Point: Trade Devin Booker.
Welcome to the How to Fix the Suns series, where we break down the paths available to the Phoenix Suns as they navigate the 2025 offseason.
Fixing the Phoenix Suns. It’s no easy task. Things are bleak in the Valley right now, and the only way out is straight through it. That means having tough, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about players we love, and what their futures might mean for this franchise.
As we continue this thought exercise on how to reshape the Suns, it leads us to one of the most beloved figures in franchise history: Devin Booker. What he’s meant to this city over the past decade is impossible to quantify. In a time when the team lacked an identity, Booker gave Phoenix one. He’s aligned with the community, invested in it, and given it reason to believe.
But as we explore every possible path for this team moving forward, we’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t at least consider the unthinkable: the reasons why you might trade Devin Booker.
Just like we did last week with Kevin Durant, I’ll lay out the case for trading Booker here, followed by a counterpoint article making the argument to keep him. Then, we’ll open it up to the community and ask the tough questions: Should the Suns trade Devin Booker? And will they?
So, let’s get into it.
The Return
For those who believe trading Devin Booker is the right path for the Phoenix Suns, this is the core of their argument. And truthfully? They’re not wrong.
Right now, Booker carries the highest value of anyone on the roster. He’s heading into his 11th season at just 28 years old, squarely in the heart of his prime. A four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, Booker’s résumé speaks for itself, and his proven upside would likely command a significant return of players and draft capital from any team willing to make the move.
If you believe a hard reset is what this franchise truly needs, if you see this moment as the inflection point where everything turns, then moving Booker makes sense. It’s the clearest, cleanest way to wipe the whiteboard, redefine the identity of the organization, and stockpile the resources necessary to build the next iteration of the Suns. The kind of reset that lets you choose your direction, your pace, and your future.
And while it’s painful to even consider, there’s a logic to it.
If you’re not going to trade Booker now, then when? Three years from now, when he’s on the other side of 30 and the league’s appetite for aging stars has cooled? The return at that point, while still potentially valuable, won’t match what you could command for him today. Right now, you’re dealing from a position of strength.
So if you believe this is the moment for a full reset, you pull the trigger now. You capitalize on his peak value, reshape the future, and avoid clinging too long to what was, at the expense of what could be.
Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images
Can You Win a Championship with Booker as Your Guy?
Only one team lifts the trophy every year. But if you’re serious about chasing a championship,if that’s the true, unapologetic end goal, then you have to ask yourself the hard question: Do you have the guy who can get you there?
Strip away the emotions, the jerseys sold, the highlights, the loyalty to the name on the back. It’s a fair, necessary question: Can you win a championship if Devin Booker is your best player?
And if your honest answer to that is no, then what’s the point? Why hang onto him just to stay relevant? To hover around playoff contention and tell yourself you’re close when you know deep down you aren’t?
If the ultimate vision is confetti raining down inside PHX Arena, a parade down Central in 118° June heat, celebrating a moment this city’s never known…then maybe you need to move off of Devin Booker.
Because every team that wins a title has the guy. The one who can take every hit, every double team, every playoff war, and come out imposing his will, not wilting under someone else’s. Look at recent history: Boston had Tatum. Denver had Jokic. Golden State had Steph. Milwaukee had Giannis. The Lakers had LeBron. There’s a pattern here.
And so it comes down to this: Is Devin Booker that guy?
If you believe he isn’t—that he’s a brilliant perpetual Robin in a league where only Batmans hang banners—then trading him isn’t betrayal. It’s just business. And it makes the future much easier to navigate.
You’d Be Doing Him a Favor
Let’s let a little emotion back into the room, shall we?
Because you love Devin Booker. You’ve watched him grow up here. Watched him become not just a great player, but a great person. You’ve seen what he’s meant to this city, this fan base, this franchise. And truth be told? You feel sorry for him. Sorry that this organization has wasted too many of his prime years fumbling around in the dark. Yeah, the superteam came to him, but it was the wrong one. The Suns lacked vision, lacked leadership, and lacked direction when they threw this roster together.
So maybe you trade Devin Booker not because you want to, but because you want something better for him. You want him to have a shot somewhere else. Somewhere with structure, with purpose, with a chance to chase what he deserves. He’s a peacock, man. You gotta let him fly.
And if you’re a true Booker Stan? That’s what you should want too. Because being a Stan isn’t about the jersey he wears. It’s about the name on the back. When the team wins, it’s because your guy led them there. When they lose, it’s because everyone else let him down. It’s an easy, loyal, unapologetic place to live.
So for the Book Stans out there, this is your reason. You trade him because you love him. Not his situation.
you don’t deserve Booker. trade the poor guy and rebuild.
— iDespiseMLB (@iDespiseMLB) April 7, 2025
Alright, here’s your case. A few clear, maybe uncomfortable reasons why trading Devin Booker this offseason isn’t as outlandish as it might feel in your gut.
As for me? I’ll save my definitive take for the end of Devin Booker Week. But now it’s your turn. Why should the Suns trade Devin Booker? Is it about value? About timing? About compassion for a guy stuck in a flawed situation? About finally resetting the culture? Or maybe, for you, it’s about none of those things.
Drop your thoughts. Agree, disagree, call me crazy. I wanna hear it.
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