Guess who’s back in the headlines? Devin Booker. But not for a buzzer-beater or a record night. This time, it’s his brother who’s stirring the pot—and the timing couldn’t be louder. Davon Wade, Booker’s brother, posted a cryptic Instagram story listing the years 1976, 1993, and 2021 — the three seasons the Suns reached the NBA Finals. The message was simple: this franchise has been great before. So what’s going wrong now?
The timing of the post wasn’t random. The Suns had just been eliminated from playoff contention, wrapping up a disastrous season that began with title hopes and ended in silence. Devin Booker, the longest-tenured Sun, the homegrown hero, and the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, has found himself at the center of a storm.
After the team’s 118-99 blowout loss to Golden State, he didn’t mince words: “We don’t have winning habits right now,” he said. “And it’s not just one thing. It’s a lot of things.”
The cracks had been showing all year. Bradley Beal missed the start of the season. Kevin Durant shouldered the offensive load when Booker sat. And when all three shared the court? The chemistry looked off. Booker told FOX Sports, “Talent only gets you so far. I’ve been on teams with less talent that found ways to get more wins. It’s just the little things. What people always say, the details of the game. Although it sounds like we should know that at this part of our careers, it’s just something you need to form and develop and learn through trial and error.”
Dec 19, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) against the Indiana Pacers at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
To make things worse, head coach Mike Budenholzer — hired to stabilize the locker room — couldn’t manufacture an identity. “It’s raw. We just lost. It’s been a tough season,” he told reporters. He later added, “At a point where it’s 15 to 17 [points] and just sloppy, careless, didn’t take care of it. So that just added to what was already a problem.”
And the front office deserves its share of blame. GM James Jones and owner Mat Ishbia assembled a roster with no true point guard, poor perimeter defense, and zero flexibility under the new CBA. The team’s failure wasn’t just on the court — it was built into the blueprint. And now, with the front office boxed in and the roster cracking under pressure, the focus shifts to one question louder than the rest: What does all this mean for Devin Booker? Are the trade rumors real?
What’s Next for Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns?
Let’s be clear: Devin Booker doesn’t want to leave Phoenix. He’s said it multiple times. “I take pride in the community in Phoenix, the people that have supported me since I was 18, when things were ugly. And the people that are with us, we just fell short of accomplishing what we want. So I want to do it, and I want to do it here,” he said earlier this season. And Suns owner Mat Ishbia echoed the sentiment, calling Booker “untouchable” and claiming that a trade “will never happen.”
But words don’t build winners. And right now, Phoenix feels more broken than ever.
Let’s start with the numbers: this team will likely become the first in NBA history to cross a $400 million payroll. But with that money came dysfunction — not results. Injuries derailed any shot at chemistry, with Durant and Beal missing extended time. The Suns never found a rhythm. They never found a point guard, either. And defensively? Let’s not even go there.
“We never got on the same page,” Booker said after the Suns were officially eliminated. “We had the talent. We just didn’t have the identity.”
And that’s where the second half of this story begins. Because despite Booker’s loyalty, insiders around the league are buzzing about potential moves. The Houston Rockets — who own many of Phoenix’s future picks — are considered frontrunners if a rebuild begins. Oklahoma City, loaded with assets, has been floated as a potential suitor, too.
One Western Conference scout told The Athletic: “If the Suns don’t show a real plan by July, teams will start calling for Booker seriously. And he might start listening.” What would it take to move him? Multiple execs estimate a return of at least four first-round picks and a young star. But again, the question isn’t just can the Suns trade him — it’s should they?
Because Booker isn’t just a scorer. He’s the face of the franchise. He took Phoenix to the Finals in 2021. He stayed when others left. But loyalty has a limit — and dysfunction tests it. Booker hinted at that limit when asked if he’s willing to sit through another slow rebuild: “My whole career, except for the NBA, I’ve been a winner. I want to get back to that.”
So here’s where things stand:
The Suns are out of the playoffs.
Their financial flexibility is shot.
Their draft assets are depleted.
Their locker room? Unstable at best.
Advanced stats back it up. When KD, Beal, and Booker shared the floor, the Suns’ so-called “Big Three” posted a -4.1 net rating. That’s not just underwhelming—it’s downright disappointing for a trio that was supposed to strike fear into opponents. Defensively? Let’s not sugarcoat it. Phoenix finished 27th in the league (credit: stats.nba.com). That’s “can’t guard a chair” territory, and it showed night after night.
Dec 1, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (left) on the bench with forward Kevin Durant (center) and guard Devin Booker against the Denver Nuggets at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
And sure, the assist-to-turnover ratio sounds decent on paper—1.968, good for 11th in the NBA (shout-out to teamrankings.com for that one). But when you’re not even cracking the top 10 in taking care of the ball and your defense is leaking like a sieve? There will be questions! And they start from the locker room.
Did Durant, Beal, and Booker truly buy into Budenholzer’s system? Were roles ever clearly defined? Was there tension behind the scenes? We may never get concrete answers, but these are the whispers swirling around. And unless they’re addressed, these concerns will follow the franchise into the summer. Meanwhile, the fanbase is restless.
Phoenix might be a small market, but its basketball roots run deep. Local media and longtime supporters have voiced growing frustration — not just at the collapse, but at the silence afterward. If Booker were to leave, what kind of team fits best? One with structure. Defense. A pass-first point guard. A city with a clear plan — not just money. Think: Miami. Think: San Antonio. Think: somewhere that values the little things he keeps talking about.
Because the message from Booker’s brother wasn’t just nostalgia. It was a warning: “Remember what we were? Now look where we are.”
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