15 Devin Booker trades that will never happen

Put down the torches and pitchforks: Devin Booker isn’t going anywhere. The Phoenix Suns have zero interest in trading the face of their franchise, they’re not moving on from any member of the Big 3 this summer, and Booker still absolutely, unequivocally wants to be in the Valley. The only people interested in Devin Booker trades are would-be suitors and national talking heads, all of whom are operating under wishful thinking or disingenuous rumor-mongering.

We’ve already seen as much, like when there was inaccurate speculation in April that Booker wanted to join the New York Knicks. The Suns don’t need to blow it up or make drastic moves; their best path forward is tinkering on the margins and hoping a year of continuity and a new head coach will make the biggest difference.

So why bring it up at all?

Well, for anyone who’s new here, this has been a weekly segment for a month now. In order to be as fair and thorough as possible, we’re going through hypothetical trade scenarios for all seven Suns players currently under contract. It’s a thought experiment in order to help people understand the lay of the NBA landscape, as well as what is and isn’t possible under the new CBA for a second tax apron team like Phoenix:

So no, we’re not turning heel or endorsing any ridiculous suggestions that the Suns should actually trade their 27-year-old franchise star who’s in his prime. Booker has led this organization out of its most miserable decade in 50-plus years of existence as a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection. He helped Phoenix reach its third-ever NBA Finals, a franchise-record 64 wins, and a level of relevance that attracted star talents like Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

Book will go down as the greatest player in franchise history if he can lead the Suns to the promised land, and even if he never does, he’ll still have a case for that designation by the time his career is over. You don’t trade players like that unless they want out, and Booker doesn’t want out.

However, because we’re seeing this exercise through to the end, because we already know none of these deals will happen, and because it’s the offseason and we have nothing better to do, we’re continuing with 15 hypothetical Devin Booker trades. As always, here are the disclaimers:

1. These trades are not what I think the Suns should or shouldn’t do, but rather, an exercise to show what’s possible under the current CBA. We’re simply trying to paint a picture of what is and isn’t realistic in the event a specific player gets traded.
2. Remember, Phoenix can’t combine salaries in any trade, nor can they take back additional money in any trade. In any hypothetical Booker trade, the Suns are not allowed to take back a single dollar more than his 2024-25 salary ($49,350,000).
3. To that end, I went through all 29 other teams’ books to figure out which contracts legally work in Devin Booker trades before narrowing it down to deals that might actually make sense (even if none of them will happen).
4. Unless otherwise indicated, the trade targets included here are not based on sourced information.
5. To be fair to everyone involved, we’re doing one of these articles for all seven Suns players under contract (Nassir Little, David Roddy, Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant), so sit tight.

If you still have questions about the second tax apron or why Phoenix’s best course is to just run it back, ESPN’s Bobby Marks joined the PHNX Suns Podcast recently to answer plenty of questions about those topics. If not, let’s jump in!

Nonsensical Devin Booker trades for youth, depth and picks

1. Washington Wizards

Kyle Kuzma just put up a 22-7-4 stat line, only turns 29 in July and would provide Phoenix with size and the ability to log minutes at the 4. Deni Avdija is a 23-year-old Swiss Army knife and one of the most underrated players in the league due to his defense, playmaking and improved 3-point shot (37.4 percent this year). And Bilal Coulibaly was one of the most NBA-ready rookie defenders in the league while flashing plenty of offensive potential.

Throw in the No. 26 pick in this year’s draft, then remove the swap rights on Phoenix’s picks in 2026, 2028 and 2030 from the Bradley Beal trade, and Washington gets a certified superstar in Booker, who just made Third Team All-NBA by putting up a 27-7-5 stat line on 49.2 percent shooting.

But even if Booker is several years younger than Beal, why would the Wizards trade away their star player last summer only to acquire another one a year later? And why would the Suns settle for two role players, one potential blue chip prospect, a late first-rounder, and removed swap rights on a few picks in exchange for Devin Armani Booker?

2. Indiana Pacers

Suns fans want a center upgrade who can defend the rim and space the floor. How about Myles Turner, who put up a well-rounded 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 35.8 percent from 3 last year?

Fans want a point guard and more dogs on their team. How about T.J. McConnell, one of the best backup point guards in the league who doubles as an ultra-gritty fan favorite? The Suns need wing depth and youth. How about 24-year-old Aaron Nesmith and 21-year-old Bennedict Mathurin?

