Are the Phoenix Suns running out of time with Devin Booker?

Could Devin Booker leave the Phoenix Suns after next season if they don’t improve within the next couple of years?

Back in 2015, the Phoenix Suns selected Devin Booker with the 13th overall pick. Many people overlooked him as just another promising player to come out of Kentucky.

Kentucky has had its fair share of promising NBA talent come through the school so this is nothing new. However, five other Kentucky players were selected in the 2015 draft from a loaded Kentucky Wildcats roster.

Kentucky’s talent-filled roster that year caused Devin Booker to have a less prominent role. Booker fell to No. 13, behind three other Kentucky players selected before him.

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The Suns quickly realized they likely selected one of the best talents in the draft at 13. Booker was putting up 20-30 points on a regular basis in the second of half of his rookie season, and still only 19 years old.

Devin Booker is currently averaging nearly 25 points a game in his third season. He’s become the leader of a young Phoenix Suns team and is a sure superstar in the making.

With records of 23-59, 24-58, and 19-45 (so far) this year, the Suns have not been able to put together a competitive roster in the three years Devin Booker has been on the team.

The Suns have added more young pieces in the following two drafts. Dragan Bender and Josh Jackson are promising young talents that will improve the team. But young players won’t keep Devin Booker on the team.

Any team is likely to struggle with young players consisting of most of the roster. However, the Suns don’t look to be trending in the right direction even with a high draft pick again this year. The Suns need to make more roster improvements to keep Booker happy.

What’s next for the Suns?

The Suns at some point have to make the transition to becoming a winning team. Or at least a team that can compete for a playoff spot. Additionally, there aren’t many of those spots available in a tough, ever improving Western Conference.

Devin Booker is set to be a restricted free agent after next season in the summer of 2019. The Suns still have time to start trending upwards. Next season is my guess is they will want to make that happen which means sooner rather than later. Devin Booker won’t be there forever if they don’t. It could end up being much like a LeBron situation his first time in Cleveland.

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Phoenix would likely match any offer another team would try to sign Booker to. Nonetheless much could change by the end of next season if the Suns don’t improve. Devin Booker likely will not want to continue to be apart of a losing culture in Phoenix if it extends past next season.

If Booker is going to commit to the franchise long-term, the Phoenix Suns better start making moves now to make that happen. When someone on your team is capable of scoring 70 points in a game, you don’t want to lose that player to free agency.