Phoenix Suns' Entire Future Rests on a Single Decision by Devin Booker
· Yahoo Sports
The Phoenix Suns are clearly trying to contend in the Western Conference.
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The re-signing of Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Mark Williams, along with the trade for Miles Bridges, makes that clear. However, those improvements do not feel significant enough to pull the Suns out of Play-In Tournament territory, especially in the loaded West.
This leaves franchise cornerstone Devin Booker with a major decision that could potentially be made as soon as next season. Does he want to spend the rest of his prime in Phoenix?
If the answer to that is no, the Suns' entire future becomes bleak at best.
The Suns do not have full control of their own first-round pick until 2032, meaning rebuilding through the NBA Draft will be near impossible for the foreseeable future. It's been made obvious through their slew of blockbuster moves that the front office and ownership have no desire to rebuild. However, Booker asking out would leave them no other choice.
Sure, the team could net a solid return for the 29-year-old, but the Jaylen Brown trade proves the market for expensive contracts is less than most expect.
Phoenix has started to build out a youthful core highlighted by Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, and Koa Peat, but none hold the potential to evolve into a franchise cornerstone. Maluach is a defensive-minded center, Fleming is a developing second-round pick, and Peat is a forward with a poor jump shot.
This is why Booker sticking around is so important.
He can draw other stars to Phoenix, so the front office can continue competing while its picks belong to other organizations. Booker clearly has that gravity, as he's teamed up with Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal throughout his tenure in The Valley.
Booker is also the sole reason Suns fans still show up to games and have any level of confidence in leadership.
To put it simply, a Suns team without Booker is a team without a future.
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