With the Phoenix Suns getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, Devin Booker‘s future now looks up in the air. According to Stephen A. Smith, the 27-year-old wants to play in New York.
“From what I’m being told, I don’t know if it will ever happen, Devin Booker wants to be in New York,” Smith said on ESPN, via ClutchPoints. “That’s what I’m being told. That’s what I’m being told. Now, he might deny it. I haven’t spoken to him. I’m just telling you the scuttlebutt in the NBA circles is that brother wanna be in New York. So if you’re Phoenix, you got at least two people, probably three who are all getting paid about $150 million combined, don’t want to be there.”
Booker‘s contract with the Suns doesn’t expire until 2028, with his salary set to increase each year for the remainder of the deal. Therefore, Phoenix will likely ask for a king’s ransom to let him go.
Smith is a Knicks fan, so it would make sense if one prefers to take this with a grain of salt. The Nets are also in the New York area, but their current situation may not be so attractive for a star seeking a first ring.
Booker insists he wants to win a ring
Following the Suns’ fourth loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday, Booker made it clear his goal remains to win an NBA championship for the first time. He came close in 2021, when the Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals.
“I want to win (a championship),” Booker said. “It’s a tough league. At the end of all this, there’s gonna be one winner, and everybody that doesn’t win is gonna go into somewhat of a panic mode and feel like they have to make changes… I think over time, experience is the best teacher. The more that you can spend time together, feel this hurt together and go through it together, the better off you are in the future.”
It’s interesting what Booker said about experience. Things haven’t gone to plan for Phoenix in the last few years, but the former first-rounder seems to understand that succeeding can take time. We’ll have to wait and see if he continues to view the Suns as his best chance to win a coveted first ring.
