The Phoenix Suns are currently in a precarious position. Their star-studded trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal could not take the team past the playoffs during the ongoing tournament. Furthermore, maintaining their salaries during the next season will cause the team to go past the newly established ‘Second Apron’ initiative and put them in danger of incurring severe penalties. As a result, rumors have started swirling about whether one player may get traded to improve the franchise’s situation. With the name of Devin Booker gaining more and more prominence in this situation, two NBA analysts took it upon themselves to discuss how the scenario would turn out.

A few hours ago, Fox Sports 1 host Colin Cowherd released another episode of his highly watched podcast. With ‘Hoops Tonight’ anchor Jason Timpf joining in as co-host, the duo discussed candidates for a possible Suns trade. Timpf believes that Beal’s value is “too low”, while Durant is too “old” to be traded away. Booker, however, is someone for whom the franchise could get “a hall”.

“I would call Orlando, and I’d be like ‘Hey, you’ve got Paola Banchero, but you just lost a series to the Cavs because nobody can create a shot other than Paolo’” said Timpf. “You need somebody that can come in and just be like a skilled guard next to Paolo Banchero. So, if I would call them and I’d be like ‘I want Jaylen Suggs I want Jonathan Isaac and I want Wendell Carter Jr’, that’s a lot”.

If getting three prominent players at the price of one wasn’t enough, the co-host even suggested that Magic should throw in “a draft pick or two” in that deal as well. Such a trade would allow the Suns to form a deadly roster consisting of Jaylen Suggs-Bradley Beal on the scoring side, Jonathon Issac-Kevin Durant putting up a staunch defense, while Wendall Carter Jr. would replace the “slow-footed” Jusuf Nurkić as Center. At the same time, it would reduce the tension of getting rid of a veteran player like Kevin Durant to rebuild the team.

Timpf’s main reasoning for the Magic to accept Booker is that the franchise needs a good shooter. During their regular season run, only Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were the 2 players amongst a field of 18 that could average 10+ field goal attempts per game. Furthermore, except for the duo, no one else could even average more than 4 free throw attempts. On the other hand, Devin Booker averaged 19.2 field goal attempts, 6.7 free throws, and 6.1 three-pointers during the regular season. So, the player could actually contribute to the team’s scoring efforts if he collaborated alongside Banchero and Wagner.

What other teams can choose to acquire Devin Booker as part of a trade?

The Orlando Magic is another team amongst the vast sea of prospects that the Suns can choose to trade with. Devin Booker himself has shown no indication of stepping away from the team with whom he has spent the entirety of his 9-year NBA career. However, if he changes his mind soon, Fox Sports journalist Ric Bucher believes that there are two teams with which the player could try out his luck.

“San Antonio has the assets to get him,” said Bucher. “So does Oklahoma City. And it’s really the only way Phoenix can change course”. Going to OKC would pair Booker with someone like Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and allow him to play for a franchise that has managed to get to the playoffs six times in the last 10 years. While the Spurs track record hasn’t been impressive for quite some time now, a pairing of him and Victor Wembanyama may help the franchise to establish a proper momentum.

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Bucher and Stephen A. Smith recently highlighted the then-unconfirmed rumors that the 27-year-old shooting guard may be looking to join the New York Knicks. However, the same speculation has now been squashed.

Whatever team Devin Booker chooses, one thing is clear: the Suns cannot afford to retain its golden trio for the 2024-25 season. If it’s not going to be ‘Book’, then it will be someone else.