Repairing Simmons' awful Devin Booker trade if Suns flame out

Sitting in an 0-2 series hole against the Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns are in a precarious position. A year and a half into the Kevin Durant experiment, things have not exactly turned out as planned, and whispers of potential change are starting to echo around NBA circles.

The truth is, this team's roster is a bit disjointed. While it is far from the worst roster construction in the league with some very obvious high-end talent, the individual pieces are not necessarily set up to complement each other in the best way possible. There is some very real redundancy between the likes of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

There has of course been talk of KD leaving town, but what if that is not ultimately the solution this team needs? It may sound like a ridiculous idea, but Phoenix could in theory get a much bigger return in a potential trade for Devin Booker. Recently, NBA analyst and podcaster Bill Simmons suggested a problematic trade for the Suns involving Booker.

Bill Simmons proposed an awful Devin Booker trade

Now right off the bat, there are a number of issues with Simmons' proposal. He suggests that the Suns send Booker to New Orleans, and in return the Pelicans would send back CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, and two first-round picks.

For starters, that is far too little return for a player that is at worst a top-three shooting guard in the association. Phoenix would undoubtedly ask for more in this scenario, considering that they would need a lot to be convinced to part ways with their homegrown superstar.

Second, the salaries in this deal do not match. In 2022, Devin Booker signed a four-year supermax extension that will kick in at the start of next season. He will be earning a base salary of $49.3 million. The Suns would not be able to send out this massive contract without taking more back. I re-worked Simmons' deal, and here is what I came up with.

This Booker deal could work for both sides

We recognize that trading Booker is probably not the ideal scenario. But if Phoenix were to look into a deal with a team like the Pelicans, this would be a pretty reasonable return. Two additional first-round picks were added from the original proposal to incentivize the Suns to say yes, and Dyson Daniels is thrown in as well to make the salaries match.

What Phoenix would end up with here is a bit more balanced roster. Now, you have Durant and Beal as your primary scoring options, with McCollum being allowed to slash and playmake, while of course being a lethal threat driving downhill and pulling up to shoot as well.

Trey Murphy provides a high-level role player to the rotation with some exciting upside, and altogether this group would still theoretically have a window to contend in the Western Conference. When KD leaves or retires, the four first-round picks would ensure the Suns still have a future as well.