Could Devin Booker be a future trade candidate?

[Mainstreet]

I think for most Suns fans to even talk about trading Devin Booker is sensitive. However, in NBA circles it's a topic for discussion for at least one former General Manager.

Devin Booker is listed as a player who could be traded in the future, as contrasted to now, if the Suns don't start winning.

Personally, I think the Suns are ready to start winning and are preparing to turn the corner for future success. If anything the Suns appear more prepared to add a star rather than trade one (Devin Booker).

This is an excerpt from a Duane Rankin article at azcentral:



Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox appeared on NBA TV on Monday and discussed six players who could be traded now, later this season and in the future.

"Of these six names, Chris Paul and (Andre) and Iguodala, we know that they're in the trade market and they're available," said Wilcox during NBA TV's 2019-20 regular-season schedule release special Monday.

"Of these other four names, we can probably take (Andrew) Wiggins and (Devin) Booker into the future," Wilcox continued.

"Chris Paul and (Andre) Iguodala, we know that they're in the trade market and they're available. Of these other 4 names, we can probably take (Andrew) Wiggins and (Devin) Booker into the future." Former #Hawks GM Wes Wilcox on @NBATV



https://www.azcentral.com/story/spo...ns-could-move-devin-booker-future/1991723001/

 

[Ronin]

I think so.
It is hard to say but if this team isn't winning in the near future, then I have no problem trading Booker.
Why waste his prime on a middling team?

That being said God I hope we turn it around this year.

 

[Krangodnzr]

If the Suns dont make major progress this year, I could see it happening.

Hopefully the Suns keep it under wraps and it doesnt become a dump situation. That would a disaster. If they could parlay Booker into multiple good young players and picks, I'd think about it.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't think the Suns are anywhere near the point of even thinking about trading Devin Booker. If they were, it would mark at least another rebuild or partial rebuild. I think the former GM is looking at worse case scenario. IMO, Booker is a much better player than Wiggins and they should not be mentioned in the same breath.

Again, I think the Suns are ready to win although it will probably take another season to completely turn the corner.

Much more likely, the Suns trade for a star at the trade deadline or next summer.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I don't think the Suns are anywhere near the point of even thinking about trading Devin Booker. If they were, it would mark at least another rebuild or partial rebuild. I think the former GM is looking at worse case scenario. IMO, Booker is a much better player than Wiggins and they should not be mentioned in the same breath.

Again, I think the Suns are ready to win although it will probably take another season to completely turn the corner.

Much more likely, the Suns trade for a star at the trade deadline or next summer.

Agreed. The Suns are much more so buyers right now than sellers. It would take another very bad year for Booker being traded would even be considered and that would be assuming that Booker asked out.

 

[Yuma]

In professional sports, everyone is a trade candidate. More so in basketball now that players control their own fates and demand trades more successfully than other sports. I would not be surprised. However, I would be surprised if Phoenix got enough back in a trade to make it propel us forward. It just seems we aren't making franchise successful trades lately. Hopefully that changes.

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

If he becomes disgruntled and I think he's been there at times with the organization, just not publicly...yet. IF he becomes a distraction, like any player, he needs to be packaged. But I think the Suns and Book will have a promising season this year.

 

[Mainstreet]

Agreed. The Suns are much more so buyers right now than sellers. It would take another very bad year for Booker being traded would even be considered and that would be assuming that Booker asked out.

We agree. The Suns are more likely buyers than sellers. It would shock me if the Suns stink up the place this season less major injury.

I'm not convinced there is a lot of daylight between the Jazz and Suns as far as talent is concerned and the Suns are in better position to make another major acquisition.

 

[Chaplin]

You have to start SOMEWHERE. If you keep trading your best assets before the team as a whole is ready to mature, the team will NEVER mature.

 

[Hoop Head]

The soonest the Suns might entertain the idea of trading Booker is probably 2 years from now, when Rubio's expiring, Ayton's up for an extension, and Oubre's deal just expired. That would be the time to go into rebuild mode, again, if they don't pick up any ground over the next 2 years. I don't want to see it happen but I wouldn't blame Booker if he asked out at that point either. Until then, it's all speculation based on assumptions that Booker will grow tired of being here.

