PHOENIX — After getting swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Devin Booker and his future with the Phoenix Suns became a national talking point in recent days. The question: Would both parties be better off going their separate ways?
Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia seemingly put an end to that Thursday: “I’ll ride into a fire with Devin Booker, and I’ll do it proudly,” he said during an end-of-season media session at the Suns practice facility. “Devin Booker’s not getting traded. We’re going to win a championship here with Devin Booker.”
Booker, 29, just finished his 11th season in Phoenix. He was the league’s ninth-leading scorer during the regular season at 26.1 points per game, but struggled to establish rhythm in the playoffs against a Thunder defense designed to stop him. In a four-game sweep, Booker averaged 21.3 points and 4.8 assists. His 63 field-goal attempts ranked behind Dillon Brooks (85) and Jalen Green (83). Booker did shoot a team-high 28 free throws.
The performance prompted questions locally and nationally about Booker’s status as a league superstar and whether he can still elevate the Suns to a title contender. Last summer, Booker signed a two-year maximum contract extension worth $132 million that’s set to kick in during the 2028-29 season and keep Booker in Phoenix through his age-33 season.
“Devin Booker is everything that we want here in Phoenix as a leader, as the star player in the community, on the court, off the court,” Ishbia said. “People don’t realize the gravity he brings to a basketball game. I can go through all (the) details, but the truth is, Devin Booker is a winner and he cares and does all the little things that maybe the normal eyes don’t see and catch.”
Coming off one of the more disappointing seasons in franchise history, the Suns were a feel-good story this season before fading in the second half, partly due to injuries. They finished 45-37, securing the Western Conference’s seventh seed in the Play-In Tournament, where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers and beat the Golden State Warriors to advance to a first-round matchup with the top-seeded Thunder.
Booker was the team’s top scorer and playmaker, which meant he had a lot of responsibility in coach Jordan Ott’s offense. He averaged 33.5 minutes during the regular season (fewest since his rookie season), but some of the worst efficiency numbers of his career.
General manager Brian Gregory pointed out Booker’s ability to draw fouls (his 220 shooting fouls drawn were the most of Booker’s career) and how his presence opened up scoring opportunities for Brooks, Green, Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie. But his best quality, Gregory said, is his willingness to improve.
“He knows how important he is,” Gregory said. “More importantly, his teammates know.”
