The Phoenix Suns will enter the 2025-26 season with one clear objective; to build around Devin Booker for the next few years. With the 28-year-old superstar under contract for the rest of the decade and no Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal around to share the ball with anymore, the franchise is squarely back on his shoulders.
Which is why many are tipping Booker to have a bounce back campaign that could see him push for All-NBA honors once again. He's only managed that twice in his career to this point, and the Suns failing to make the play-in could put a major dent in those hopes. Failing that, making the All-Star game once more should be the absolute minimum out of the the franchise legend.
Suns are rebuilding and not re-tooling moving forward.
Much of the chatter around the organization has been how the Suns are "re-tooling" for the next few seasons as they seek to get back to winning ways, but that isn't strictly true. While Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks can be viewed as win-now players - Brooks is going to change the whole culture defensively on his own - this is a rebuild it is just not being presented as such.
But with rookie center Khaman Maluach and second year players Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro very much a part of the rotation - and a backup point guard in Collin Gillespie who has a ton of heart but still some question marks over his long-term reliability for the team - there's a reason experts predict somewhere between 29-31 wins next season.
Damian Lillard on Devin Booker being on a rebuild with Phoenix Suns: "He's been on a team in this situation and after a couple of years, nobody expected they'd end up in the finals. And then you go and get some stars to come with you and you underachieve. It's really about being… pic.twitter.com/qAziMexDU3
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) August 9, 2025
That is not the record of a re-tooling outfit, rather one that is still years away from even having home advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. If that is the case - and it is hard to make the argument that it isn't - then this is absolutely rebuild. The only difference is the front office didn't tear it down to the studs by trading Booker, but every other position is back to square one bar Brooks.
Even Green isn't really a solution to improve the roster right away, because he plays the same position as Booker and is still only 23-years-old. Yes he had 38 versus the Golden State Warriors in his first postseason experience, but there were also several full games in that series in which he was anonymous.
That is not meant to slander Green either - the best truly is yet to come - it's just not going to be in the next 18 months. With that being the case, to say this is anything other than a rebuild is being disingenuous. Booker likely knows this, and it is partly why he was handed a two-year, $145 million extension.
Which is why the Suns are firmly on the clock this season. If Booker doesn't like what he sees, he now has the long-term deal that would make trading for him incredibly appealing to rival teams. All he has to do is ask out. This whole roster is geared towards him, and the truth behind the "re-tooling" line that you are going to hear is that the Suns are playing to convince Booker to stick out a full rebuild.