3 Olympians we'd love to see team up with Devin Booker in Phoenix

With the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris now in the books, it is safe to say that few players on Team USA saw their stock rise like Devin Booker. Not only did he call his shot a year before the team would go on to win gold, he's been widely praised for his attitude and play for his country.

When the group needed both a player capable of starting and closing games - but also one comfortable letting Stephen Curry get the limelight in the final two contests on the road to gold - Booker was the man for them. A team high 10 points at the half in the gold medal game versus France, before Curry went and did his thing.

These good vibes have got us thinking about which Olympians we'd love to see team up with Booker in The Valley.

Maybe it's because the prospect of Curry and LeBron James on the court together made so much sense that it would be so fun to see across a whole NBA season. More likely again is the fact this can never happen. Not that the Suns will care, they've already got Kevin Durant who easily would have made this list if he didn't already play for Phoenix. Let's expand it beyond Team USA as well.

3. Tyrese Haliburton

We'll start off with the easiest - and most painful - selection of the bunch in Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers. Easy because like Booker he is what we're now calling a "movement shooter", but painful because the Suns could have drafted Haliburton back in 2020.

We know that Haliburton has got jokes as well, poking fun at himself in the wake of winning a gold medal despite getting a pair of DNPs in the final two games. Funny as that is, that kind of attitude is exactly what was lacking in Phoenix last season. Everything seemed very serious and not at all fun, but Haliburton's vibes alone would fix that.

Of course he's also an All-Star level player, capable of being the point guard that the Suns so desperately needed last time out. Tyus Jones and Monte Morris are great and all, but a backcourt featuring Booker and Haliburton would be fearsome.

Haliburton would go a long way to fixing the turnover issues that plagued the Suns last season, while his 20 points and over 10 assists per night would bring the team's offensive play to a whole other level. Just a fun pairing to think about, because of how well Booker and Haliburton would fit together. As we saw from Booker's improved defensive play, it would work on both ends too.

2. Guerschon Yabusele

Just let Guerschon Yabusele have his moment ok? In the gold medal game for France he was their engine, continuing to do whatever he could to keep his country in the game. He put LeBron on a poster, he made a scoop-like 3-point effort and he threw himself at both baskets with wreckless abandon.

In other words he was exactly what Booker needs to have around him during the regular season, especially on the defensive end of the court. Yabusele has already had his chance in the NBA - but on the strength of that game alone - he could find himself leaving Real Madrid and heading stateside again before long.

Yabusele had some possessions where he attempted to guard Joel Embiid, and it was great to see him never back down from whatever ridiculous challenge was put in front of him. Perhaps best of all, this actually has a realistic chance of happening compared to a dream scenario such as Haliburton.

Still only 28-years-old, imagine him beefing up the front line next to Booker and also Durant. With the point guard issues now sorted, Yabusele could do a bit of everything off the bench while saving Booker's legs some on the defensive end. Once the playoffs came knocking and he was distilled down to a pure 12 minutes per game as a wrecking ball? Watch out league.

1. Stephen Curry

We couldn't help ourselves alright? Yes there was consideration to Nikola Jokic, and even both Wagner brothers seemed worth mentioning for different reasons. But Curry is just so fun that as much as Suns' fans hate to admit it, they are sure to have loved watching him and Booker try and torch opponents together.

The beauty of Curry is that to watch him each night during the run to gold, he barely seemed to interract with Booker out on the court. Whereas Booker could get going early and also gladly defer to the likes of James and Durant, Curry was scurrying through his maze of screens as always, popping up around his teammates for those oh so open looks.

Can you imagine what even one season of that would look like in Phoenix? Curry is the best shooter of all-time, and he would make Booker's life so much easier. Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are cool and everything - they both play in their roles extremely well - but Curry is a one-of-one and a true superstar.

Obviously every team would love to have him - he makes everybody better out on the court - but like Haliburton the fit would be particularly great with the Suns. We'll have to settle for this once off experience, because although Booker might be back in four years in Los Angeles, this very much felt like a one and done for Curry.