It’s been an up and down week for D-Book. On the downside, Devin Booker and Kendall Jenner broke off their well-publicized relationship after more than two years together. On the upside, the Phoenix Suns rewarded Booker with a four-year supermax contract extension worth $224 million.
Booker, 25, still has two more seasons remaining on his existing contract, and his supermax extension will kick in at the start of the 2024-25 season. Over the next six seasons, Booker will earn $295 million or, roughly, $49 million per season.
Booker led the Suns to the best record in the NBA last season at 64-18, helping them lock up the #1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Suns were upset in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks.
Booker finished fourth in the MVP race behind eventual winner Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo. He was also named to the All-Star team for a third consecutive season. Booker qualified for a supermax extension by making the All-NBA Team.
In 68 games with the Suns last season, Booker averaged 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He finished the season as the Suns’ primary offensive weapon and was the NBA’s sixth-best scorer. He also shot a career-best 38.3% from 3-point range.
And who can forget the night Booker torched the Boston Celtics for 70 points back in 2017?
Suns: Booker and KD Show?
The Suns saw a surge in their 2023 NBA Championship odds when news broke that Kevin Durant wants the Brooklyn Nets to trade him as soon as possible. The Miami Heat and the Suns are among Durant’s top choices, which is why the Suns are +600 odds to win the title and second on DraftKings’ NBA futures board.
The Suns were trying to build a championship team around their top two young players with Booker and Deandre Ayton, but were hesitant to offer Ayton — the former #1 pick from the 2018 NBA Draft — a hefty contract extension. They have a chance to match any offer that he gets from other teams, but it looks like Ayton won’t be with the team next season.
Head coach Monty Williams benched Ayton during Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Mavs. The Suns were destroyed by the Mavs in an insane blowout in which they trailed by as many as 46 points, and we still don’t know how that happened or why Ayton was benched. In a postgame press conference, Williams said it was an internal matter and never elaborated.
There were numerous sign-and-trade rumors involving Ayton before Durant’s trade request. The Suns could send Ayton to the Nets as part of a trade package for Durant, or they could trade Ayton elsewhere and use whatever draft capital they get in return to snag Durant.
A trio of Booker, Durant, and Chris Paul could lead the Suns back to the NBA Finals, where they were the runner-up in 2021 after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks.