The lopsided sweep to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round was a bitter pill to swallow for the Phoenix Suns ownership, who went all-in with their “Big 3” of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
After such an embarrassing first-round flameout and with limited options to retool this summer, the Suns could either run it back and foolishly expect a different result or break up their Big 3 to balance out their roster for a better chance to compete in the loaded Western Conference.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report proposed a trade featuring Devin Booker, who will most likely get the Suns the best return among their trio of stars.
Bailey’s Proposed Trade:
Utah Jazz Receive: Devin Booker
Phoenix Suns Receive: John Collins, Collin Sexton, a 2025 first-round pick (via Cleveland), a 2026 first-round pick (via Minnesota or Cleveland), a 2027 first-round pick (via Los Angeles), a 2028 first-round pick and a 2029 first-round pick (via Minnesota)
For the Jazz, this trade is a no-brainer as they would give them a dynamic duo in Booker and 2023 Most Improved Player of the Year and All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, who are both in their primes.
Why Suns Should Consider Devin Booker Trade
Booker is the longest-tenured Suns player, whose $221 million extension kicks in next season. Because he is their biggest trade chip, trading him at his highest value could give them flexibility to reshape and balanced out their roster with Durant and Beal or completely tear down and rebuild, which is unlikely in Suns owner Matt Ishbia’s card.
Bailey cited two reasons why Suns should consider this trade.
“With this deal, the Suns would suddenly go from having no control over any first-round picks from 2025 to 2030 to having one in each of the five drafts after this one,” Bailey wrote. “They wouldn’t be able to improve the position of any of those picks by tanking, but it’s still a preferable situation to the one they’re in now, at least in terms of draft assets.
And if Collin Sexton (who quietly may have been a top 50 player this season) and John Collins played well enough on a torn-down roster to juice their own trade values, Phoenix might be able to flip either or both for more picks before the 2025 trade deadline.”
The other scenario is Sexton and Collins lead the Suns supporting cast around Durant and Beal.
Sexton has $36.9 million left on his curent $70.9 million, four-year deal. Collins is guaranteed for $26.5 million next season and has a player option for the 2025-26 season. Both players’ contracts align with Durant unless he extends with the Suns this summer.
Devin Booker ‘Not Himself’ This Season
According to Shams Charania and Doug Haller of The Athletic, Booker “wasn’t himself in these playoffs.”
Booker, a four-time NBA All-Star, only averaged 20.3 points in the first three games before exploding for 49 in their 122-116 loss in Game 4 which went down as the most competitive game of their opening-round series against the Timberwolves.
“From his first NBA season, Booker has understood and embraced the responsibility that comes with being a face of the franchise,” Charania and Haller wrote. “But this season, something was missing.”
Booker tried to accommodate both Durant and Beal. But so in doing, there was no true leader of the team who emerged among the Suns’ Big 3.
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