Devin Booker On Suns: ‘We’re Trying To Win This Year And Years To Come’

During an interview with NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Devin Booker talked about the Phoenix Suns‘ goals. 

The Suns are in win-now mode with Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal on the roster. 

“Everybody here is on the same page,” Booker told ESPN. “We’re in win-now mode. We want excellence. We know it’s not going to be easy. It’s a new team, but when you give up that much, we’re trying to win this year and years to come.”

The Suns are 12th in the NBA in points per game and 16th in points per game allowed. They are in sixth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 36-26. 

Per Shelburne, the Suns are one of five teams over the so-called “second apron.” Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia is willing to pay whatever it takes to win a championship. 

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Ishbia said. “If we’ve got to go over the second apron on [the youth] team, too. We’ll go over the second apron. … I understand all the rules that come with the second apron. I understand exactly what the CBA tried to do. I read it, I know it inside and out, and we made a calculated decision that we think the team with the best players wins.

“Would I rather have Brad Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker than just having two of those guys? I’d rather have all three a hundred times out of a hundred, and I don’t think there’s another GM or owner or CEO that wouldn’t say that exact same thing.”

The Suns lost to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2023 playoffs in six games. It will be intriguing to see how far Phoenix goes in the 2024 postseason with Durant, Booker and Beal leading the way.