Phoenix could use more draft capital. How about Indiana’s unprotected first-rounders in 2028 and 2030 (since they can’t offer first-rounders until then due to the Pascal Siakam trade)? This hypothetical deal checks a lot of boxes, but it’s debatable how much it would really move the needle.

Turner is a definitive upgrade over Nurk, but he’s a subpar rebounder. McConnell is a quality role player the Suns have eyed for years now, but at the end of the day, he’s still a backup. Nesmith had an impressive season on both ends, putting up 12.2 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting from deep while doubling as Indiana’s peskiest wing defender. Mathurin was injured from early March onward, but he’s still a young scorer with plenty of room to grow after putting up 14.5 points a night on 37.4 percent shooting from 3.

The problem is Tyrese Haliburton would be off limits, and even if Siakam didn’t join him in that category, he wouldn’t work because he’s a free agent and the Suns can’t add players via sign-and-trades. That would limit Phoenix’s return to a bunch of role players and picks that are 4-6 years away. A trio of Haliburton, Siakam and Booker would be fun for the Pacers, but they’d still have holes to fill at center and on the wing.

3. Brooklyn Nets

I’m kidding! Kind of. None of these deals is happening anyway, so relax!

The Suns get the Twins back, going from not enough wings to overloaded with two-way wings. They’d add the corner 3s, midrange touch and defensive versatility of Mikal Bridges, as well as the 3-point sniping, driving and competent defense of Cam Johnson to Kevin Durant and Royce O’Neale. Phoenix would also get its first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029 back, plus a 2027 first-rounder via the Philadelphia 76ers (top-8 protected).

The Nets would get a legitimate star to build around who isn’t too old, rather than pretending that that player is Bridges. But despite their lack of a clear direction right now, Brooklyn is super high on Bridges and might prefer to build around him, letting Ben Simmons’ contract come off the books next year and banking on those future Suns picks being of use in the near future.

Also, there’s no way in hell the Suns are settling for this type of package.

4. Orlando Magic

The Magic need more firepower and shooting on the offensive end. Devin Booker provides plenty of that, but it’d cost them key cornerstones to pair Book and Paolo Banchero together for the foreseeable future.

From Orlando’s perspective, Franz Wagner might be close to untouchable after he put up 19.7 points, 5.3 points and 3.7 assists per game in his age-22 season. He couldn’t hit a 3 to save his life (28.1 percent), but his ceiling as a tremendous two-way talent is clear.

Jalen Suggs doesn’t blow anyone away offensively, but he still put up 12.6 points a night and shot a career-high 39.7 percent from 3, all while earning an All-Defensive selection in just his third season. Wendell Carter is a solid two-way big when he’s available, and Jonathan Isaac is another All-Defensive caliber wing with all-encompassing length when he’s healthy enough to play.

That’s a lot of depth, length and defense to surrender, especially with Orlando attaching this year’s No. 18 overall pick and removing swap rights on that 2026 first-rounder. The Magic have plenty of cap space, but they’d still need a starting center and have several holes to plug on the depth chart after such a trade. Maybe Orlando would push for something like this instead, with rarely-used rookie Jett Howard in Suggs’ place:

For Phoenix, Wagner has incredible upside. Suggs would be the preferred option as a two-way youngster with plenty of promise, but Howard lit up the G League with his shooting. The two bigs could definitely help as well. But there would be a lot of question marks in swapping a win-now star like Booker for a greener package like this, and neither one gets the Suns closer to contending for the 2025 title.

5. New York Knicks

Let’s pretend there’s a world where those blatantly false Knicks rumors were actually true. In terms of the upcoming offseason, this is probably the best Phoenix could hope to do in a Devin Booker trade, at which point it’d be better to just…not.

Julius Randle is a fine player, scoring at a 20-points-per-game clip in five of his last six seasons, all while pulling down 9-10 boards a night and picking up three All-Star appearances, two All-NBA selections and one Most Improved Player award. He’s good! And the Suns could use a burly, physical 4 who can get to the basket and hold his own on the glass.

Josh Hart is also one of the best two-way role players in the league, and he’s without a doubt the best rebounding 2-guard in the NBA. His 3-point shot has wavered throughout his career, but he’s a lockdown defender and quintessential glue guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder.

Those two alone are not worth Devin Booker, so the Knicks would have to add on a heap of picks, including their No. 24 pick this year, a 2025 first-rounder from the Milwaukee Bucks (top-4 protected) and their own first-rounders in 2026 and 2028.

