Phoenix Suns

Despite a disappointing 36-46 record and searching for their fourth head coach in four years, the Phoenix Suns are looking to solidify Devin Booker as their franchise player this summer.

Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Suns are expected to offer Booker the maximum two-year, $149.8 million contract extension he is eligible to sign this offseason.

This summer could potentially be franchise-altering for the Suns, with Booker at the center of things. They made their first major move on Monday by firing Mike Budenholzer after one season as head coach.

Kevin Durant's future in Phoenix is murky.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday that the organization will engage in trade talks involving Durant. The front office is expected to work with the 15-time All-Star on a potential landing spot.

Given Durant's age—he will turn 37 on Sept. 29—and the Suns' limited trade ability since they are over the second apron, any potential return for him in a deal might not be as strong as one would assume for a superstar.

It also doesn't help Phoenix's negotiating power that Durant will be entering the final year of his current contract. Any team looking to trade for him would presumably want him to sign the two-year, $122 million extension he's eligible for this offseason to facilitate a deal.

Suns governor Mat Ishbia has been adamant about not trading Booker, believing him to be a player they can build a championship roster around.

"Never happen," Ishbia told ESPN's Tim MacMahon in March when asked about a potential Booker trade. "It's silly. So here's what I'll tell you: I have Devin Booker in the prime. In order to win an NBA championship, you got to have a superstar. You got to have a great player."

Booker hasn't changed his tune about wanting to stay in Phoenix amid the franchise's recent struggles. When asked about staying with the Suns on Sunday, he told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic:

"I’m sure the people are sick of hearing my Phoenix love story, but I’m deeply rooting into this community. I take a lot of pride in it. We’ve built it from the ground up before. I didn’t think I’d be back in this situation, but it shows you how hard the league is. Once we get back to that championship level, I’ll be able to shed light on people that it can change very quickly."

The Suns aren't in imminent danger of losing Booker even if he doesn't sign an extension this summer. He has three years and $171.2 million remaining on his current contract.

But when NBA superstars don't extend with their current team when an offer comes along, it does raise some red flags about their future.

If Booker decides to hold off on an extension with the Suns this summer, the questions about his long-term prospects in Phoenix will only grow louder.

The Phoenix Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer on Monday, and there are likely more changes coming for the team this offseason.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Booker won't be a part of those potential changes.

"From my understanding, he remains the foundation of everything they're doing in Phoenix," Charania said on NBA Today. "Everything else, though, has been up for discussion with the Suns except for Devin Booker."

Booker has been with the Suns for his entire 10-year career, experiencing the highs of reaching the NBA Finals in 2021 along with the lows of failing to make the playoffs, as Phoenix did this year.

The 28-year-old has played for seven different coaches now, including three different coaches over the last three seasons.

Though Phoenix has had different stars and veterans on its roster, it seems Booker's voice carries the most weight. The Athletic's Doug Haller, Sam Amick and Fred Katz reported that part of Budenholzer's firing was because of his "contentious relationship with" Booker and other players.

While Booker will likely stay put this offseason, some of his co-stars could be on the move. Charnia reported that Kevin Durant, who was a part of trade talks during the regular season, will work with the Suns to find a trade this offseason.

"This is just the start of what's going to be multiple major changes in Phoenix from a roster perspective," Charania said. "That is going to start with Kevin Durant. I'm told the Suns and Durant, as well as his business partner Rich Kleiman, will be working together on his next trade home."

While Durant, 36, isn't the MVP candidate he once was, he's more than capable of being a top option on an NBA Finals team. He averaged 26.6 points this season and is looking to make another deep playoff run before the end of his career.

It's hard to gauge what kind of haul the Suns could get for Durant, but they'll hope to get enough in return to start putting together a championship roster centered around Booker.

The Phoenix Suns will "have discussions" surrounding Bradley Beal's long-term future with the organization during the offseason, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Suns already made a major change on Monday, firing head coach Mike Budenholzer after just one season with the team.

Phoenix is "set to retool around" star guard Devin Booker moving forward after parting ways with Budenholzer, per Charania.

