With things appearing to be going downhill for Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker’s future seems uncertain. While many analysts believe the Suns are committed to Booker, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith urged the four-time NBA All-Star to leave Phoenix, warning that the team would be in a mess following Durant’s departure.
Why Devin Booker Should Leave Phoenix if Suns Move Kevin Durant This Offseason?
Booker is in his 10th NBA season and is the all-time leading scorer of the Suns at 15,960 points. He’s averaging 26 points per game this season, but Phoenix is struggling 28-33 and is at serious risk of missing the play-in tournament.
Given the Suns’ condition, Smith suggested it would be better for Booker to find a new home.
“I think so,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on March 3. “We’ve got to look at the Phoenix Suns situation. They went all in to get Kevin Durant. It’s kind of inexplicable.”
Smith further claimed that the Phoenix needed to ship one of Durant or Booker, and if they decided to go with the former, the Suns would be worse than the mess they are in at the moment.
“If I’m Devin Booker, this is what you’re going to do if you’re the Phoenix Suns,” Smith said. “You have to move Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. If you don’t move Devin Booker and you move Kevin Durant, you’re going to get assets, but those assets that you’re going to get is basically a reclamation project. If you’re Booker, you don’t want to stick around for that.”
“So, therefore, you might want to leave. He’s only about 28 years of age. Been in the league for about 10 years. You’re just looking at them right now; this is an absolute, positive mess. There’s no way around it, and as far as I’m concerned, if I was him, I’d want out.”
"I think so."
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said Devin Booker should want to leave the Phoenix Suns
"If I'm Devin Booker, this is what you're going to do if you're the Phoenix Suns. You have to move Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. If you don't move Devin Booker and you move Kevin… pic.twitter.com/HDmd7uNKXN
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 3, 2025
While Booker hasn’t shown any desire to play elsewhere, the current situation could change things. Phoenix has lost eleven of its last 14 games and currently sits 11th in the Western Conference standings, three games back from an NBA Play-In spot, a position that falls well short of preseason expectations.
Having signed his supermax extension in 2022, Booker could choose to decline the $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 this summer. This would make him eligible to receive a three-year, $212 million deal either with the Suns or another franchise willing to take on his salary, to which there surely would be plenty.