However, that still isn’t a good enough package for Booker. OG Anunoby would push the deal closer, but he’ll almost certainly opt out of his player option for a massive new deal, and Phoenix cannot add any player via sign-and-trade. Isaiah Hartenstein is intriguing, but he’ll be a free agent as well. Jalen Brunson is obviously off limits. There’s just not enough value to be found.

6. New Orleans Pelicans

A core of CJ McCollum, Devin Booker, Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson could be fun for the Pelicans, but it’d cost them two of their three main wings, plus a 2027 first-rounder from Milwaukee.

Brandon Ingram is certainly expendable for New Orleans, and he’d provide more length and an extra scoring punch alongside Durant on the wing. He’s struggled with injuries over the last few years, but he’s still a walking 20-6-6 on respectable efficiency.

Adding Herb Jones’ elite defense would spare KD from having to tackle Phoenix’s toughest defensive assignments, and Jones is still only 25 years old, coming off a season where he put up 11.0 points a night on a career-high 41.8 percent shooting from deep.

Jose Alvarado addresses the Suns’ need for a backup point guard with one of the game’s elite backcourt pests who also shot 37.7 percent from 3 this year. Ingram (26), Jones (25) and Alvarado (26) are all 26 years or younger.

Still, this might not be enough value for Phoenix, even in a world where they were seriously entertaining Devin Booker trades at all. The Suns would be wise to push for Trey Murphy III in that universe, substituting him in place of Herb Jones and the first-rounder:

Booker is still in the midst of his prime, but the Pelicans might prefer to just keep their glut of young wings and two-way players, allowing them to grow together instead.

Ingram is an All-Star, and Murphy has All-Star potential as an elite sharpshooter (38 percent on 7.8 attempts per game) and lengthy defender. But there’d be a fair amount of overlap between Durant, Ingram and Murphy, and neither one of these deals moves the needle far enough for the Suns’ immediate title hopes.

Targeting younger stars

7. Atlanta Hawks, Option A

The Hawks feel like a safe bet to trade one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray in the near future, so let’s start with Option A. Ice Trae will only turn 26 years old in September, and for all the justifiable criticism over his defense, he’s still a walking double-double who averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists per game. He’s a constant shooting threat from anywhere in the gym, knocking down 37.3 percent of his 3s on 8.7 attempts a night.

Jalen Johnson made a massive leap in his third season, putting up 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds a night on .511/.355/.728 shooting splits. He’d provide more size and athleticism at the 4 in Phoenix, and he’s still only 22 years old.

The Hawks, meanwhile, would have one of the best backcourts in the league between Booker and Murray, while keeping most of their current roster intact. They’d have to stay away from the tax apron to make such a deal work, but that’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Unfortunately, a core of Trae Young, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic would struggle to get stops, and even if Young were the answer to fans’ point guard prayers, Young’s flaws on that end are far more noticeable than Booker’s, and Booker is currently the better player. Let’s try Option B.

8. Atlanta Hawks, Option B

Neither one of these Hawks trades is happening, but this is easily the better deal of the two. Dejounte Murray answers the Suns’ need for a point guard while still providing Phoenix with another scoring threat and superb point-of-attack defender. The 27-year-old just averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds a night in Atlanta, and he’d be a natural fit next to Beal and Durant.

The Suns would also address their need for an alternative at center with Clint Capela, who’s still a nightly double-double and reliable rim-runner. The 30-year-old put up 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last year, which is more than enough for Phoenix. Capela only shot 57.1 percent from the floor, but playing with such a talented Suns trio would give him the most wide open rim looks of his career.

Atlanta would throw in a 2025 first-rounder from the Sacramento Kings (top-12 protected), but that might be too much value for the Hawks to give up, especially since they might be at the point where they’d prefer building around Murray instead of Young.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder

Swap Durant in for Booker here, and the Thunder probably say no. That’s how much they value 23-year-old Jalen Williams and his potential. But that’s only because Durant is 35, and if we’re talking about a 27-year-old Booker, that might get them to shift their thinking.

There’s no question Williams is going to be great. The 6-foot-5 forward put up 19.1 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds a night in just his second season, shooting 54 percent overall and 42.7 percent from 3 while doubling as a stellar wing defender. Lu Dort and Cason Wallace aren’t throw-ins either; Dort is one of the most physically imposing wing defenders in the league who shot 39.4 percent from deep, while the 20-year-old Wallace impressed as a rookie to the tune of 6.8 points a night on .491/.419/.784 shooting splits.

