The Big3 experiment for the Phoenix Suns is truly over. With 0 playoff wins to their name. That’s right, the Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker partnership only made it to the playoffs once and missed it last season. That’s a change that was needed, and now Book remains the heart and soul of the Suns. In fact, the owner, Mat Ishbia, even offered a contract to a player who has been with the franchise for a decade. Plus, he has future plans aligned with the 28-year-old.

In between the Kevin Durant trade to the Rockets and the Bradley Beal buyout situation, the Phoenix fans had a glimmer of hope. The Suns just extended Booker’s contract by two more years and a jaw-dropping $145 million, bringing his total deal to a colossal $315 million. And the owner is pretty happy with the situation. “I don’t feel any pressure to win to keep Devin happy. Devin is going to be happy because we’re gonna try to win. We’re gonna do things that will be aligned with the visions and the identity that he agrees with 1000%.”

During his appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the Suns owner also explained the failed experiment with Big3. “I don’t need any external pressure to try to win. We want to win every single day, we want to get better every single day, but the expectations have changed. You know, when you have Kevin, Devin, and Brad, people think ‘championship or bust’. And we, unfortunately, busted two years in a row, right? It didn’t work.”

To get the Big 3 in action alongside the franchise cornerstone in Devin Booker, the Suns shelled out big money. In fact, they reportedly paid $303 million, from which $143 million was for Durant and the rest for Beal. But now it’s a reset and change in plans for the future, which Book is completely aligned with.

“We have Devin Booker. Devin is completely aligned. I’m not concerned about him at all. Besides that, he is Phoenix Suns basketball.” A huge statement from Ishbia, who trusts the 4x All-Star to the fullest. “Devin is part of our future and our present, and we’re going to build around him and we’re going to be hopefully make the fans proud. That’s what I’m most excited about.”

Devin Booker’s loyalty gets rewarded even before the deadline

Last season, the Suns finished with a 36-46 record and missed the postseason. The embarrassing part was that time and again, the team’s lack of effort was visible. Thus, they turned into one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. The reset began soon after the defeat as the team fired coach Mike Budenholzer, and now they have Jordan Ott at the helm. He was hired in June 2025 after previously serving as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, for the new coach, it’s not the Big 3 to work with, but to build around Devin Booker.

Let’s not forget that he’s an all-time scorer for the franchise and has spent a decade with them. Booker was already under team control until 2028. But the Suns’ front office handed over the keys early. He’s set to make $53.1 million in the second of a four-year, $220-million deal. And once that expires, he has already put pen to paper on a deal that will pocket him $72.5 million annual salary. This also makes it the richest per-year deal in NBA history. That is why the owner was very happy about the long-term future.

“And the long term could be a year or two or three, or could be ten. But we are going to build it the right way. We got to make our fans proud. No one’s gonna question whether I care. I promise you that.” Mat Ishbia bought the Phoenix Suns in late 2022, and came in with a lot of confidence and his big billionaire pockets. So far it hasn’t worked, but the Owner is aware and wants to change with Book being the centerpiece.