Booker himself has come out and contradicted a ton of reports already about him asking for a trade. I doubt the national media members who suggest Booker will demand a trade know that he's set the record straight multiple times. He wants to be here but that can change. We shouldn't take it for granted. We got 2 years to turn into a playoff team and I think it's possible, if we want to keep Booker then we need to make it happen.

 

[Covert Rain]

First off nobody is untouchable regardless of what fans feel. So the short answer is yes.

Having said that, he is a piece of your core. It would have to be a very specific scenario where you are in a position to get multiple pieces or a different piece that makes you better. Either that or it makes no sense from the SUN'S perspective.

The x-factor is Booker. If this team doesn't start winning he is out of here. There were already rumors he was frustrated with the lack of progress. Even with all the moves the Suns are making if this team doesn't start improving? I think Booker forces a trade within the next two seasons.

 

[Matt L]

I wouldn't have a problem with trading Booker if he is healthy this year and the team is still in the bottom 3rd of the league. This team has been built with him as the focal point and he's entering his 5th year in the league. I know he is young but i think that this is the season that the team is going to find out if Booker is a GUY or if he is more of a complementary piece.

 

[AZCrazy]

Yeah, this team really should consider going into a rebuilding phase.

 

[Chaplin]

This thread is ridiculous. Devin Booker has improved at a rate as good as any player and yet you are basing whether he should be traded on the team. He hasn't had a good team, let alone a consistent one around him in his ENTIRE career.

Then I hear "Trade him if we are bottom THIRD of the NBA next summer." My God, that is almost CERTAINLY what is going to happen next summer and we want to trade him when he has 4 years left on a max deal? Yeah, first, not many teams will go for that. Don't be fooled by the Paul George trade. And second, in order to build a team, you have to start somewhere. Booker is a pretty good piece to start with. And let's face it, people, this team only STARTED to be built last summer. We can moan about it being 10 years, but we can all agree that the "rebuild" put in place by McDonough was an abject failure. THIS is the real rebuild right here. And signing Booker to the max deal was step number 2 (after drafting Ayton).

 

[Matt L]

This thread is ridiculous. Devin Booker has improved at a rate as good as any player and yet you are basing whether he should be traded on the team. He hasn't had a good team, let alone a consistent one around him in his ENTIRE career.

Then I hear "Trade him if we are bottom THIRD of the NBA next summer." My God, that is almost CERTAINLY what is going to happen next summer and we want to trade him when he has 4 years left on a max deal? Yeah, first, not many teams will go for that. Don't be fooled by the Paul George trade. And second, in order to build a team, you have to start somewhere. Booker is a pretty good piece to start with. And let's face it, people, this team only STARTED to be built last summer. We can moan about it being 10 years, but we can all agree that the "rebuild" put in place by McDonough was an abject failure. THIS is the real rebuild right here. And signing Booker to the max deal was step number 2 (after drafting Ayton).

I think he's a talented scorer but at some point these individual stats need to translate to wins.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think he's a talented scorer but at some point these individual stats need to translate to wins.

So one guy puts up stats and that's all it takes? I really can't imagine what kind of game he'd have to play to have turned our recent teams into any kind of a winner. This is still very much a team game and 22 year old players rarely carry teams to anything other than losses.

I think we'll see significant improvement this season but there's a lot of ways this team could fail this season that have nothing to do with Devin Booker's performance.

 

[Hoop Head]

Just to note, it took Lebron 3 years to get the Cavs into the playoffs and he was in the East. He came into the league straight from high school but Booker entered the league young enough that he can be compared to a lot of the high school to pro players. Booker isn't Lebron either. I'm simply mentioning how long it took a top 3 player of all time to get to the playoffs. The Suns with Booker can be compared to the early Cavs teams that Lebron was on also in terms of talent they play with. I don't think it's entirely fair to put the Suns record on Booker's shoulders, especially when he's been forced to play hurt and out of position the last 2 years.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Just to note, it took Lebron 3 years to get the Cavs into the playoffs and he was in the East. He came into the league straight from high school but Booker entered the league young enough that he can be compared to a lot of the high school to pro players. Booker isn't Lebron either. I'm simply mentioning how long it took a top 3 player of all time to get to the playoffs. The Suns with Booker can be compared to the early Cavs teams that Lebron was on also in terms of talent they play with. I don't think it's entirely fair to put the Suns record on Booker's shoulders, especially when he's been forced to play hurt and out of position the last 2 years.