For Phoenix, they’d be getting a cornerstone wing in J-Dub, a lockdown wing stopper in Dort and a point guard of the future in Wallace. It would certainly make Phoenix a more well-rounded team, but replacing Booker’s elite scoring and playmaking would depend entirely on how much of a leap Williams could make in Year 3. Even with further improvement from him, the Suns would still miss Booker’s offense.

For the Thunder, Williams might be totally off-limits, but Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would automatically become the NBA’s most unguardable backcourt. Having another high-octane scorer next to SGA would alleviate a lot of the defensive pressure on him, but again, neither one of these teams would be looking to explore a deal like this anyway.

10. Cleveland Cavaliers

Cue the Cavs fanbase lighting torches and sharpening pitchforks. And to be fair, I get it: They’d be trading both of their young cornerstones for a player whose game overlaps with Donovan Mitchell. But how else can we finally settle the Book-Spida debate???

In all seriousness, Darius Garland would be a resounding answer to the Suns’ (unnecessary) point guard question, having averaged 18.0 points and 6.5 assists per game despite Mitchell taking the ball out of his hands and injuries limiting him to 57 games. His 21.6 points and 7.8 assists a night the season prior are more indicative of what he can do when fully healthy and in full control of the rock, and as a career 38.4 percent 3-point shooter, he can spread the floor off the ball too.

Like Garland, Evan Mobley’s production somewhat suffered from Cleveland’s roster construction, but the 22-year-old still put up 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals per game on .579/.373/.719 shooting splits. The offensive leap didn’t come, but three years into his career, Mobley is already one of the best, most malleable defenders in the game, and he’d provide Phoenix with a better, younger option at the 5.

However, this trade would make zero sense for Cleveland, and even if they swapped Mitchell in for Garland, that wouldn’t make sense for Phoenix, since they’d have their own overlap between Mitchell and Beal. The Cavs still owe the Utah Jazz a boatload of picks from the Mitchell trade, so opting for picks instead of talented players isn’t an option either.

Targeting older, win-now stars

11. Minnesota Timberwolves

Speaking of overlap, do the Timberwolves really need to hoard the two best 2-guards in the league by pairing Devin Booker with Anthony Edwards? No. But we’re going to look past that for a minute, due to a contract quirk that’s too rare in the new CBA landscape to ignore.

Both Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns are estimated to make $49,350,000 next season, so despite both the Suns and Wolves being second tax apron teams who are not allowed to take back more money than they send out in any trade, this hypothetical swap would technically be legal, since both sides would be taking back the exact same amount of salary.

Is that enough reason for the Suns to swap a top-10 player for a top-30 player and two picks in this year’s draft? Probably not, though Towns’ 41.6 percent shooting from deep as a 7-footer would help spread the floor in Mike Budenholzer‘s system. Minnesota’s picks at No. 27 and No. 37 are nice too, but that’s all they could offer in terms of draft capital since most of their future picks are still tied up from the Rudy Gobert trade.

Booker and Ant would be fun to watch together, but there’s too much positional overlap for this deal to make more sense than Minnesota keeping KAT and running back a talented, dangerous, young team in the West. As for the Suns, Towns and two top-40 picks in a weaker draft are nowhere near enough value for Book.

12. Los Angeles Lakers

Setting aside every Suns fan’s natural gag impulse at the mere idea of Devin Booker donning purple and gold…well, this deal is still kind of weak. It also couldn’t even occur until after August, once a year had passed from Anthony Davis signing his max extension with the Lakers.

That means LA would be trading the Brow, Jalen Hood-Schifino, whatever rookie they select with the 17th overall pick and a 2029 first-rounder just a few weeks before the start of training camp. This scenario only makes sense for the Lakers if LeBron James decides to leave LA for somewhere other than Phoenix, and then Booker somehow completely changes his mind about the Suns over the next two months.

Both of those things are implausible, though the Lakers’ interest in Booker would make sense if James left, since they’d be getting a younger, healthier star to build around for the future compared to AD. Davis, meanwhile, would add one of the best all-around bigs in the game to Phoenix’s roster, a guy who put up 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. The Suns would also snag a top-20 rookie and Hood-Schifino, who showed potential in spurts for LA this year.

