for Booker, waiting on an extension is about prolonging his earning potential as a max player. If he happens to still be worth that kind of money into his mid-30s, he would be extension eligible again two years after signing next summer’s monster deal, during the 2028 offseason.
Whether Booker chooses this path remains to be seen. But it’s something he will at least consider. And if he acts on it, the Suns and their fans needn’t worry. It’s not a sign of unhappiness. It’s just business.