The Suns acquired Beal from the Washington Wizards as part of a blockbuster three-team trade in June 2023, sending out a package that included Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, four future first-round pick swaps and six future second-round picks in return.

Beal's tenure in Phoenix has been marred by injuries, suiting up in 106 of a possible 164 games over his two seasons with the organization.

He was limited to just 53 appearances during his 2024-25 campaign, averaging 17.0 points and 3.3 rebounds to go along with 3.7 assists per game on 49.7/38.6/80.3 shooting splits.

Beal struggled to make a consistent impact when healthy, owning the worst net rating among all Suns players to suit up in at least 40 games during the regular season (via NBA.com).

He has two years left on his current contract, which includes a $57.1 million player option for the 2026-27 season. His deal also contains a no-trade clause.

Beal reportedly had no desire to waive his no-trade clause when his name surfaced in rumors prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

The 31-year-old has the power to stay in Phoenix, but it doesn't appear to be preventing the Suns from having a conversation regarding his long-term outlook with the team.

Kevin Durant wasn't thrilled to be dangled in trades only to ultimately remain with the Phoenix Suns through the NBA trade deadline, according to The Athletic's Doug Haller, Sam Amick and Fred Katz.

They described it as "a process that rubbed Durant the wrong way" in report Monday.

With the deadline fast approaching, the Suns put together a deal that would've sent Durant to the Golden State Warriors and landed them Jimmy Butler. KD, however, didn't relish a return to the Bay Area.

The Warriors pivoted and wound up acquiring Butler themselves.

Phoenix was left unable to find a workable solution on a Durant trade, while fellow star Bradley Beal utilized his no-trade clause to full effect. As a result, the Suns couldn't make any midseason upgrades, and two of their biggest names knew the front office deemed them expendable.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported on Feb. 6 that the atmosphere around the team was "toxic" at the deadline:

With the Suns' season now over after they failed to even qualify for the Play-In Tournament, The Athletic reported they're "widely expected to trade Kevin Durant this summer," which echoes what has been the general narrative for more than a month.

The 6'11" forward averaged 26.6 points on 52.7 percent shooting, including 43.0 percent from beyond the arc. Even deep into his 30s, he remains an elite scorer and an offensive fulcrum who fits easily into any roster.

At the same time, Durant and Phoenix's relationship is probably beyond salvaging. It's also clear the Big Three formula of Durant, Beal and Devin Booker guarantees nothing in terms of team success.

Instead, the experiment has been a massive failure and the hope for Phoenix is that trading away Durant might yield a return that can change its fortunes on the court.

It took just one season for the Phoenix Suns to fire head coach Mike Budenholzer, and the decision reportedly centered around his failure to connect with the face of the franchise.

The Athletic's Doug Haller, Sam Amick and Fred Katz reported that Budenholzer's "contentious relationship with four-time All-Star and franchise centerpiece Devin Booker, as well as several other key players, was seen internally as a major issue" and played a key part in his firing.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Budenholzer "had issues connecting with the locker room this season," and team officials concluded that "the roster failed to respond to the 2021 NBA championship coach." Sources told Charania that the 55-year-old's "inability to coexist with his players centered around the franchise's cornerstone, Devin Booker, and went down the roster."

Booker played 75 games this season, his most since 2019-20, and averaged 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-high 7.1 assists. However, his 33.2 percent shooting from three-point range was the second-worst mark of his career even though he attempted a career-high 7.3 triples per game.

The Suns were hoping that pairing Booker with veteran stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal would pay dividends, but both players missed 20 or more games this season. When they were on the court together, they showed a lack of chemistry and weren't as dominant as the team expected them to be. Phoenix finished 11th in the West with a 36-46 record.

Haller, Amick and Katz reported that the Suns "are widely expected to trade Kevin Durant this summer," but they "are still planning on building around the 28-year-old Booker and didn’t see a productive path forward with Budenholzer at the helm."

This marks the third time in the last three years that Phoenix will be looking for a new head coach, so it will be important for the team to find the right fit for Booker if it hopes to return to playoff contention next year.