However, it’s worth mentioning that this deal would only work if the Lakers remained under the tax apron at that point in the offseason. LeBron leaving would help on that front, but either way, this is an underwhelming return for Booker, at least in terms of risk management.

13. LA Clippers

Bear with me. I know it’s not happening, but ignoring the whole “Devin Booker is not going anywhere” refrain we keep circling back to, let’s imagine Paul George and James Harden leave LA in free agency. That would leave the Clippers with an aging, injury-prone Kawhi Leonard as their last remaining superstar. Why not swap him for a younger, marketable star like Booker to put butts in seats at a brand-new arena?

Like Towns, Leonard is estimated to make exactly $49,350,000 next season, and if that’s the case, he and Booker’s contracts align perfectly for a trade, regardless of tax apron restrictions. He and Durant would form an incredible two-way wing duo with enough offensive firepower to compete with anyone in a seven-game series.

As for draft capital, the Clippers’ picks are all tied up for the foreseeable future, but on draft night, they could offer Phoenix their No. 46 overall pick in this year’s draft, plus their 2031 first-rounder that becomes trade-eligible at that point.

However, as much as Leonard’s 23.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 34.3 minutes a night were impressive, as was the fact that he played 68 games this season, his inability to stay healthy through an entire playoff run remains troublesome. LA’s odds of whiffing on both George and Harden seem slim, and even if that happened, Leonard’s injury history and the Clippers’ lack of draft assets would make it impossible to envision Phoenix viewing this as a balanced trade.

14. Boston Celtics

Fresh off an NBA title, the Boston Celtics aren’t going to make any major changes to their championship core. And fresh off a superb postseason that ended in a Finals MVP award, Jaylen Brown certainly isn’t going anywhere.

But make no mistake about it: Recency bias aside, Devin Booker still has more individual trade value, and the Celtics would at least have to consider it if Phoenix lost their minds and put Booker on the table.

Since both the Suns and Celtics are second tax apron teams, neither one could take back extra salary. But much like Towns and Leonard, Brown will earn an estimated $49,350,000 next year. That aligns exactly with Booker’s contract, which would make this hypothetical deal legal.

Brown is one of the best two-way wings in the league. His scoring and playmaking is nowhere near Booker’s level, but he still put up a well-rounded 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season, all while being a tenacious, versatile defender and athletic rim attacker. Like Booker, he’ll only turn 28 in October, so he still has room to grow.

With that being said, even if Boston was willing to throw in a 2026 first-rounder to level the scales, the Suns are getting worse on the offensive end. Brown would help revamp Phoenix’s perimeter defense without sacrificing too much on the other end, but from a scoring, shooting and playmaking perspective, the Suns would be downgrading.

There’s also the small matter of the Celtics not needing to make changes in order to enter next season as overwhelming title favorites. Brown also cannot be traded until July 26, one year after signing his designated veteran extension last summer.

It’s a fun thought exercise, but ultimately a moot point for both teams.

A crazy 4-team trade to end all crazy Devin Booker trades

15. Atlanta Hawks/Miami Heat/Milwaukee Bucks

This whole experiment was nuts, but now let’s go full bat-shit to close things out.

It may not be long before Jimmy Butler is unhappy with his contract situation, and it already sounds like Pat Riley is getting tired of Butler’s talk. Year 1 of Damian Lillard in Milwaukee didn’t work out very well, and the Hawks want to trade one of their backcourt stars.

So how about Miami finally gets their guy with Dame, the Bucks get younger with a better facilitator in Young, Atlanta pairs Booker with Dejounte Murray, and the Suns add Jimmy Butler to Kevin Durant on the wing, plus a 2025 first-rounder via Sacramento?

We know, there’s like 10 different reasons this would never happen. But even with Phoenix, Milwaukee and Miami all being second tax apron teams, this deal would technically be legal, since not one of them is taking back more money than they’re sending out.

The problem is, despite the defense, scoring and all-around dog that Jimmy Buckets provides in any playoff series, he’s 34 years old and has had problems staying healthy. Young is an even worse defender than Lillard, which would put pressure on Milwaukee to compensate for his flaws there. The Heat would love to add Dame, but the idea was to pair him with Butler and Bam Adebayo, not just Bam. The Hawks would probably love this exchange outside of the first-rounder, but again, Book isn’t going anywhere.

Hopefully by this point, the overwhelming consensus is: Why on earth would the Suns make any of these moves rather than just keep Devin-Freaking-Armani-Booker?