Why can’t the Phoenix Suns admit it’s time to enter a full-scale rebuild?
Shooting guard Devin Booker agreed to a two-year, $145M maximum contract extension with the Suns through the 2029-30 season on Wednesday night, via ESPN’s Shams Charania. He now has five years and $316M total on his contract.
Booker has made four All-Star Games in 10 seasons with Phoenix, but the team could be putting too much confidence in him. More importantly, the deal may prevent the Suns from revamping their roster after they went 36-46 and missed the playoffs last season.
The Suns are still cash-strapped after trading for power forward Kevin Durant (now with the Houston Rockets) and shooting guard Bradley Beal in 2023. Spotrac estimates they’re $90.67M over the salary cap and $11.48M over the second apron. These figures don’t include the Booker extension.
Per The Athletic’s Fred Katz, the Suns are attempting to buy out the rest of Beal’s contract to get under the second apron and save cap room. Beal, who has two years and $110.8 million left on his deal, must give the team at least $13.8 million so it can waive him and spread his contract over several years.
Even if he does, that may not provide the financial flexibility they need to surround Booker with an elite supporting cast. The Suns would still be on the hook for a $19.4M dead cap hit every season through the 2029-30 season.
Booker has yet to prove he can carry a team himself. When the Suns made the NBA Finals during the 2020-21 season, they had point guard Chris Paul, a future Hall of Famer, as his backcourt partner.
Phoenix’s active roster may not have a player who can fill this role. Shooting guard Jalen Green — whom they acquired for Durant — averaged 20.1 points per game in four seasons with Houston but hasn’t made an All-Star Game.
It’s also fair to wonder if the Suns should’ve considered trading Booker for more draft picks. Plenty of teams would’ve been interested in the 28-year-old scorer, perhaps the Detroit Pistons or the Denver Nuggets.
The Suns don’t seem committed to rebuilding, which could be why they’re giving Booker a mega-deal. However, it seems that’s just delaying the inevitable.
