‘Blockbuster’ Trade Proposal Sends Suns Star Devin Booker To Spurs

One NBA analyst proposed that the San Antonio Spurs acquire Devin Booker from the Phoenix Suns this offseason. 

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following blockbuster trade idea between the Spurs and Suns:

The trade: The San Antonio Spurs trade Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, Zach Collins, Blake Wesley, the No. 4 pick, the No. 8 pick, a 2025 first-round pick (via ATL) and a 2027 first-round pick (via ATL) to the Phoenix Suns for Devin Booker

The Suns won 49 games this season but were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. 

Meanwhile, the Spurs won only 22 games. 

“The names and picks heading to the Suns here almost don’t matter, because the Spurs have so much more to offer,” Buckley wrote. “If Booker was truly on the table, they might only make Victor Wembanyama off-limits. (Asking for Devin Vassell could torpedo the talks, though, or at least greatly reduce the amount of assets included with him.)

“Value-wise, this feels relatively close to what Booker is worth—and especially what he’d be worth to the Spurs. They need a primary creator to pair with Wembanyama, and Booker is one of the best in the business. He just authored his fourth career campaign with at least 25 points, five assists and two three-pointers per game. The list of players ever to match or exceed that feat is only eight names long.

“A Booker-Wembanyama pairing would be a vicious NBA Jam-style twosome, not to mention the foundation of a full-fledged contender for years to come. Again, the Spurs probably have no shot at Booker this summer, but it’d be worth a few phone calls to find out for sure before moving on to other primary playmaker pursuits.”

Booker will make $49.4 million next season. He signed a four-year, $221 million extension with the Suns in July 2022. 

One of the best scorers in the NBA, Booker averaged 27.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season while shooting 49.2% from the field, 36.4% from beyond the arc and 88.6% from the free-throw line. 

Booker, who turns 28 in October, has career averages of 24.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics during the 2016-17 season. 

The Suns fired Frank Vogel after one season and hired Mike Budenholzer. The franchise enters the offseason with $209 million in salary, the biggest payroll of any NBA team, and faces a projected luxury tax penalty of $116 million.

Wembanyama had a fantastic rookie season for the Spurs. He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.6 blocks while shooting 46.5% overall, 32.5% from 3 and 79.6% from the foul line.

The 20-year-old led the NBA in blocks and blocks per game and won the Rookie of the Year Award.