Devin Booker was the third-leading scorer for a 38-1 Kentucky Wildcats team as a true freshman coming off the bench, playing alongside lottery selections like Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein. While they ended up losing in the Final Four that season, that ended up being the most success Booker saw till his sixth season in the NBA when he made the NBA Finals.
Flash forward to now, the Suns have gone downhill since making the Finals, and are likely to part ways with star Kevin Durant this offseason via trade after bringing in Booker’s 8th head coach of his NBA career, all of which have been with Phoenix. All of this led to a reaction from ex-New Orleans Pelicans player Kendrick Perkins, as he used his platform on ESPN to defend Booker during this time.
“He’s just starting his prime. His prime has been activated. This team is not going nowhere… I don’t want to ever get to the point where I look at him and call him a loser,” Perkins said. The Suns recently made their new head coach hire with Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott, who enters an awkward situation in Phoenix with the roster expected to see a lot of change before next year.
Amid all this dysfunction in Phoenix, Booker has shone over the last seven seasons, averaging 26.5 points per game. That mark is the eighth best in the NBA over that stretch, ahead of names like James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Jayson Tatum. However, the situation around Booker hasn’t been ideal since that 2021 Finals run.
If Phoenix can turn Durant into some quality players and or assets while shedding Bradley Beal off the team’s books, the Suns can start to construct a roster that is a better fit for today’s game and not have all their money go to three star players.
14-Year NBA Veteran Urges Devin Booker to Leave Phoenix Suns
New Report on Unexpected NBA Trade Offers for Zion Williamson
4x NBA All-Star May Upset Warriors Fans With Bold Thunder Statement
