If you felt the ground shake slightly in Phoenix this summer, that wasn’t an earthquake — it was just the Suns rearranging their entire basketball identity (again), and at the center of this latest shake-up? You guessed it: Devin Booker.

Booker, the franchise’s sun (pun very intended) and long-time anchor through both winning highs and rebuild lows, is now facing yet another unexpected pivot. This time, it’s not about new teammates, injuries, or a random late-game turnover turned meme — it’s about the ball. As in, who controls it. Because apparently, it’s not going to be Booker anymore.

Yep, the new plan? Jalen Green is set to be the Suns’ primary ball-handler per John Gambadoro. Which is kind of like saying, “Hey Tom Brady, hand the play-calling headset to Mac Jones.” Bold. Confusing. Potentially genius. Or a very expensive experiment in the making.

Fresh off a trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, the Suns wasted zero time in flipping their offensive blueprint. Jalen Green — known for his bounce, confidence, and streaky scoring — is apparently taking the PG reins. Meanwhile, Devin Booker is still the engine, just not necessarily the driver.

And get this: Green didn’t sneak into this role. He actually called Booker ahead of the move, and according to him, Book was all in: “He called me when I was out in Phoenix trying to look for a house and stuff… From what I’ve read so far, just off his vibe and everything, he’s excited.”

You’ve got to love NBA camaraderie. A guy gets traded, calls his new co-star mid-Zillow search, and they plot their future like it’s a buddy-cop movie.

Let’s be clear: Devin Booker isn’t getting shoved into the corner like a confused toddler at a grown-up table. The offense will still run through him — he’s the team’s elite scorer, clutch-time shotmaker, and the face that’s been plastered all over every Suns season ticket ad since 2015. He just signed a $133.3 million extension through 2029-30 with a player option. Oh, and he signed it early enough to be trade-eligible before the 2026 deadline. That’s not foreshadowing… but also… it kind of is.

One league insider joked the extension feels a little like “hush money.” Not because Booker’s unhappy — but because Phoenix is making moves that scream, “Please don’t leave while we figure out how to unstick this mess.”

Beal’s Buyout and the Big Picture Pivot

Speaking of messes, let’s talk Bradley Beal. He’s gone. Bought out, waived, and now just an expensive ghost haunting the Suns’ books for years — to the tune of $19 million in dead cap annually.

The Beal move signaled something serious: Phoenix might finally be done pretending it’s one piece away from contention. Trading Durant. Buying out Beal. Handing the keys to Jalen Green. All signs point toward one of two routes:

1. Pivoting Around Devin Booker, or

2. Tearing It All Down for a Rebuild

And that brings us to the Suns’ front-office Rubik’s Cube.

If Phoenix chooses Path 1, everything needs to fit around Devin Booker and Jalen Green. You’ve got scorers, you’ve got centers (plenty of them), and now you just need reliable, do-it-all wings — the “dribble-shoot-pass-defend” types. Think guys who don’t need 20 shots, defend two positions, and hit open threes with the confidence.

That’s a narrow window to build through, but it’s possible.

If it’s Path 2 — the full rebuild — it gets messier. As Jason Timpf broke it down: “You take on bad salary in exchange for draft compensation… play young players on rookie contracts extensively… sign reliable role players… then flip them for more draft compensation.”

Translation: welcome to NBA purgatory, but with a long-term vision and lots of rookie hustle. Think Pistons, but with better weather.

Rumors say Phoenix may be looking into Jonathan Kuminga, the uber-athletic but still-developing Warriors forward. He’s not worth max money, but he does have tantalizing upside. Brett Siegel summed it up like this: “If the Suns could get Kuminga at an affordable deal and give him a long runway, I’m on board with it.”

That “runway” is the key. If the Suns are going to experiment with Booker off-ball, Jalen on-ball, and Kuminga running wild in transition, that’s a lot of talent… and a lot of growing pains. Like “2-for-17 from the field and still tweeting positive quotes” kind of growing pains.

Honestly? Probably what he always thinks: compete, adapt, and keep it moving. Booker’s seen this story before. New stars, new systems, new promises — and still, he shows up, gets buckets, and wears the face of the franchise like a tailored suit. But don’t sleep on the subtext here. He may be “excited,” but he’s also not locked in long-term. That 2029-30 player option might feel distant, but in NBA years, that’s basically tomorrow.

The league saw this with Lillard, with Beal, with even KD. Sometimes the clock starts ticking before the rebuild is officially announced.

Devin Booker’s role may be shifting slightly, but his importance hasn’t. Whether the Suns double down on building around him or quietly set the stage for a full reset, he remains the face of this franchise — at least for now.

And if you’re still wondering what to make of all this: new teammates, role reshuffles, buyouts, bold decisions — just remember this isn’t chaos. It’s the NBA’s version of spring cleaning… just with a $133 million centerpiece in the middle of the living room.