The NBA might have released some marquee regular season fixtures to excite fans, but we remain in the quietest part of the league calendar. That is why CBS decided to rank the 15 worst contracts in the league today, placing Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns in the sixth spot. They’re wrong about that one, though it might get to that point some time down the line.
Booker will one day soon have one of worst contracts in NBA
It is simply low-hanging fruit to suggest that Booker should occupy this position, and you need only look at who he is as a player to understand why. Suppose this is the season when the 29-year-old decides he doesn’t want to end up like Damian Lillard and asks to be traded.
Even with his monster contract, a bidding war would blow up for his services immediately. Imagine if he were in Cleveland in place of James Harden, for example. An NBA afterthought such as New Orleans would automatically become relevant if he showed up.
He is still owed over $250 million across the next four years, and that figure will climb close to $70 million by the end of that deal. That is when this really could turn ugly, but we are not there yet. If Booker became available today, he would command several first-round picks, and either a star of equal value (assuming the salaries worked out) or a blue-chip prospect, plus some other stuff.
Booker doesn’t need to leave Phoenix for his value to be on full display. He’s worth more to the Suns than any other franchise, which is why they were so comfortable giving him the massive extension in the first place. He's worth the money as a franchise staple and productive piece.
It is ironic that the player above Booker on this list, De’Aaron Fox, would have been the perfect backcourt partner in The Valley, but his own large contract makes this impossible. He is also several rungs below Booker in the NBA’s hierarchy.
Booker’s contract will one day deserve sixth spotÂ
Life comes at you fast in the league, and one or two years from now, this could be a vastly different story. Booker will be 30 years old soon, and if the Suns don’t make the playoffs, having committed to a core that also includes Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges, sixth might actually be too low on this list.
Too soon, CBS, too soon. Circle back in a few years, and we'll see how things look then.
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