SBN Reacts: Hold onto Devin Booker even if the rebuild calls your name

Devin Booker deserves better, and the Suns still have time to deliver.

Devin Booker Week is drawing to a close here at Bright Side. Over the past several days, we’ve debated the pros and cons of putting the Chosen Son on the market, weighing the benefits of moving him against the reasons to keep him right where he is. It’s a question any new front office member must be willing to ask, and one that new GM Brian Gregory would be wise to contemplate.

It would be irresponsible not to conduct the thought exercise, to explore what paths exist, and to understand the market for your most valuable asset. Even if the answer is to hold, you owe it to the franchise to know what’s out there.

Now that we’ve weighed every angle, it’s time to see where the pulse of the fanbase landed in our polling, and for me to share my final thoughts on what the Suns should ultimately do.

Let’s start with the question of should. Should the Phoenix Suns trade Devin Booker?

According to our poll, 39% of you said “yes”. The team should move on from the Booker.

It’s a number higher than some might have expected, but maybe not surprising given the state of the franchise. Odds aren’t out yet on where Vegas believes Devin Booker could end up, but they’ll be brought to you by FanDuel.

I understand where people are coming from and why they think now is the time to do so. Trading Devin Booker now isn’t betrayal. It’s a Viking funeral: a fiery sendoff that honors his greatness while admitting the kingdom must rebuild. His value is peaking, your roster is cracking, and holding on any longer is like skydiving with a silk parachute and no backup plan.

But the other 61% believe that trading Devin Booker now is like pawning Excalibur for butter knives. Sure, you’ll get something back, but good luck slaying dragons with it. Don’t rewrite the script by killing off the lead before the story’s even finished.

But will the Suns trade him? Only 8% think the Suns will do so.

As I continue building my thesis on how to fix the Phoenix Suns — a blueprint I’ll eventually publish as a step-by-step process for how I believe this can realistically be accomplished — I do so knowing full well it’ll be torn apart. The community will poke holes in it, challenge my reasoning, and debate every conclusion I reach. And honestly, it should be that way. That’s what makes this worth doing.

But this particular decision? For me, it’s a no-brainer.

The Kevin Durant situation? That one keeps me up at night. It’s layered, complicated, and frankly far tougher to reconcile. But Devin Booker? It’s simple.

You don’t trade Devin Booker.

I keep circling back to a foundational truth in this league: when you have a star in their prime, you build around them. You don’t drive the ball to the opponent’s 30-yard line and punt. You press forward. You try to score. You exhaust every option to make that window count.

And while I hope readers can understand that I’ve considered all sides of this argument — and I truly have — my stance doesn’t waver. I get why some fans are ready for a teardown. The allure of draft picks, financial flexibility, and starting fresh can be seductive when things feel stuck. But me? I’m not there. Not now. Not with this player.

Because what are we really chasing by moving Booker? Draft capital with the hope that one of those picks turns into an All-Star…someday? A young prospect who, if everything breaks right, might enter his prime in five years? That’s not a plan. It’s a prayer.

I’d rather have a known star surrounded by role players than no star at all.

Having Devin Booker on your roster means you still have a shot. A shot to trade for another star, to attract talent to play alongside him, to pivot if needed. No marquee free agent is coming to Phoenix to play with the 24th pick in the 2028 draft, a pick acquired from a contender you just empowered by sending them your franchise player.

Have the Suns fumbled Booker’s prime up to this point? Absolutely. But the window isn’t shut. There are still moves to make, paths to explore. And even if next season turns ugly as the team course-corrects, Devin Booker will be just 30 going into the following year. I can live with building around a 30-year-old All-NBA player. I’d much rather bet on that than gamble on the blind promise of draft picks and cap space.

And as for the money, I’m not afraid of it. Yes, his salary will rise to 40% of the cap when his extension hits in 2028-29. But with the cap projected to climb, that percentage drops back to 36% the following year. It’s a big number today, but it’ll be a standard superstar deal by the time it hits.

Some fans are eager to hit the reset button now. And guess what? If four years from now this team still hasn’t figured it out, you’ll still be able to trade Devin Booker. The return might be smaller, but it’ll still be significant. The reset option isn’t going anywhere.

So I’m setting aside the temptation to tear it down. I’m choosing to bet on Booker. For better or worse, I believe it’s the Suns’ best chance to win anything meaningful.

And if that makes me stubborn, so be it.

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