I disagree with the idea that the Booker-led Suns had Cavs level talent but otherwise, I agree with this. The Cavs were bad but that roster was still better than the post-Goran Suns by quite a bit IMO. Although if everyone on our team had stayed healthy last year, they probably would have been comparable talent wise. They still wouldn't have won as many games as that Cavs team but as you mentioned, Booker, like any other player in today's game, falls well short of peak Lebron. I think Devin can become a great player, maybe even win an MVP or two but he'll never be as dominant as Lebron has been.

 

[Carolinacacti]

I hope us Suns fans get to see one just one season where Book plays 70+ games healthy before he is traded. If he is traded I think Health is the reason. And the Suns are not getting a gold mine back.

 

[Yuma]

This thread is ridiculous. Devin Booker has improved at a rate as good as any player and yet you are basing whether he should be traded on the team. He hasn't had a good team, let alone a consistent one around him in his ENTIRE career.

Then I hear "Trade him if we are bottom THIRD of the NBA next summer." My God, that is almost CERTAINLY what is going to happen next summer and we want to trade him when he has 4 years left on a max deal? Yeah, first, not many teams will go for that. Don't be fooled by the Paul George trade. And second, in order to build a team, you have to start somewhere. Booker is a pretty good piece to start with. And let's face it, people, this team only STARTED to be built last summer. We can moan about it being 10 years, but we can all agree that the "rebuild" put in place by McDonough was an abject failure. THIS is the real rebuild right here. And signing Booker to the max deal was step number 2 (after drafting Ayton).

I get what you are saying. I am not advocating a trade. I am of the opinion nothing surprises me anymore. I think we are seeing just the beginning of a better player. I look forward to that and would feel cheated if he left. I can see a number of scenarios in which the Suns may trade him. I don't see where we would get enough back for him to make it worth our while.

 

[Superbone]

I do not like this thread at all. If Booker gets traded anytime soon, then once again, we've had a big setback for this franchise after a series of setbacks.

 

[Mainstreet]

I do not like this thread at all. If Booker gets traded anytime soon, then once again, we've had a big setback for this franchise after a series of setbacks.

This topic was already out there. It came from a former GM who appeared on NBA TV.

I don't think controversial topics should be ignored.

Personally I think the Suns are ready to take the next step forward with Booker, Ayton, Bridges and Oubre.

In my opinion the more likely scenario is the Suns may be shopping for another star at the trade deadline or next summer.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

This is going to be like the Larry Fitzgerald to Minnesota thing every year isn't it?

 

[Chaplin]

This topic was already out there. It came from a former GM who appeared on NBA TV.

I don't think controversial topics should be ignored.

Personally I think the Suns are ready to take the next step forward with Booker, Ayton, Bridges and Oubre.

In my opinion the more likely scenario is the Suns may be shopping for another star at the trade deadline or next summer.

I see what you are saying, but IMO there are MANY controversial topics that should be ignored.

 

[Russ Smith]

FWIW and no inside knowledge just relaying what gets speculated, but when the Warriors acquired DeAngelo Russell and word leaked out they might have done it to trade him later, Booker was one of the names getting tossed around. Phoenix apparently had interest in Russell before the Warriors got him. I can't imagine Phoenix would do that deal straight up and I don't know what else the Warriors could throw in since they gave up multiple picks this offseason and don't really have much else to trade. but the notion that he might be traded was apparently out there a few months ago. I never took that one seriously because I just can't fathom a way the Warriors could offer enough to get Booker.

I guess we'll see but as an outsider it seems to me this is the year the Suns need to show major improvement, if they don't with a 2nd year Ayton and Booker coming into his prime, then maybe they look at moving Booker. Getting hosed in the draft lottery obviously didn't help. If Ayton shows a big jump that could result in more open looks for Booker boosting his FG% and then you're looking at 2 cornerstone players, if that doesn't happen then I can see them possibly look to move Booker.