Devin Booker is the face of the Phoenix Suns' franchise. He's been with them through the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. He moved to the desert as an 18-year-old and is still there nearly 11 years later.
A few weeks ago, he reiterated his commitment to the organization by signing a two-year extension worth $145 million (the highest annual extension salary in league history). Booker is signed through the 2029-30 season.
Why would Booker turn that money down? He's said that he wants to win a title with the Suns, something that was possible when they made it to the 2021 NBA Finals, but since then, Phoenix has been on a downward spiral. The Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trades set the organization back.
The Suns have set Booker up financially (and then some), but when it comes to constructing a winning team around him, not so much. The Durant trade wasn't a bad idea because of the player he is (he's still KD), but because of the slew of first-round picks Phoenix gave up. The Beal trade was a bad idea all around.
Entering the 2025-26 season, there is no reason to be optimistic about the Suns' title aspirations, even after they added young talent. They play in a stacked conference that got even stronger this summer, and they don't have a winning roster. Maybe they'll secure a Play-In Tournament berth as a top-10 seed, but that wouldn't be worthy of a celebration.
Suns paid Devin Booker, but failed him otherwise
It's not like Booker is being held in Phoenix against his will or anything. He could've asked for a trade at the end of last season. Again, you can't blame him for signing that kind of extension, but he quite literally knew what he was signing up for.
The "good" news is that it can't get worse than it was last season for the Suns, especially now that they've fallen off after trading Durant, which will make things harder on Booker. He'll be the primary focus of opposing defenses, and Phoenix won't have an answer.
The best days of Booker's time with the Suns may very well be behind him, if you correlate best days with winning, that is. Mat Ishbia might think that Phoenix has a shot to win a championship with Booker as its star, but the odds of that happening are low. Maybe even lower than low.