The Phoenix Suns are in the midst of a busy offseason, and they took care of their own recently by extending Devin Booker's current contract by a further two years and roughly $145 million. A huge financial commitment to their franchise cornerstone, and it came as the perfect tonic for the organization after a rough couple of seasons which led to Kevin Durant's exit.
Zach Lowe took to his podcast on The Ringer network on Spotify to break down both Booker and Chet Holmgren's extensions after both had been confirmed - and despite being as big a fan of Booker as you will find in the league - Lowe did also hit Suns' fans with a dose of reality now that the ink has dried on the extension.
Devin Booker is not a top 10 player in the NBA right now.
While that sentence might not shock you, consider that he will be making north of $70 million in the final couple of years of his newly extended contract. That's a lot of dollars for a guy who hasn't been among the best of the best in the league since 2021, and who will be taking up nearly 35 percent of the Suns' cap by the time the extension kicks in.
Lowe did also go on to say that he consistently rates Booker "two or three spots higher" than everybody else when The Ringer does their top players list, so he was not saying this to generate hate or to annoy The Valley. He's just being honest about where the 28-year-old is in the pecking order of the league right now, while also accepting this was a deal the Suns had to make.
Owner Mat Ishbia has gone on record numerous times talking about Booker being the face of the franchise, although quite why they chose this moment to do the extension is anybody's guess. Most likely because the organization is about to go through a re-tooling process - and if Booker decides midway through next season he's out on how long that will take - it is in theory easier to trade him.
Lowe might not get too much resistance on his stance on Booker, but that's not all on the player either. He is at his best when he can be the primary scoring option, like when Chris Paul was in town feeding him the ball in his spots each night. Contrast that with the last two plus seasons, when Booker deferred to Durant and he had to split point guard duties with Bradley Beal.
Despite Beal likely being bought out any day now, General Manager Brian Gregory has again spoken about "Point Booker" being a thing again next season, which is a sorry use of his talents. The show is now Booker's once again, and time is certainly on his side to change this perception of him. In the wake of signing that monster extension however, it is a worrying sign of how he is viewed in the NBA.