Devin Booker has made it clear he does not have any desire to leave the Phoenix Suns organization. As of right now, his wish is to remain in The Valley, playing for the team that drafted him. Fortunately for him, it would appear the Suns also have no intention of moving him anytime soon.
The only reason anyone is even thinking of the possibility of Booker leaving Phoenix is due to the current state of the Suns. The team struggled mightily this past season after receiving a great amount of preseason hype. The result of this disaster season is the increasingly likely chance that Kevin Durant moves on this summer.
With it being almost a certainty that Durant finds a new team this summer, many outsiders have thought that the logical next step would be to enter a rebuild by trading Booker as well. However, there's a near-zero chance that happens. Both the Suns and Booker desire to stay together, at least for the time being.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has made this clear, stating that parting ways with Booker would "never happen."
“It’s silly," Ishbia said. "So here’s what I’ll tell you: I have Devin Booker in his prime. In order to win an NBA championship, you've got to have a superstar. You've got to have a great player.”
Booker does not want to leave Phoenix — And the Suns want to keep him
Suns fans are well aware of Ishbia's view of the team's situation. He is very against going into a rebuild. Which, even if it's not necessarily the smartest tactic, is understandable, given his position as a new owner. So for long time Suns fans who want Booker to remain in town no matter what, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
What will give fans even greater relief is the fact that, as of right now, Devin himself also has no interest in requesting a trade or playing elsewhere. We may be entering some tough times in Phoenix, but that only makes someone like Booker's resolve grow stronger.
Devin Booker grew up watching and mimicking the greatness of Kobe Bryant. He saw the way Bryant persevered through some difficult times during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, while always remaining loyal to the organization. This has likely helped produce in him an even greater desire to withstand adversity, rather than taking the easy way out.
There's always room for circumstances to change, but right now Booker remains focused on bringing a championship to the Phoenix Suns. And who knows? There's probably a world in which the Suns get back into championship contention with Booker still acting as the centerpiece.
In basketball as in life, success is often more enjoyable after having withstood challenges and difficult circumstances. Nothing would be sweeter than Booker seeing things through until the end, and finally bringing the Suns a championship after all the adversity.